How to Create Simple yet Stylish Pie Charts in Google Sheets

Pie charts are one of the most common ways to visually display data. With their colorful wedges representing different values, pie charts allow you to see the size of parts relative to a whole at a glance. While they may seem complicated, pie charts are actually quite easy to make in Google Sheets.

In this step-by-step guide, I’ll walk you through how to turn your spreadsheet data into an attractive and informative pie chart using Sheets. You’ll be able to customize colors, labels, dimensions and more to make exactly the pie chart you want. Follow along to start transforming your data into meaningful graphics!

Step 1: Enter Your Data in Google Sheets

The first thing you need to make a pie chart is data. Open a Google Sheet and enter at least two columns of data—one for categories and one for values. For example, I’m making a pie chart to show sales by product category, so my sheet has a “Category” column and a “Sales” column.

Make sure your categories are in the left column and values in the right. You can add row labels if you like, but they aren’t required for a basic pie chart.

Step 2: Select Your Data Range

Once your data is entered, you need to select the cells to include in the chart. To select:

• Click the upper-left cell of the range, then click and drag to highlight all of the cells with your data. Or,
• Click the upper-left cell, hold down Shift, then click the lower-right cell to select the range.

Make sure you include column headers, but not row labels or totals. Our example will select A1 through B5. The selected cells will have a blue border.

Step 3: Open the Chart Editor

With your data range selected, click Insert > Chart from the Google Sheets menu. This will open the chart editor panel on the right side of your sheet.

Initially, your data will be displayed as a basic vertical bar chart. Don’t worry, we’ll change this to a pie chart soon!

Step 4: Choose the Pie Chart Type

In the chart editor, you’ll see a series of icons along the top. Click this icon

This changes your chart to a basic pie chart. By default it will show your first data column as the slice labels and your second column as the values.

Step 5: Customize Your Pie Chart

Now for the fun part—making your pie chart look exactly how you want! Here are some customizations you can make:

Change title and labels

Double click the title to edit it. To edit labels, click a label then type the new text.

Adjust slice colors

Click a slice to bring up color options Choose from standard colors or custom hex codes

Add/edit legend

Check the “Show legend” box to toggle legend on and off. Click the legend text to customize.

Resize and move

Click and drag the outer edges to resize. Drag the center to move the whole chart.

Switch to 3D

Check the “3D” option to make a 3D pie chart with depth.

Play around with the various options to create a visually pleasing and intuitive pie chart. Our example now looks like this:

Step 6: Insert Your Pie Chart

When you’re happy with your pie chart customizations, click Insert at the bottom of the chart editor panel. This will place the chart as an object in your Google Sheet. You can now move and resize it like any other image.

To edit the chart later, just double click it. The chart editor will re-open so you can make tweaks.

Change Your Pie Chart Style

If you don’t love the default color theme, you have options! Open the chart editor, then click the three dots next to the chart type icon. Select Change chart type to view alternate pie chart styles.

Some options include:

• Classic – Single color slices with black border
• Monochromatic – Shades of one color
• Vivid – Bright, contrasting colors
• Pastel – Soft or muted colors
• Grayscale – Shades of gray

Choose the style you like best for your data! The chart will update instantly when you select a new option.

Create a 3D Pie Chart

Pie charts look great in 3D! To switch from a flat 2D chart to 3D:

1. Open the chart editor
2. Check the box next to “3D”
3. Adjust the rotation angle and elevation as desired
4. Click Insert

3D charts add depth and make it easier to see wedge sizes relative to one another. Just be careful not to exaggerate the angle or elevation too much or it may distort the data perception.

Tips for Effective Pie Charts

Pie charts are simple, yet powerful data visualization tools. Follow these tips to make the most of them:

• Limit to 5-7 categories – Too many slices can overwhelm. Focus on your most important data.
• Order largest to smallest – Listing categories from largest value to smallest makes size differences clear.
• Include clear labels – Labels let readers understand what each slice represents without needing to reference a legend.
• Use distinct colors – Make each slice visually distinct with highly contrasting colors.
• Highlight key data – Use bold labels or a contrasting color to emphasize 1-2 key slices.
• Avoid 3D distortion – Subtle 3D is great, but avoid extreme distortion that skews data perception.

Next Steps with Google Sheets Charts

Now that you know how to make a basic pie chart in Sheets, why not explore other chart types? Sheets supports column, bar, line, area, scatter, and combo charts. The insertion process is the same, you just select a different icon.

Some other ways to enhance your charts in Google Sheets include:

• Add custom images
• Annotate with text boxes
• Link charts between sheets
• Create dashboard views

So go ahead and turn your data into informative charts that help you understand and communicate information better. Pie charts are just the beginning of data visualization with Sheets!