How to Make a Pie Chart in Google Sheets

Google Sheets, much like other spreadsheet applications such as Microsoft Excel, allows you to manipulate and compare data in a variety of ways. One way that you can display data is as a graph or chart. Luckily if you want to make a pie chart in Google Sheets, you are able to do so using the application.

We all know that pie charts are one of the most popular types of graphs in statistics. They’re not necessarily the prettiest, but they have a lot to offer when it comes to displaying data.

Google Sheets is an easy-to-use application that makes creating a pie chart as simple as possible—so long as you format your data correctly and customize its appearance accordingly. Here we will show you how to make a basic pie chart using only three steps!

How to Create a Google Sheets Pie Chart

  1. Open your spreadsheet.
  2. Select the data to include in the chart.
  3. Choose Insert, then Chart.
  4. Click Chart type and choose your pie chart.

Our article continues below with additional information on creating a pie chart in Google Sheets, including pictures of these steps.

How to Use Google Sheets Data to Create a Pie Chart (Guide with Pictures)

The steps in this article were performed in the desktop version of the Google Chrome Web browser, but will also work in other desktop browsers like Mozilla Firefox or Apple’s Safari.

Step 1: Sign into Google Sheets and open the spreadsheet containing the data you wish to use to generate the pie chart.

Step 2: Select the data from which to create the chart.

select your data

Step 3: Click Insert at the top of the window, then select Chart from the dropdown.

click Insert, then Chart

Step 4: Click the Chart type drop down in the Chart editor section at the right side of the window, then scroll down to the Pie section and select your preferred pie chart type.

how to make a pie chart in Google Sheets

The type of chart and its effectiveness can vary significantly, and is often based on the type and scope of the data that you select. If you add a pie chart to your spreadsheet and find that is isn’t conveying the desired information, then try selecting another option until you find the chart you want.

Our article continues below with additional information on Google Sheets pie charts.

More Information on How to Make a Pie Chart in Google Sheets

A pie chart is one of the simplest kinds of graphs in statistics, but it has tons of potential when it comes to displaying your data. If you use Google Sheets, creating a pie chart is about as easy as it gets. It’s necessary to format your data correctly, and there are plenty of options for customizing the appearance of your chart, but overall the process is simple.

While many of the options that you would need to use to customize your chart can be found on the Customize tab at the right side of the window, there are a few options that you may also wish to use. For these additional options, click on the chart at the top right corner, on the three dots, you will see options for:

  • Edit chart
  • Delete chart
  • Download
  • Publish chart
  • Copy chart
  • Move to own sheet
  • Alt text

Selecting one of those options lets you perform the indicated action, which gives you a lot of ways to share, modify, or incorporate the chart into other projects.

Customizing Your Chart in Google Sheets

There are many options to customize your pie chart in Google Sheets. Customizing a pie chart allows you to turn it into a 3D chart, label it as a donut with hole size and label the slices. The “Pie slice” section is where you adjust the color and positioning for each section of the chart. Finally, the “Legends” sections give you options for displaying labels, adding a legend to the side of the pie or to label each section.

How to Change Title of Pie Chart

The default title of the chart is going to come from your column titles. To change it, double click on the same text in the spreadsheet and edit it. You can also change the title font, size, and color from the options available under Chart & axis titles in the right window. One nice thing about using Google products together is that there is a chart select option in Google Docs where you can quickly import your chart, pie or otherwise, into a document.

Assuming that you have added the chart to a document in Google Docs, then you could also click on Update in Google Docs to update the chart in the document and change it to the new name for the pie chart. The chart can also be customized by clicking on the color and font of the title itself.

How to Add Existing Pie Chart from Google Sheets

Charts that you have created in Google Sheets can be added to a document in Google Docs. Simply open your document, click Insert > Chart then choose From Sheets. The interface will show your Google Drive spreadsheets. Click on one having a pie chart that you want to add and hit the Select button. You can then choose the chart and click Import.

There is also an option on this menu where you can choose to link the chart to the spreadsheet. This means that the chart in Google Docs will update if any changes are made to the data in the spreadsheet.

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