How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel (and When Not To)

A pie chart in Excel shows how one whole splits into parts, such as a budget by category or sales by region. You select a column of labels and a column of values, insert a 2-D Pie, and turn on percentage labels. This guide walks through each step on Windows and Mac, shows how to prepare the data, and explains when a bar chart is the better choice.

What data does a pie chart need?#

A pie chart needs one column of category names and one column of positive numbers that together make a whole. Here is a monthly budget in A1:B6:

The total is 2,100, and each slice will show its share of that total. Keep the data simple:

• One series only. A pie shows one set of values. If you select two number columns, Excel uses only the first.
• Positive values. A pie can't show a negative part in any useful way.
• Parts of one whole. The values must add up to something meaningful, like a total budget. Survey answers where people could tick several options don't qualify.
• No total row. Don't include the 2,100 total in the selection, or it becomes a giant slice.

How to make a pie chart in Excel step by step#

To insert the chart, select the labels and values together, then pick the pie type from the Insert tab:

1. Select A1:B6, including the headers.
2. Go to the Insert tab.
3. Click Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart (on a Mac, the Pie button).
4. Choose 2-D Pie.

Excel draws the chart and uses the header in B1 as the title. Click the title to type a better one, such as "Monthly budget: 2,100". To move the chart, drag its border. To resize it, drag a corner handle. The same steps work in Excel for the web.

If the chart shows one colour or a strange split, Excel probably guessed the layout wrong. Click the chart, go to Chart Design, and click Switch Row/Column.

How to show percentages on the slices#

Excel calculates each slice's percentage for you. You only have to turn the labels on:

1. Click the chart.
2. On Windows, click the Chart Elements button (the + beside the chart) and tick Data Labels. On a Mac, go to Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels.
3. Open More Options (Windows) or More Data Label Options (Mac).
4. Tick Percentage and Category Name, and untick Value.

The budget now shows Rent 57%, Food 21%, Transport 9%, Utilities 7% and Other 6%. To show one decimal place, open Number in the same pane, choose Percentage and set the decimals to 1. With labels on the slices, you can usually delete the legend, which makes the chart easier to read.

How to make a pie chart easier to read#

A pie chart works best with few slices, sorted from largest to smallest. These changes help most:

• Sort before charting. Select the data and use Data > Sort on the Amount column, largest to smallest. The biggest slice then starts at the top and the rest follow clockwise.
• Group small slices. Anything under about 5% is hard to see. Add those categories together into one "Other" row.
• Rotate the pie. Right-click a slice, choose Format Data Series, and change Angle of first slice to put the most important slice where the eye lands.
• Pull out one slice. Click the pie once to select all slices, click again to select one, then drag it outwards. Or set Point Explosion in the format pane.
• Use one accent colour. Grey for most slices and a strong colour for the one you're talking about makes the point clear.

The guide to Excel chart basics covers titles, labels and changing the chart type for every chart, not just pies.

Prepare the data with SUMIF or a PivotTable#

Real data usually comes as one row per transaction, so summarise it before you chart it. Here are some expense rows:

Type the three category names in E2:E4 and total each one in F2, then fill down:

=SUMIF($A$2:$A$8,E2,$C$2:$C$8)

You get Travel 740, Meals 120 and Office 85. Chart E1:F4 and the pie has three clean slices. In Excel 2021 or Microsoft 365, =UNIQUE(A2:A8) can build the category list for you. The pivot-style summary lesson teaches this formula approach step by step, and the article on summarising data without a PivotTable shows more patterns.

A PivotTable does the same job without formulas. Put Category in Rows and Amount in Values, then insert a PivotChart and choose Pie. To show shares in the table itself, use Show Values As % of Grand Total. If you need a calculated measure, such as cost per trip, see PivotTable calculated fields.

How to calculate the percentages yourself#

Sometimes you need the percentages in cells as well as on the chart, for a table or a check. Divide each value by the total and lock the total with $:

=B2/SUM($B$2:$B$6)

For Rent, that is 1,200 / 2,100 = 0.571. Format it as a percentage to show 57.1%, and fill down with Ctrl+D (Windows) or ⌘D (Mac). The shares should add up to 100%. For the expense rows, Travel's share is 740 / 945 = 78.3%. The percentages and % change lesson practises these formulas.

When not to use a pie chart#

Use a pie chart only when a few parts of one whole is the whole story. Choose a bar or column chart instead when:

• There are many categories. More than about six slices turn into a wheel of thin wedges.
• The values are close in size. People can't tell 22% from 25% by angle, but they can by bar length.
• You compare several periods. Two pies side by side are hard to compare. Use a clustered column chart.
• Values are negative or don't add up to a total. A pie implies 100%.
• The exact ranking matters. A sorted bar chart shows the order at a glance.

The guide to making a bar chart in Excel shows the switch. You can change an existing pie with Chart Design > Change Chart Type, and your data and title stay in place.

Practise it#

Charts are only as good as the numbers behind them. Try the exercise on this page, then build a pivot-style summary in a live spreadsheet and practise percentages and % change. You type each formula and it is checked instantly, so your next pie chart starts from the right totals.