Add a trendline
You can add trendlines to see patterns in your charts.
Before you create a trendline: You can add trendlines to bar, line, column, or scatter charts.
- On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
- Double-click a chart.
- At the right, click Customize
Series.
- Optional: Next to "Apply to," choose the data series you want to add the trendline to.
- Click Trendline. If you don’t see this option, trendlines don’t work with your data.
Series.Make changes to a trendline
- On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
- Double-click a chart.
- At the right, click Customize
- Optional: Next to "Apply to," choose the data series you want to add the trendline to.
- Under "Trendline," you can edit:
- Trendline types.
- Line color, opacity, or thickness.
- Labels.
- R squared. This shows how closely the trendline fits the data. The closer to R^2 = 1, the closer the fit. This is only available if you add a legend.
- Polynomial degrees. This is only available for polynomial trendlines.
- Average types. This is only available for moving average trendlines.
- Periods. This is only available for moving average trendlines.
Trendlines & equations to use
- Linear: For data that closely follows a straight line.
- Trendline equation: y = mx+b.
- Exponential: For data that rises and falls proportional to its current value.
- Trendline equation: y = A*e^(Bx).
- Polynomial: For data that varies.
- Trendline equation: ax^n + bx^(n-1) + … + zx^0.
- Logarithmic: For data that rises or falls at a fast rate and then flattens out.
- Trendline equation: y = A*ln(x) + B.
- Power series: For data that rises or falls proportional to its current value at the same rate.
- Trendline equation: y = A*x^b.
- Moving average: Helps smooth out data that is unstable or more variable.