Buzz
In this article, Mytour will guide you on how to create a data chart project in Microsoft Excel. You can perform these steps on both Windows and Mac.
Steps
On Windows
Open the Excel document. Double-click on the Excel file containing the data.
- If you haven't entered the data you want to analyze into the table, open Excel and click on Blank workbook to create a new document. You can then enter the data and create a chart based on that data.
Select a chart. Click on the chart type you want to use for creating the trendline.
- If you haven't created a chart from the data yet, do so before continuing.
Click on the ＋. This green button is located at the top-right corner of the chart. A menu will appear.
Click on the arrow to the right of the 'Trendline' dialog box. Sometimes, you may need to hover your mouse to the far right corner of the 'Trendline' box before the arrow appears. Click to return to the second menu.
Select a trendline. Depending on your needs, you can choose one of the following options:
- Linear (Linear)
- Exponential (Exponential)
- Linear Forecast (Linear Forecast)
- Two Period Moving Average (Two-Period Moving Average)
- You can click on More Options... (More Options) to open the advanced options menu after selecting the data for analysis.
Select the data to analyze. Click on the series name (e.g. Series 1) in the window. If you have named the data, you can click on the data name instead.
Click on the OK. This button is located at the bottom of the pop-up window. It is used to add the trendline to the chart.
- If you click on More Options..., you can name the trendline or adjust its direction to the right of the window.
Save the document. Press Ctrl+S to save your changes. If you haven't saved the document before, you will be prompted to choose a save location and filename.
On Mac
Open the Excel document. Double-click on the document that contains your data.
- If you haven't entered the data you want to analyze into the table, open Excel to create a new document. You can then input the data and create a chart based on that data.
Select the data in the chart. Click on the data series you want to analyze.
- If you haven't yet created a chart from the data, do so before continuing.
Click on the Chart Design (Chart Design). This tab is located at the top of the Excel window.
Click on the Add Chart Element (Add Chart Element). This option is located on the far left of the Chart Design toolbar. Click here to view the menu.
Select Trendline. This button is at the bottom of the menu. A new window will appear.
Select trendline options. Depending on your needs, you can choose from the following types:
- Linear
- Exponential
- Linear Forecast
- Moving Average
- Click on More Trendline Options to open the advanced options window (for example, naming the trendline).
Save your changes. Press ⌘ Command+Save, or click on File and select Save. If you haven't saved the document before, you will be prompted to choose a location and filename.
Tip
- Depending on your chart's data, you may see additional trendline options (e.g. Polynomial).
Warning
- Ensure you have enough data to forecast trends. It's nearly impossible to analyze a "trend" with just 2 or 3 data points.
