How to Graph Multiple Lines in Excel

Trying to compare data over time? Plotting multiple lines on a single graph in Excel is one of the best ways to visualize trends and spot relationships between different data sets. This guide will walk you through setting up your data, creating the chart, and customizing it to look polished and professional.

Why Use a Multi-Line Graph?

A multi-line graph (or chart) is your go-to for comparing how two or more things change over the same period. It lets you see, at a glance, how different categories stack up against each other. For example, you might want to:

• Track Marketing Channels: Compare website traffic from Google, Facebook, and your Email newsletter over the past six months.
• Analyze Sales Performance: See if sales for Product A are growing faster than for Product B.
• Monitor Ad Campaign Metrics: Plot Ad Spend vs. Clicks vs. Conversions for a given campaign to visualize its performance trajectory.

When you place these trendlines on the same axes, patterns and relationships that were hidden in a table of numbers suddenly jump out. Did a drop in traffic from one channel coincide with a spike in another? Are sales for all your products dipping at the same time of year? A multi-line chart makes answering these questions intuitive.

Before You Begin: Prepping Your Data for Success

Excel is powerful, but it needs data in a specific format to create a good line chart. Getting this step right will save you a world of headaches later. Your data needs to be clean, organized, and simple.

The golden rule is to set up your data in columns. Here’s the structure you should aim for:

• Column A (The X-Axis): This column should contain your time period. This could be days, dates, months, or years. It’s what Excel will plot along the bottom (horizontal) axis.
• Columns B, C, D, etc. (The Y-Axis Lines): Each of these columns will represent a different line on your graph. The header for each column (e.g., "Organic Traffic," "Paid Traffic," "Direct Traffic") will become the name of that line in your chart's legend.

A Relatable Example

Let's imagine you're a marketing manager for an e-commerce store, and you want to compare website sessions from your three main traffic sources for the first quarter. Your data in Excel should look like this:

A few key tips for data preparation:

• Include Headers: Always include clear headers for each column. Excel will automatically use them for your chart legend.
• No Blank Rows or Columns: Make sure your data table is a single, uninterrupted block. Blank rows or columns in the middle can confuse Excel and lead to gaps in your chart.
• Keep It Consistent: Ensure your time-series data (like dates or months) is formatted consistently down the column.

Step-by-Step: Creating Your Multi-Line Graph

Once your data is neatly organized, creating the chart itself is surprisingly fast. Just follow these steps.

Step 1: Select Your Data

Click and drag your mouse to highlight the entire range of data you want to plot. Make sure you include the headers for your time period and for each data series.

Step 2: Insert the Line Chart

With your data highlighted, navigate to the Insert tab on Excel's top ribbon. In the Charts section, look for the icon that looks like a small line graph and click on 'Insert Line or Area Chart.'

Step 3: Choose the Right Line Chart Type

A dropdown menu will appear with several options. For comparing distinct categories, the best choice is usually 'Line with Markers.' Markers are the small dots, squares, or diamonds that appear at each data point, making your chart much easier to read. The 'Stacked Line' options are better for showing how parts contribute to a whole over time, which isn't our goal here. Select 'Line with Markers.'

Just like that, Excel will place a brand new chart right on your worksheet! It will show your months along the bottom (x-axis), the session counts along the side (y-axis), and three colored lines representing your traffic sources.

Customizing Your Graph for Clarity and Impact

Excel's default chart is a great start, but a little customization will turn it from a simple chart into a powerful communication tool. To edit any part of a chart, you can just click on it. When the chart is selected, you'll see two new tabs appear on the ribbon: 'Chart Design' and 'Format.'

Add a Clear Chart Title

The default title might just say "Chart Title." Double-click it to change it to something descriptive, like "Q1 Website Sessions by Source."

Label Your Axes

Your graph is useless if people don't know what the numbers represent. To add labels:

1. Click anywhere on your chart to select it.
2. Go to the Chart Design tab.
3. On the far left, click 'Add Chart Element.'
4. Hover over 'Axis Titles' and add both a 'Primary Horizontal' (for your months) and 'Primary Vertical' (for your session counts) title.

Adjust the Legend

The legend identifies which line corresponds to which data set. Excel usually adds it automatically. You can click and drag it to a better position (like the top or right side) so it doesn't crowd your data lines.

Change Line Colors and Styles

Want to match your company's branding or simply make a line stand out? Right-click on any line and choose 'Format Data Series.' A panel will open on the right side of your screen. Here you can:

• Change Line Color: Click the paint bucket icon to select a new color.
• Adjust Thickness: Change the 'Width' of the line to make it thicker or thinner.
• Use a Dashed Line: Change the 'Dash type' to help distinguish lines from one another, especially for black-and-white printouts.
• Customize Markers: Click 'Marker' in the panel to change its shape, size, and color. This is another great way to improve clarity.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Sometimes Excel doesn't quite get it right on the first try. Here are a couple of frequent issues and their quick fixes.

Problem: My dates are being plotted as another line instead of on the X-axis.

This happens when Excel misinterprets your first column as another numerical data series. To fix it:

• Right-click on your chart and choose 'Select Data.'
• A dialog box will open. On the right side, under 'Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels,' click the 'Edit' button.
• A small box will appear asking for the 'Axis label range.' Click and drag to select only the cells with your dates or months (don't include the header).
• Click OK on both boxes. Your chart's X-axis should now be correctly showing your time periods.

Problem: My chart looks cluttered and confusing.

If you have too many lines (say, more than five or six), a line chart can quickly become a "spaghetti graph." If this happens, consider:

• Simplifying: Can you combine some categories or show only the most important ones?
• Using Color and Style: Make sure each line has a distinct color and marker style.
• Choosing a Different Chart: An Area Chart might work better, or you might need to split your data into two separate smaller line charts.

Problem: There are gaps in my lines where I have empty cells.

By default, Excel will show a gap if a cell is empty. If you'd rather have the line connect across the missing point:

• Right-click the chart and hit 'Select Data.'
• Click the 'Hidden and Empty Cells' button at the bottom left.
• Select the option for 'Connect data points with line.' Click OK.

Final Thoughts

Creating a multi-line graph in Excel is a straightforward process once your data is properly structured. It allows you to transform static tables of data into dynamic stories about your business's performance, showing how different parts work together over time. By taking a few extra minutes to customize your chart, you can ensure your insights are clear, compelling, and ready to be shared.

While mastering Excel is a valuable skill, we know that the manual process of exporting CSVs and building reports week after week can be draining. At Graphed , we automate all of this tedious work. You just connect your data sources — like Shopify, Google Analytics, or your social media ads — and ask a question in plain English. For example, you could say "create a line chart comparing sessions from paid search and organic search for the last six months," and a live, interactive dashboard is built for you in seconds. It allows you and your team to skip the setup and get straight to the insights.