How to Display Equation of a Line in Excel Graph (2 Easy Ways)

Imagine, someone has sent an Excel file with a chart, but the equation is not visible there and then you want to know and display the equation that is used to make the chart. Or, if you always want to display the equation while making a chart then there are easy ways to do it in Excel. Today we’ll show 2 easy ways to display the equation of a line in an Excel graph with easy steps and vivid illustrations.

Here’s the dataset that we’ll use to explore the methods. We used the equation y = 2x + 3 to make the line graph.

1. Using Display Equation on Chart Option to Show Equation of a Line in Excel

In our first method, we’ll use the built-in option of Excel Chart- Display Equation on Chart to show the equation of the line graph. We can open it in three ways.

Steps:

• First, click anywhere on the chart and you will get three icons beside the right side of the chart
• Click on the Chart Element icon from the right side of the chart and then choose Trendline > More Options.

• Or, click as follows from the Chart Design ribbon: Add Chart Element > Trendline > More Trendline Options.
• The fastest way is to just double-click on the line of the chart.

After a while, the Format Trendline field will appear on the right side of your Excel window.

• Now just mark the Display Equation on Chart option from the field.

Now see, the equation appeared in the chart.

Read More: How to Graph Two Equations in Excel

2. Displaying Equation of a Line in Excel Graph Manually

There is no other built-in option to do that but we can apply some alternative tricks manually to display the equation of a line for the Excel chatbox. Like, we can use the text box and equation command to write our equation on our own and then Just place it on the chart. It will look like we have used the option from the first method.

2.1. Inserting Text Box

So first, Let’s try the Text Box command to write and display the equation.

Steps:

• Go to the Insert ribbon and then Click on the Text Box command from the Text

Then your cursor will look like this-

• Just click your mouse, hold and drag over anywhere on the sheet to make a box.

• After that, type the equation in the box.

You can apply the text format here too. You can change text color, font color, and alignment just by following as usual ways of Excel. We applied the center and middle alignment here.

• Finally, just place the box on the chart.

And look, It’s looking like the output of the previous method.

Read More: How to Graph a Linear Equation in Excel

2.2. Insert Equation

The same thing we can do using the Equation feature of Excel. And looks exactly like an equation.

Steps:

• Firstly, click on the Insert ribbon.
• Then click Equation from the Symbols

Soon, you will get an equation box like the image below.

• Type the equation on the box.

Here also you can change the format. We applied the center and middle alignment here again.

• Finally, place the equation box on the chart by dragging.

The outlook of the equation box is pretty much better than the text box.

Read More: How to Graph an Equation in Excel Without Data

Download Practice Workbook

You can download the free Excel workbook from here and practice independently.

Conclusion

That’s all for the article. I hope the procedures described above will be good enough to display the equation of a line in an Excel graph. Feel free to ask any question in the comment section and please give me feedback.

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