How to Make a Line Graph in Microsoft Word

Making graphs and charts is Excel's specialty, but you don't need to switch between programs to insert a line graph into a Word 2013 document. Make the graph right from Word using the Insert Chart feature, which provides the same graphing tools as Excel itself.

Tip

No need to rebuild a graph you've already designed in Excel: Just copy and paste a finished line chart from Excel to Word.

Step 1: Insert a Chart

Image Credit: Image courtesy of Microsoft

Open the Insert tab in Word and click Chart.

Step 2: Pick a Style

Image Credit: Image courtesy of Microsoft

Select Line and pick one of the styles to set the chart's appearance. Click OK to create a line graph.

Warning

If you want to graph pairs of X and Y values, you need a scatter chart instead. Each line in a line chart graphs a single set of data.

Tip

Click Change Chart Type on the Design tab to change styles later.

Step 3: Build the Chart

Image Credit: Image courtesy of Microsoft

Edit the data in the Chart in Microsoft Word window to build the graph. Unlike creating a chart in Excel, Word starts out with a ready-made sample chart, so edit the existing series labels, categories and values in the spreadsheet to turn the sample chart into your own.

Tip

You aren't limited to the number of categories and series in the sample chart. Delete rows or columns to remove them from the graph, or add more as needed.
Click the Excel icon on the window's title bar if you'd rather edit the data in Excel itself.

Step 4: Add Chart Elements

Image Credit: Image courtesy of Microsoft

Close the spreadsheet when you're finished editing the data, and then click the + icon to add or remove other chart elements, such as labels, legends, titles or gridlines.

Step 5: Edit an Existing Chart

Image Credit: Image courtesy of Microsoft

Right-click your chart and choose Edit Data to reopen the data spreadsheet for editing later. Changes you make to the spreadsheet take effect on the graph immediately.