How to add a trendline to charts in Google Sheets

Lesson on How to add a trendline in Google Sheets charts top image by SpreadsheetClass.com

Did you know that you can add a trendline to your charts in Google Sheets? Trendlines show the line of best fit for your data, and help you identify patterns and trends in your data, making it easier to draw meaningful insights. In this lesson I am going to show you how to add trendlines to a variety of charts, and I will show you how to select different types of trendlines such as "linear" or "polynomial".

To add a trendline to a chart in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

Double-click on your chart to open the chart editor (or click once on the chart, then click the 3 dots in the upper-right corner and then click "Edit chart")
Click the "Customize" tab
Click "Series"
Click the "Trendline" checkbox

Example of How to add a trendline to a chart in Google Sheets

After following the steps above, a trendline will be displayed on your chart, showing the line of best fit. See the examples below to see how to add trendlines to a variety of charts, as well as how to add different trendline types.

Table of Contents

Adding a trendline to a scatter plot

A scatter plot chart is the most common to apply a trendline to because the lines help to see the trends and correlations of the scattered data points.

To add a trendline to a scatter plot, double-click on your scatter chart to open the chart editor, then click "Customize", then click "Series", then click the "Trendline" checkbox.

Below you can see the scatter plot before adding a trendline.

Example of How to add a trendline to a scatter chart in Google Sheets before adding trendline

After following the instructions above, the trendline will now display on the scatter plot, as shown in the image below.

Example of How to add a trendline to a scatter chart in Google Sheets after adding trendline

Adding a trendline to a line chart

Line charts are excellent for displaying data trends over time. Adding a polynomial trendline can reveal more complex trends.

To add a trendline to a line chart, double-click on your line chart to open the chart editor, then click "Customize", then click "Series", then click the "Trendline" checkbox.

Below you can see the line chart before adding a trendline.

Example of How to add a trendline to a line chart in Google Sheets before adding trendline

After following the instructions above, the trendline will now display on the line chart, as shown in the image below.

Example of How to add a trendline to a line chart in Google Sheets after adding trendline

Adding a trendline to a column chart

To add a trendline to a column chart, double-click on your column chart to open the chart editor, then click "Customize", then click "Series", then click the "Trendline" checkbox.

Below you can see the column chart before adding a trendline.

Example of How to add a trendline to a column chart in Google Sheets before adding trendline

After following the instructions above, the trendline will now display on the column chart, as shown in the image below.

Example of How to add a trendline to a column chart in Google Sheets after adding trendline

Adding a trendline to a combo chart

To add a trendline to a combo chart, double-click on your combo chart to open the chart editor, then click "Customize", then click "Series", then click the "Trendline" checkbox.

Below you can see the combo chart before adding a trendline.

Example of How to add a trendline to a combo chart in Google Sheets before adding trendline

Adding trendlines to a specific series on a chart

Sometimes you may want to add a trendline to your chart on a specific series, rather than on all series on the chart. You can do this by selecting the appropriate series before enabling the trendline, as demonstrated below.

To add a trendline to a specific series, double-click on your combo chart to open the chart editor, then click "Customize", then click "Series". Select the series you want to add a trendline to, and then click the "Trendline" checkbox.

Example of How to choose the series for adding a trendline in Google Sheets

After following the instructions above, the trendline will now display on the combo chart, as shown in the image further below.

Example of How to add a trendline to a combo chart in Google Sheets after adding trendline

Trendline types

You can select different types of trendlines in Google Sheets as well. Experiment with different chart types and trendline options to best convey your data's story, or simply select the specific trendline type that you want.

Adding a linear trendline to a chart

The default trendline type is "Linear".

To add a linear trendline to a chart in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

Double-click on your chart to open the chart editor (or click once on the chart, then click the 3 dots in the upper-right corner and then click "Edit chart")
Click "Customize"
Click "Series"
Click the "Trendline" checkbox
Ensure that the "Type" is set to "Linear"

Example of Selecting linear trendline option in Google Sheets

As you can see in the image below, a linear trendline has appeared on the chart.

Example of How to add a linear trendline to a chart in Google Sheets chart with linear trendline

Adding a polynomial trendline to a chart

Now let's go over how to add a polynomial trendline to a Google Sheets chart.

To add a linear trendline to a chart in Google Sheets, follow these steps:

Double-click on your chart to open the chart editor (or click once on the chart, then click the 3 dots in the upper-right corner and then click "Edit chart")
Click "Customize"
Click "Series"
Click the "Trendline" checkbox
Ensure that the "Type" is set to "Polynomial"