How to Make a Pie Chart On Microsoft Excel
A pie chart is used to show a clear representation of data especially when chunks of a whole has to be analysed. That is why a pie chart is used, as it shows the data added in forms of pieces of a pie, separating each piece with a different color. You can make these pie charts easily on Microsoft Excel. This will add clarity to your work. Used mostly in work presentations and college or university related work. They are also famously known as circle graphs, as the shape of this graph is round just like a pie. If you have data, that needs to show a certain percentage of a small chunk to a whole, you can use pie charts for this representation. And here is how you can begin with it.
When you open your excel sheet, you will find this as your screen.
Locate the tab for ‘Insert’ which is right next to the tab for ‘Home’. Look at the picture below to help you find it easily on your screen.
When you click on Insert, you will be directed to a range of options to choose from. Tables, Illustrations, Charts, Sparklines, Filter, Links, Text and Symbols. This all the matter that you can add to you excel sheet. Right above charts, you will find an tab for ‘Pie’ with a picture of a pie chart.Click on this to proceed.
There are many types of pie charts that you can make on Excel. While you can keep it simple and make a 2-D pie chart which further has four options for you to choose from. You can make a simple 2-D pie, an exploded pie and other options as shown in the picture below. 3-D pie charts can also be used to add more depth to your work. The basic idea behind both the designs is the same, so choose which ever one, it won’t change the gist of a pie chart, which is your main focus.
When you click on any one of the options for Pie Charts, this is what will appear on your screen. You must be wondering why the rectangular box is empty. Well, the reason for this is that you did not add any data on your excel sheet which needed to be represented through this pie chart. I did this intentionally to show you that you cannot make a pie chart out of nothing.
Now, if you start writing on the excel sheet behind this rectangular box, select the data that you just entered, and then go back to Insert>Pie> Click on any of the pie charts in front of you, now you will see a pie chart in front of you.
Each part of the pie chart is separated by different sizes, according to their numbers, and different colors.
The chart tools, which will appear highlighted once you create your pie chart will appear on your screen, as shown in the picture below. With Design, Layout and Format as its subheadings to help you redesign or edit your pie chart.
These are all the options for ‘Design’, where you can change the color of your pie chart. Move the pie chart to another location on the excel sheet. Add the sign of ‘ %’ on your pie chart and even change the columns representation which is on your excel sheet.
Layout, on the other hand, is more about the labels, the text, the shapes that you can add in the pie chart.
Lastly, you have the option of Format, to add more details to your pie chart. You can edit the background of the pie chart by adding a fill color, or you can also add a border to your pie chart.
These three options under ‘Chart Tools’ can be explored by you as you work on your pie chart and make it even better.
