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If you dislike financial reports and you are wondering how to make a line graph in Google Sheets. I've got just the right step-by-step solution for you using one of the easiest online line graph makers. Taking a bunch of data and turning it into a graph can be very helpful for your business. However, if you have a history of falling asleep during financial management presentations. Or your eyes glaze over whenever you see a complex spreadsheet. Then I can totally relate to your allergy to data analysis. For example, a number of years ago, I was doing a postgraduate course in business and IT. The class was big and it took place two evenings a week. I went into the class with the sole intention of staying awake. No matter how hard I tried I always ended up falling asleep during the class. If only there was a way to create line graphs in Google sheets on the fly. In this post, you'll learn how to create line graphs in Google Sheets and the best ways to use them to become more successful. Best Uses of Line Graphs Before I dive into showing you how to create your precious line graph. Let's spend some time looking at when to use them. Line graphs are best used to show information that changes over time. So, a few good use cases include a change in: TemperatureIncome or RevenueDepreciation valuesEnergy use (Electricity + Heating)ExpenditureBusiness growth As you can see there are many instances where creating a line graph will benefit you and your business. It'll help you track your performance over time. One key aspect of creating line graphs is that it'll also help you with budgeting. A cool aspect of line graphs is that it comes in different types. Let's spend some time looking at line graph types so you'll know which one to use when. Types of Line Graphs Did you know that there are 3 different types of line graphs? Of course, there are different types of graphs apart from line graphs. These 3 types include: Simple line graphMultiple line graphCompound line graph To help you understand the differences among these 3 line graphs let's look at each one in turn. Simple Line Graph As the name suggests a simple line graph is the type of graph that can be plotted using a single line. It shows the relationship between two variables. For example, time vs temperature or time vs money. Multiple Line Graph What makes a multiple line graph different is that this graph type is plotted with two or more lines. It is often used to display two or more variables over a specific period of time. For example, income + expenditure over the same time period. Compound Line Graph Just when you thought a multiple line graph was complex the compound line graph trumps them all. Well, a compound line graph breaks the data down into different types. This one isn't as easy to explain without showing you a visual example. So, I'll show you one later in this resource. Components of a Line Graph Now that you know about the different types of line graphs. Let's spend some time looking at the different components that make up a line graph. X-axisY-axisTitleScaleLabelsLine Do you remember those days in school where you could never remember which axis was the "x" and which was the "y"? Annoying right? X-axis The x-axis is the horizontal scale of the graph where you determine the time increments. Is your time going to be in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks or months? Enter the data for your x-axis in the first column. Y-axis When it comes to the y-axis, it is the vertical scale where you determine the data that you are measuring against time. This data could be energy, revenue, expenditure, depreciation or even savings. Title This may seem obvious but having a title for your graph is super important. The reason is that it tells anyone what the graph is about. Labels