About Moving Average
Moving Average smooths a series of numbers by replacing each point with the average of the window of values ending at that point. It is the first tool people reach for when a noisy series - daily sales, sensor readings, page views - needs its short-term spikes flattened so a trend can be seen underneath.
You give it a list of numbers and a window size. The numbers can be separated by commas, newlines or spaces, and anything that is not a number is dropped. The result is one average per complete window, each rounded to two decimals and joined into a single line, so the sample list of one through seven with a window of three reads 2.00, 3.00, 4.00, 5.00, 6.00 - five values for seven inputs, because the first two positions have no full window behind them.
Two edges are worth knowing. The window is floored and clamped to at least one, so a window of one returns the numbers themselves; and a window larger than the list returns nothing at all - an empty result with no explanation. This is the simple, unweighted moving average only: there is no weighted or exponential variant, no centred window and no padding at the ends.
How to use Moving Average
- 1 Paste your series into the Numbers field, separated by commas, spaces or newlines.
- 2 Set the Window size to how many values each average should cover.
- 3 Run the tool to read the smoothed series, one rounded average per complete window.
Frequently asked questions
How are the numbers parsed?
The list is split on commas, newlines and spaces, and every token is converted to a number. Anything that does not parse is silently dropped, so a list like 1, x, 2, 3 is treated as 1, 2, 3.
Why is the result shorter than my list?
Each average needs a full window behind it, so the first window-minus-one positions have no value. A list of seven numbers with a window of three produces five averages, starting at the third position.
Why did I get an empty result?
A window larger than the number of values you supplied leaves no complete window to average, so the result is empty. There is no error message - reduce the window or supply more numbers.
Is this a weighted or exponential average?
No. It is the simple, unweighted moving average, where every value in the window counts equally. There is no weighted, exponential or centred variant, and no padding at either end of the series.
Free, online, and private
Free to use
Moving Average is completely free. There is no account to create, no login, and no hidden charge or usage limit.
Runs online in your browser
It is a free online tool that runs entirely in your browser. Nothing to download or install — open the page and start using it right away.
Your data stays private
All processing happens locally on your device. Your input is never uploaded, stored, or tracked, so it never leaves your browser.
How Moving Average behaves in detail
These are the specifics of this implementation — the exact ranges, defaults and fixed settings you are working with.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Input | a Numbers textarea starting at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and a Window size number field starting at three |
| Parsing | the numbers are split on commas, newlines and spaces, and any token that is not a number is dropped |
| Output | one average per complete window, each rounded to two decimals and joined by a comma and a space |
| Window | the window size is floored to an integer and clamped to at least one |
| Default | the sample list with a window of three reads 2.00, 3.00, 4.00, 5.00, 6.00 |
| Short data | a window larger than the list returns an empty string, and an empty list does the same |
Compiled from the implementation of this tool and checked against it by itoolnet.
What Moving Average does not do
Knowing the edges of a tool saves more time than another list of its features. These are the cases where it will not do what you might expect.
- Only the simple, unweighted moving average is offered. There is no weighted, exponential or centred variant, and no padding at the ends - the output is shorter than the input by one less than the window, with no indication of the positions the averages belong to.
- Non-numeric tokens are silently dropped rather than flagged. A list like 1, x, 2, 3 is treated exactly as 1, 2, 3, so a stray comma or a mis-typed value quietly changes the series without any warning that something was ignored.
- A window that exceeds the data returns nothing at all - an empty result with no explanation - and the window is clamped at one but has no upper bound, so a large window on a long list still works while the same window on a short list vanishes.
Tested and documented by itoolnet, the team that builds and maintains this site.