Creating A Pie Chart In Google Sheets

Visual presentations make the viewers understand certain information more effectively. Given that spreadsheets are presented in a way where data is laid out before you, it’ll be quite difficult to understand them, especially if there are more than a hundred pieces of data stored in your spreadsheet.

With Google Sheets, you can improve your spreadsheet by inserting graphs that could make the viewers understand the entirety of your spreadsheet more. Now, if you’re aiming to show the proportions of each data, then say no more. With just a few steps, you’ll be able to insert a pie chart into your spreadsheet.

Just follow the instructions below. 

1.  Go to the Google Sheets website.

To formally begin, go to the Google Sheets website using your most commonly used web browser. Your web browser may be Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or the like. Remember to log into your account first before you proceed, as this will be essential for you to gain access to your previously created spreadsheets.

2. Select the spreadsheet that you want to edit. 

After signing into your account, browse all your previously created spreadsheets and select one from them. Select the spreadsheet that you want to insert a pie chart in. Click on it to open it.

3. Select the pieces of data that you want to include in your pie chart.

Go through your selected spreadsheet and locate the set of data that you want to include in your pie chart. Be mindful that in selecting a set of data, you must include the titles and headers of your work. Highlight the cells containing the set of data that you’ve chosen. Your work has been highlighted if you see it filled with the color blue. 

4. Click “Insert” from the menu bar. 

After highlighting the cells, click the “Insert” menu located on the bar at the top portion of your screen. Doing this will make a dropdown list appear. 

5. Select “Chart” from the list.

The dropdown list will contain several options such as Cells, Rows, Columns, Sheet, Chart, Pivot table, Image, Drawing, Function, Link, Tick box, People chip, Comment, and Note. Locate “Chart” from the list and click on it. A pop-up side menu labeled as “Chart editor” will then appear.

6. Select a pie chart in the dropdown menu under “Chart type.”

You’ll notice that the Chart editor has the “Column chart” as its default Chart type. To change it to a pie chart, click on the dropdown menu box at the bottom of “Chart type” and locate the options available under “Pie chart.” Select the pie chart option that you prefer to use in your spreadsheet. Your pie chart will immediately appear in your spreadsheet, so you’ll be able to check which of the options suits your set of data the most.

7. Integrate headers and labels to your chart. 

To add headers and labels to your pie chart, tick on the boxes below the “Setup” tab. Put a mark on the “Use row __ as headers” and “Use column __ as labels.” The row number and column letter will depend on your data, and the most common row and column that’s being reflected here is the first row and column that you’ve highlighted in the third step. This is the reason why you need to include the headers and labels in highlighting your cells.

8. Customise your chart.

Click on the “Customise” tab beside the tab you’re currently in, which is the “Setup” tab. From there, you’ll be able to change the style of your chart, its colors, and even the format of its legends. This step is dedicated to your exploration. It’s up to you whether you’ll customize it further or not. 

9. Close the pop-up window if you’re done.

Given that your work is being saved automatically after every change you make, you could just close the side panel if you’re already done customizing your chart. 

Summing-Up

Creating graphs in Google Sheets does not only improves the presentation of your spreadsheet but also enables the viewers to understand it more effectively. Imagine, with just a few simple steps, you’ll be able to achieve this in less than 5 minutes.