This article teaches you how to create a graphical representation of the data in Microsoft Excel using a pie chart.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Enter the Data
Step 1. Open Microsoft Excel
Its icon looks like a white "X" on a green background.
If you prefer to create a chart from a data series you already own, double-click the Excel document that contains them and follow the steps in the next section of the article
Step 2. Click on New Folder (PC) or Excel Workbook (Mac)
The option is located at the top left of the "Templates" window.
Step 3. Name the data series
To do this, click on the cell B1 and type the name you want.
- For example, if you are creating a family budget table, report in the cell B1 the words "Budget 2017".
- You can also add a clarifying description, such as "Budget Distribution", in the cell A1.
Step 4. Report the data
You must indicate the potential items that make up the pie chart in the column TO and their values in the column B..
- Considering the previous budget example, you can type "Car Costs" in A2 and write down "€ 1000" in B2.
- The pie chart template automatically calculates the percentage share of each item.
Step 5. Complete the data entry
When finished, you can proceed to create the chart.
Part 2 of 2: Generating the Graph
Step 1. Select all data
To do this, click in the cell A1, press ⇧ Shift and click in the last column value box B.. This way you select all the data.
If you have used multiple columns and rows, you just need to remember to click in the first cell in the upper left of the data group and in the lower right cell while holding down the ⇧ Shift key
Step 2. Click Insert
It's located at the top of the Excel window, just to the right of the section Home.
Step 3. Choose the "Pie Chart" icon
This is the circular button in the "Graph" group of options, which in turn is located at the bottom right of the section insert. By doing so, you will see a series of options in the drop-down menu:
- 2D pie: create a simple pie chart that represents the data with sections of different colors;
- 3D cake: allows you to generate a three-dimensional graph that shows the data according to a color code.
Step 4. Click on an option
In this way, you create the chart starting from the data you have selected; you should see a legend with the different colors at the bottom of the chart that correspond to the various slices of the pie.
You can view a preview by hovering the mouse pointer over the various models available
Step 5. Customize the look of the chart
Select the section Design located in the upper part of the "Excel" window, then click an option among those present in the "Graphic styles" group. This step allows you to change the appearance of the pie, including the color legend, text distribution, and whether or not percentage labels are present.
To view the section Design you must first select the graph area by clicking inside it.
Advice
- You can copy and paste the table from another Microsoft Office program, such as Word or PowerPoint.
- If you need to make several tables for several data series, repeat the process described for each of these. When a new table appears, click on it and drag it away from the center of the spreadsheet to avoid hiding the old one.
