How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel
This wikiHow teaches you how to create a visual representation of your data in Microsoft Excel using a pie chart. Open Microsoft Excel. It resembles a white 'E' on a green background.
Part 1 of 2:
Adding Data
-
Picture 1 of How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel 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.
-
Picture 2 of How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel Click Blank workbook (PC) or Excel Workbook (Mac). It's in the top-left side of the "Template" window. -
Picture 3 of How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel 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.
-
Picture 4 of How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel 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.
-
Picture 5 of How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel Finish adding your data. Once you've completed this process, you're ready to create a pie chart using your data.
Part 2 of 2:
Creating a Chart
-
Picture 6 of How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel 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.
-
Picture 7 of How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel Click the Insert tab. It's at the top of the Excel window, just right of the Home tab. -
Picture 8 of How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel 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.
-
Picture 9 of How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel 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.
-
Picture 10 of How to Make a Pie Chart in Excel 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
Update 05 March 2020
You should read it
- 8 types of Excel charts and when you should use them
- How to Make a Bar Chart in Word
- Steps to use Pareto chart in Excel
- How to edit chart notes in Google Sheets
- Create Excel charts that automatically update data with these three simple steps
- Chart in MS Word
- 106 tips with Microsoft Office - Part 7
- 'Moving' chart in Excel
- How to draw a line chart in Excel
- How to Create a Histogram in Excel
- How to Create a Multi-Line Chart in Excel
- How to create a bar chart in Excel