How to Make a Doughnut Chart (and When to Use One)

Published October 11, 2026

Free tool: Doughnut Chart Maker→

A doughnut chart is a pie chart with the middle cut out. Like a pie, it shows how a whole splits into parts, with each ring segment sized by its share of the total. The hole gives the design a lighter look and leaves room for a label or a key figure. This guide covers when a doughnut chart is the right choice, how to prepare your data and how to make one with the free Doughnut Chart Maker.

When to use a doughnut chart

Doughnut charts work when:

• The parts add up to a meaningful whole, such as total website visits, a budget or market share.
• There are only a few categories, ideally two to six.
• You want to show one simple proportion clearly, such as "58% of visitors use a phone".

Like pie charts, they're poor at precise comparisons. If you need readers to compare similar values, or you have many categories, a bar graph is easier to read.

Doughnut chart vs pie chart

Both show the same information, and the rules for using them are the same. The differences are mostly about design:

• The hole can hold a total or a headline number in a report or dashboard, added in your own layout.
• Readers judge the arcs instead of the angles at the center, which works just as well for a few segments.
• A doughnut looks lighter next to other charts and text.

If you're unsure, see How to Make a Pie Chart: everything there about percentages, sorting and the number of slices applies to doughnuts too.

Step 1: Prepare your data

You need a label and a value for each part. The values can be counts, amounts or percentages; the chart works out each part's share. For example, a website's visits last month by device:

Each share is the value divided by the total (10,000 visits) times 100.

Step 2: Make the doughnut chart with Graph Maker

1. Open the Doughnut Chart Maker.
2. Replace the default title with your own, such as "Website Visits by Device".
3. Enter your data. With Separate Labels & Values, type the labels (Mobile,Desktop,Tablet) and the values in the same order (5800,3600,600), without thousands separators. Or choose Combined (Label:Value) and type Mobile:5800,Desktop:3600,Tablet:600.
4. Choose the labels. Keep Legend Position on Labeled to print text next to each segment, and pick what it shows in Slice Text: the percentage, the value, the label, or the label and value together. Choosing a legend position instead shows a separate legend and hides the segment text.
5. Rotate the chart with Rotate to put a particular segment where you want it.
6. Set the background, title and text colors.
7. Download the chart as a PNG, JPG or SVG.

Tips for a clear doughnut chart

• Sort the segments from largest to smallest, entering the biggest value first.
• Keep it to a handful of segments and group small ones into "Other". The maker uses seven colors, so an eighth segment would repeat one.
• Show the percentages on the chart, so readers don't have to estimate the arcs.
• Put the total in the title, such as "Website Visits by Device (10,000 visits)", so readers know what 100% stands for.
• Don't compare two doughnuts to show a change over time; a bar or line chart shows the difference far more clearly.

Frequently asked questions

What is a doughnut chart used for?

Showing how a total divides into a few parts, such as visits by device, a budget by category or survey answers to a single-choice question.

Is a doughnut chart better than a pie chart?

Neither is more accurate; they show the same thing. Choose a doughnut if you like its lighter look or want space in the middle for a key number, and a pie if you prefer the classic form.

How many segments should a doughnut chart have?

Two to six is ideal. With more, the small segments become hard to see and label, so group them into "Other" or use a bar graph.