Features of Pie Chart

Now, let’s talk about more features for pie charts. To make some more changes for individual division or to some group of division. Select the chart. You will see three signs, named as 

• Chart Elements
• Chart styles
• Chart filters

1. Chart Elements (“+” symbol)

The chart area is divided into three parts: 

• Chart title
• Date series 
• Legend

In this option, we can add, remove or change chart elements such as title, legend, grid lines, and data labels. Select the Data labels to option ⇢ Data callout. 

Data Callout: By which each division on the chart represents its subject name and contributed percentage.

You can try more modifications in the Pie chart representation by these options given. Deselect mark, to remove that portion from the chart or etc…

In chart title, you can make changes like shifting the position of the title, different alignment.

In data labels, you can make changes like shifting the position of data values at different places.

In legend, you can make changes for the legend part of the chart. E.g. color, positions etc.

2. Chart Styles

In chart style, we get to see amazing different styles.

We can try different combinations of colors for the division of the pie chart. (earlier also saw it, in the design option)

3. Chart filters

This is one of the dynamic features, this allows you to easily click through your data to visualize different segments by just keeping the cursor on the required data.

Select the chart, then click the Filter icon to expose the filter pane.

When you have multiple charts to filter, that are based on the same range or table. The on-object chart controls in Excel allow you to quickly filter out data at the chart level, and filtering data here will only affect the chart – not the data.

We can also reduce the legend and chart title part. (refer to below data)

In case you want to add the expenses category to the division. Select the chart and right-click from the popup menu, and select “Format data labels”.

You can see different changes by selecting or deselecting some options. You can make changes according to your need.

• If we want to change the colors or other settings of the division, select the required division as below.

Right-click on the selected chart and select the “format data series” option.

Make changes according to your need.

Exploding the Entire Pie Chart in Excel

In Excel, selecting all the pie slices with a click and then dragging them away from the chart’s centre with the mouse will quickly explode the entire pie chart.

We can have more control over the pie chart separation, follow the steps below: 

1. Right-click on a slice within an Excel pie graph, and select Format Data Series from the context menu.
2. Drag the Pie Explosion slider to alter the distance between the slices in the Format Data Series pane by selecting the Series Options tab. You might also directly type the desired number into the % box.

Formatting a Pie Graph in Excel

You might wish to give an Excel pie chart a professional, attention-grabbing appearance before exporting it or using it in a presentation.

Right-click any section of your Excel pie chart and choose Format Data Series from the context menu to get the formatting options.

Now, as we have completed all the types of pie charts. Let’s make some common and important conclusions from all of them.

A pie chart in Excel is a pictorial representation of data. It is generally used to show the composition of an individual item. Categorical data is best represented using a pie chart, as it makes each slice represent a different category. The main purpose of the pie chart is to show part-whole relationships.

Here, we discussed step-by-step how to create clear and impactful pie charts. We’ll walk you through Excel’s features, helping you design impressive pie charts that grab attention, learn how to handle data, tweak chart styles, and polish visuals for pro-level results.