When did line charts become smoothed by default and why?

Question

I know for a fact that line charts were always straight lines **by default!
**But some months ago everything was converted to smooth lines and it's f*ing annoying.

Even your line chart icons are straight lines!

Now i have to change every individual line to straight, and good luck if series change dynamically because then i have to do it again and again.

At least implement per chart option to turn everything straight or smooth but not every individual line!

Answer 1

Dear @Bogdan Voaidas, 

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

Based on your description, I understand that your Excel line charts recently began defaulting to smoothed lines instead of straight ones, and this change has become difficult to work with, especially since you now have to adjust each series manually and lack a chart‑level setting to switch them all at once.

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by this issue.

To understand the situation better and provide you with the most suitable support, could you confirm the following information: 

• Which version of Excel are you using? You could check via Excel > File > Account > About Excel. This will help me check whether you're affected by a version‑specific behavior.
• Are all new line charts you create showing as smoothed lines automatically, or is this happening only in a specific file?
• When you mention that the series change dynamically, are you using tables, dynamic arrays, or pivot charts?
• Do you have any Excel add‑ins installed that might be applying formatting automatically?
• Do you recall around when you first noticed this behavior, or if it followed any updates or workbook changes?
• Are other people in the same organization with you experiencing the same issue?
• Could you share where this affected file originally came from? For example, was it created by you, shared by a colleague, downloaded from a system or tool, or generated from a template? This will help me check whether the formatting is being inherited from its source.

Your confirmation would be very helpful in ensuring you receive the most suitable support!

I tested this on my side, and currently line charts in Excel are not smoothed by default, they should appear as straight lines unless smoothing was manually applied or inherited from another element.

I created this simple line chart:

My Excel is Version 2512 Build 16.0.19530.20038

It would only show smoothed line when I chose that option:

If you’re able to share a bit more about your situation, I might be able to suggest some helpful next steps.

Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing how things are going! 

Thank you for your time and patience.

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Answer 2

Hi Julie

Thanks for reaching out.

I have Microsoft® Excel® for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2601 Build 16.0.19628.20132) 64-bit

Interestingly I wanted just to test on a new document and it seems is not going smooth anymore ... weird because i know I tried that before.

I also deleted and recreated the charts from my pivot tables and they don't go smooth anymore by default.

Also I notice the Repeat action [F4] works also for elements inside the chart.

I will have to test on my office PC again, as I am currently working on my home office pc.

But for now it seems to be ok.