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How to Create a Pie Chart in Excel

 - Pie charts are quite easy to create in Excel. In case you're not sure what a Pie Chart is, here's the basic one you'll be creating. Later, you'll add some formatting to this:
An Excel 2007 Pie Chart


To make a start, you need to highlight some data. If you've been following along with the previous tutorials, then you'll have some viewing figures data. You've created a 2D chart with the BBC data. This time we'll use the ITV data. If you don't have this data, create the following simple spreadsheet. The cells to use are D4 to E14:
The Data for the Excel 2007 Pie Chart
  • Click inside cell E4 and change "Millions" to ITV, if you already have the data from a previous lesson
  • Highlight the cells D4 to E14
  • Click the Insert menu at the top of Excel
  • Locate the Chart panel, and the Pie item:
The Charts Panel
In Excel 2013 and 2016, the Pie chart is harder to spot. But it's highlighted in green in the image below:
Pie Chart icon in Excel 2013
Click the down arrow and select the first Pie chart:
Available Pie Charts in Excel 2007
Pie Chart option in Excel 2016
  • A new Pie chart is inserted
  • Move your new pie chart by dragging it to a new location
  • Notice how all the segments of the pie chart are the same colour in Excel 2007:
A Default Pie Chart
To get different colours, make sure that your chart is selected and locate the Chart Style panel:
Chart Styles in Excel 2007
Click the down arrow to the right of the Chart Style panel to reveal the available styles :
Available Pie Chart Styles
We've gone for the second one, Style two. If you haven't got this style, select a similar one, such as style 4 in Excel 2013 and Excel 2016. The chart will then look like this (your labels may well be at the bottom, though, depending on which version of Excel you have):
Style Two Pie Chart

But it looks pretty good for just a few mouse clicks! We can still do a bit more to it, though. In the next part, you'll see how to add the viewing figures to the pie chart segments.

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