How to Make a Pie Chart: A Step-by-Step Guide

Published October 11, 2026

Free tool: Pie Chart Maker→

A pie chart shows how a whole splits into parts. Each slice is one category, and its size is that category's share of the total, so readers can see at a glance that rent takes half of a budget or that one product brings in most of the sales. This guide covers when a pie chart is the right choice, how the math works, and how to build one with the free Pie Chart Maker.

When to use a pie chart

A pie chart works well when:

• The parts add up to a meaningful whole, such as a budget, market share or the answers to a single-choice survey question.
• There are only a few categories. Two to six slices are easy to compare; beyond that, the small slices turn into slivers.
• You're showing one moment in time, such as this month's spending or last year's sales.

Choose a different chart when:

• You need to compare categories precisely. People judge lengths more accurately than angles, so a bar chart is clearer when the differences are small.
• You're showing change over time. A line chart shows a trend far better than a row of pies.
• The values don't form a whole. If survey respondents could pick several answers, the percentages add up to more than 100%, and a pie chart would mislead.
• Some values are negative. A slice can't have a negative size.

How the percentages and angles are calculated

Every slice comes from two simple formulas:

• Percentage = value ÷ total × 100
• Angle = value ÷ total × 360°, which is the same as the percentage × 3.6

Take a monthly budget of $3,000:

The percentages always add up to 100% and the angles to 360°. If you draw a pie chart by hand, these angles are what you measure with a protractor. A pie chart maker does the calculation for you.

How to make a pie chart with Graph Maker

1. Open the Pie Chart Maker. It runs in your browser and needs no account.

2. Give the chart a title in the Chart Title box, for example "Monthly Budget".

3. Enter your data. With Input Format set to Separate Labels & Values, type the labels and the values as comma-separated lists in the same order:

   • Labels: Rent,Food,Savings,Transport,Other
   • Values: 1500,600,400,300,200

   Or switch to Combined (Label:Value) and type each pair together: Rent:1500,Food:600,Savings:400,Transport:300,Other:200. Leave commas and colons out of the labels themselves, because they separate the entries.

4. Choose the slice text. Keep Legend Position on Labeled to print text beside each slice, then choose what it says in Slice Text: the percentage (calculated for you to one decimal place), the value, the label, or the label and value together. If you'd rather have a separate legend, pick a legend position instead; the slice text is then hidden.

5. Rotate the pie to put the slices where you want them. Rotate turns the whole chart: at 0 the first slice starts at 3 o'clock, and at 90 it starts at 12 o'clock.

6. Set the background, title and text colors to match your slides or website.

7. Download the chart as a PNG for documents and presentations, an SVG to keep it sharp at any size (ideal for print and websites), or a JPG where only JPG files are accepted.

Hover over a slice to check its exact value before you download.

Tips for a clear pie chart

• Sort the slices from largest to smallest. The maker draws the slices in the order you enter them, so list the biggest category first, as in the budget above.
• Group small categories into "Other". Anything under about 5% is hard to see and label. The maker also uses seven slice colors, so an eighth slice would repeat a color.
• Show the percentages or values. Readers shouldn't have to guess whether a slice is 30% or 35%.
• Say what the whole is. A title such as "Monthly budget: $3,000" tells readers what 100% stands for.
• Avoid 3D and pulled-out slices. Tilting a pie distorts it, so the slices at the front look bigger than they are.
• Don't put two pies side by side to show a change. Small differences between two pies are almost impossible to see; a bar or line chart shows them clearly.

Pie chart or doughnut chart?

A doughnut chart is a pie chart with a hole in the middle. It shows the same information, and the hole leaves room for the total or a key figure. Pick whichever suits your design; the tips above apply to both.

Frequently asked questions

How many slices should a pie chart have?

Ideally two to six. With more, the small slices are hard to read and label, so group them into "Other" or use a bar chart.

Can a pie chart show more than 100%?

No. A pie chart shows the parts of one whole, so the slices must add up to 100%. If your percentages add up to more, for example in a survey where people could choose several answers, use a bar chart instead.

Should I use a pie chart or a bar chart?

A pie chart shows each category's share of a whole; a bar chart compares the sizes of categories. Bar charts are easier to read precisely and work with any number of categories, so when in doubt, a bar chart is the safer choice. For more help choosing, see How to Choose the Best Graph Type and Bar Chart vs. Line Chart.