Line Chart Maker
Paste your data and get a clean trend line in seconds - free, no signup.
What this tool does
Paste your data as label, value pairs in plotting order - one per line - and this draws a line chart instantly, showing the trend from first point to last. It reads a straight paste from a spreadsheet (tabs, commas or semicolons all work), reports anything it could not read, and exports as a PNG for a slide or an SVG for print.
Draws a line chart from data you paste, type or load from a CSV file, tracking a value across an ordered sequence like months or weeks.
Reports the change from first to last point, plus the highest and lowest values, so the trend is summarised alongside the chart.
How to use it
- Enter your data one line at a time as label, value, in the order you want the points plotted left to right.
- Add a Y-axis label and a chart title if you want them.
- Pick a colour palette and export as PNG or SVG.
Why use this chart maker
Trends over time are clearer as a line, and the first-to-last change and extremes summarise it. A paste-and-plot tool saves building a chart in a spreadsheet.
Why we built it
We built the line chart maker to plot points in your data's own order instead of re-sorting by value, which a trend needs. Fill the area with the area chart maker and fit a line with the correlation calculator.
Handy alongside this: the Bubble Chart Maker and the Bar Chart Maker.
Who this tool is for
- Analysts and students showing change over time
- Bloggers illustrating trends
- Small businesses tracking sales
When to use it
- Tracking sales, scores or measurements over time.
- Reports and dashboards.
- Showing a trend in a presentation.
- Checking a data series quickly.
What a line chart is for
An ordered trend, not unrelated categories.
A line chart is for values that have a natural order - usually time - where the direction and shape of the change matters: is it rising, falling, levelling off, spiking? Because the order of your rows becomes the order of the points on the chart, the data needs to already be sorted the way you want it plotted; this tool draws points in the order they appear, left to right, rather than re-sorting them by value the way a bar chart's sort option would.
If your categories are unordered and unrelated - products, survey answers, regions - a bar chart is the right tool instead, since a line drawn between unrelated categories implies a connection that isn't really there.
Reading a trend correctly
The stats below the chart give the change from your first point to your last, which is useful, but it's worth glancing at the shape of the whole line too - a steady rise looks very different from a rise that happened in one big jump, even if the start and end points are identical. For multiple data series on one chart, or to fill the area under the line rather than just draw it, see the area chart maker, which uses the same trend-plotting engine.
What you give it, and what you get back
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Input | Label and value lines in order, or a CSV. |
| Output | A line chart with change, highest and lowest values. |
| Export | Save the chart. |
Issues you may run into
| What you see | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Line is in the wrong order | Points are plotted in input order. | Sort the data first. |
| A row is skipped | It does not match the expected format. | Check the message listing unreadable lines and fix them. |
| Several lines needed | This is a single series. | Use the grouped bar or scatter tools. |
Assumptions and limitations
- This plots one value series in the order the rows are entered - reorder your data before pasting if the order isn't already what you want plotted.
- For filling the area beneath the line, use the area chart maker; for comparing multiple series, the grouped bar or stacked bar chart maker may suit better.
- The chart is drawn as SVG and exported to PNG at a fixed resolution suited to slides and documents, not large-format print.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a line chart online for free?
Paste your data as label, value pairs in the order you want them plotted - one per line, or straight out of a spreadsheet - and the chart draws instantly. Download it as a PNG or SVG when you're happy with it. No account, no watermark.
What is the difference between a line chart and a bar chart?
A line chart shows a trend across an ordered sequence - usually time - where the direction between points matters. A bar chart compares separate, unrelated categories where no such order exists. Use a line chart for 'temperature by day' and a bar chart for 'temperature by city'.
Can I paste data from Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes - copy a label column and a value column, in plotting order, and paste it straight into the data box. Tabs, commas and semicolons are detected automatically, and a header row is recognised and skipped.
Does the order of my data matter?
Yes - the chart plots points left to right in the order your rows appear, since a line chart's whole purpose is showing a sequence. Make sure your data is already sorted the way you want it plotted (usually chronologically) before pasting it in.
Can I download the chart as an image?
Yes - PNG for a slide, document or social post, or SVG for print or further editing. Both download directly with no watermark.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No. The chart is drawn entirely in your browser using the data you type or paste - nothing is sent to a server, and closing the tab clears it.
Further reading
How to pick the right chart for your data, not just a pretty one — A pie chart and a bar chart can show the same data — and one of them is usually wrong for it. The right chart depends on the question, not on looks.