How to Make a Line Graph in Google Sheets

A line graph is one of the fastest and most effective ways to see how your data changes over time. Instead of staring at rows of numbers, you get an immediate visual story about your progress. This guide will walk you through creating, customizing, and leveling up your line graphs in Google Sheets, step by step.

Why Use a Line Graph in the First Place?

Before we jump into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Line graphs excel at tracking a metric against a continuous interval, usually time. They instantly answer questions like:

• Is our website traffic growing month over month?

• How did our sales figures for Q2 compare to Q1?

• Are new user sign-ups trending up or down after our latest campaign?

Unlike a bar chart, which is better for comparing distinct categories (like sales per product), a line graph connects the dots to show you the trend, the fluctuations, and the overall momentum. It’s the perfect tool for tracking performance, spotting patterns, and visualizing growth over days, weeks, months, or years.

Step 1: Get Your Data Ready

A great chart starts with well-organized data. If your data is messy, your chart will be confusing. For a line graph, Google Sheets needs a simple, clean structure.

Here’s the ideal layout:

• Column A (The Horizontal X-Axis): This should be your time-based data. Think dates, months, weeks, or years. Make sure it's sequential and consistently formatted.

• Column B and beyond (The Vertical Y-Axis): These columns should contain the numerical data you want to track over time. Each column will represent a different line on your graph.

Most importantly, make sure your first row contains clear, simple headers for each column. These headers will automatically become the labels in your chart's legend.

Example Data Setup

Let's say we want to visualize monthly website traffic for the first half of the year. Our data in Google Sheets would look like this:

If you wanted to compare traffic from two different sources, like organic search and social media, you would simply add another column:

With your data structured like this, you're ready to create the graph.

Step 2: How to Create a Line Graph in Google Sheets

Now for the fun part. Follow these simple steps to bring your data to life.

1. Select your data range: Click on the top-left cell of your data (e.g., "Month") and drag your cursor to highlight all the cells that contain data, including the headers.

2. Insert the chart: Go to the navigation menu at the top of the screen and click Insert > Chart.

3. Let Google Sheets work its magic: Google Sheets will analyze your selected data and automatically generate a chart it thinks is best. Since our data includes a time series, it will usually default to a line graph, which is exactly what we want.If for some reason it suggests another type (like a column chart), don't worry. The Chart editor pane will appear on the right side of your screen. Under the Setup tab, click the dropdown menu under "Chart type" and select one of the "Line" options.

That's it! You now have a basic line graph embedded in your spreadsheet.

Step 3: Customize Your Line Graph to Tell a Clearer Story

A default chart is okay, but a customized one is a powerful communication tool. The Chart editor is your control center for making your graph look polished and professional. It's divided into two main tabs: Setup and Customize.

Here’s how to fine-tune your line graph using the options in the Customize tab.

Chart style

This is where you can change the overall appearance. You can modify background colors, change the font, or make the chart borders more visible. A cool option here is "Smooth," which will change the sharp, angular lines into gentle curves for a softer look.

Chart &amp, axis titles

Your chart needs a clear title. Under "Chart &amp, axis titles," select "Chart title" from the dropdown and give it a descriptive name like "Monthly Website Traffic Growth (2024)." Then, add titles for your horizontal and vertical axes (e.g., "Month" and "Number of Sessions"). This single step removes any guesswork for your audience - they'll know exactly what they're looking at.

Series

The "Series" section gives you control over the lines themselves. If you have multiple data series (like our Organic vs. Social Media example), you can format each one individually.

• Color and Thickness: Change the line color to match your brand or to make a specific line stand out. You can also adjust the "Line thickness" to make it pop.

• Point Shape: Add data points (circles, squares, etc.) to your line to mark where each data value sits. This helps with readability, especially if the data points are sparse.

• Error Bars &amp, Data Labels: Add data labels to show the exact value of each point directly on the chart, or add error bars if you're working with statistical data.

• Trendline: This is a fantastic feature. Check the "Trendline" box to add a line that shows the general direction your data is headed. It's great for quickly seeing if the overall trend is positive, negative, or flat, even if there are month-to-month fluctuations.

Legend

If you have multiple lines on your graph, the legend is essential. Under the "Legend" dropdown, you can change its position to be on the top, bottom, right, left, or even inside the chart area ("labeled"). If you only have one line, you can set the position to "None" to save space.

Horizontal (X) axis &amp, Vertical (Y) axis

These sections give you granular control over your axes.

• Min and Max Values: By default, Google Sheets sets the scale automatically. You can override this by entering minimum and maximum values. This is useful for keeping the scale consistent across multiple charts or zooming in on a specific range of your data.

• Number Format: If your Y-axis represents currency, percentages, or another specific number type, you can apply that formatting here to make your chart clearer.

Gridlines and Ticks

Gridlines help guide the viewer's eye from a point on the line to its corresponding value on the axis. Under this section, you can add more gridlines (called "minor gridlines"), change their color, or remove them entirely for a minimalist look. More gridlines can make precise values easier to identify, while fewer gridlines create a cleaner appearance.

Advanced Tips and Tricks

Once you've mastered the basics, here are a couple of advanced techniques to take your Google Sheets line graphs to the next level.

Creating a Combo Chart (with a Second Y-Axis)

What if you want to compare two metrics that have completely different scales, like Ad Spend ($$) and Click-Through Rate (%)?

Plotting these on the same axis would make one line look completely flat. The solution is a combo chart with a second Y-axis on the right.

1. Set up your chart as a normal line graph with your three columns (e.g., Month, Ad Spend, CTR).

2. In the Chart editor under the Customize tab, go to Series.

3. Select the data series you want to move to the second axis (e.g., "CTR").

4. Under the options for that series, find the "Axis" dropdown and select "Right axis."

Google Sheets will immediately add a new axis on the right side of your chart, scaled appropriately for your second metric. You might also want to change this series to Bars to visually separate it, officially making it a "combo chart." You can do this back in the Setup tab.

Handling Gaps and Missing Data

Sometimes your data isn't perfect, and you might have a blank cell for one of the months. By default, Google Sheets will create a gap in your line graph. You can change this behavior in the Chart editor > Setup tab. Check the box for "Plot null values" to treat them as zeros. In some chart types, under Customize > Chart Style, you may find an option to "interpolate," which tells Google Sheets to connect the points on either side of the gap, smoothing over the missing data.

Final Thoughts

Line graphs are an essential tool for tracking performance over time, and Google Sheets gives you everything you need to create them quickly and effectively. By organizing your data properly and using the rich customization options, you can transform a simple spreadsheet into a clear and compelling visual that tells the story behind the numbers.

Creating beautiful charts in Google Sheets is fantastic, but getting all your data into the sheet can be a grind. This is especially true when you’re pulling numbers from various marketing and sales platforms like Google Analytics, Shopify, Facebook Ads, or HubSpot. We created Graphed to remove that manual work. You can connect your data sources in a few clicks, and then just ask for what you need in plain English: "Show me a line graph of my Shopify sales vs. Facebook Ad spend for the last 6 months." Graphed generates a live, interactive dashboard for you in seconds, saving you from the slow process of exporting CSVs and wrestling with spreadsheets.