How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel

This updated guide examines How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Part 1

Adding Data

1. Open Microsoft Excel. It resembles a white "E" on a green background.
   • If you would rather make a chart from data you already have, double-click the Excel document that contains the data to open it and proceed to the next section.
2. ClickBlank workbook(PC) orExcel Workbook(Mac). It's in the top-left side of the "Template" window.
3. Add a name to the chart. To do so, click the B1 cell and then type in the chart's name.
   • For example, if you're making a chart about your budget, the B1 cell should say something like "2017 Budget".
   • You can also type in a clarifying label--e.g., "Budget Allocation"--in the A1 cell.
4. Add your data to the chart. You'll place prospective pie chart sections' labels in the A column and those sections' values in the B column.
   • For the budget example above, you might write "Car Expenses" in A2 and then put "$1000" in B2 .
   • The pie chart template will automatically determine percentages for you.
5. Finish adding your data. Once you've completed this process, you're ready to create a pie chart using your data.

Part 2

Creating a Chart

1. Select all of your data. To do so, click the A1 cell, hold down?Shift, and then click the bottom value in the B column. This will select all of your data.
   • If your chart uses different column letters, numbers, and so on, simply remember to click the top-left cell in your data group and then click the bottom-right while holding?Shift.
2. Click theInserttab. It's at the top of the Excel window, just right of the Home tab.
3. Click the "Pie Chart" icon. This is a circular button in the "Charts" group of options, which is below and to the right of the Insert tab. You'll see several options appear in a drop-down menu:
   • 2-D Pie - Create a simple pie chart that displays color-coded sections of your data.
   • 3-D Pie - Uses a three-dimensional pie chart that displays color-coded data.
4. Click an option. Doing so will create a pie chart with your data applied to it; you should see color-coded tabs at the bottom of the chart that correspond to the colored sections of the chart itself.
   • You can preview options here by hovering your mouse over the different chart templates.
5. Customize your chart's appearance. To do so, click the Design tab near the top of the "Excel" window, then click on an option in the "Chart Styles" group. This will change the way your graph looks, including the color schemes used, the text allocation, and whether or not percentages are displayed.
   • To view the Design tab, your chart must be selected. You can select a chart by clicking it.

Sample Pie Charts

Sample Pie Chart About TimeSample Pie Chart About FoodSample Pie Chart About Sports