Free Pie Chart Generator
Use this free pie chart maker to turn CSV, Excel, or pasted data into a classic pie or donut. Show meaningful parts of one whole and check each category's share.
Create a pie chart from CSV or Excel
Choose one category field and one non-negative numeric field.
Drop your spreadsheet here
CSV, XLSX, or XLS · processed only in your browser
Save or reopen data and style
Download a local file with your table, title, theme, source and notes. Reopening detects fields again; review chart-specific settings. No data is uploaded.
Make a pie chart from Google Sheets data
In Google Sheets, copy the category and numeric columns with their headers. Choose Paste data in the tool above, paste the selected cells, and review the Category and Value fields. Copy the table itself rather than a chart image or a Sheets sharing URL.
Use mutually exclusive categories that form one whole, with non-negative values and a positive total. Exclude Total rows, keep percentage formatting consistent, and check the shares before choosing Pie or Donut. This creates a separate chart from the copied values and does not synchronize later changes in Sheets.
When to use a pie chart
A pie chart answers one narrow question: how is one total divided among categories? Use it for a marketing budget allocated across channels, orders assigned to mutually exclusive sources, or responses to a survey question where each person chooses one answer. Each row should contribute one distinct part, and together those parts should describe the whole named in the title.
For a fictional budget of 1,000, Search could receive 420, Social 240, Email 180, and Events 160. The resulting shares are 42%, 24%, 18%, and 16%. The amounts may be counts, currency, or a consistent set of percentages. What matters is that the denominator has a clear meaning. A title such as “Campaign budget allocation” tells the reader what the circle represents.
When to choose another chart
A circle is less useful when several slices are nearly the same size. Choose the bar chart maker when readers need to rank categories or compare small differences. Use the line graph maker for change over time. A series of separate pies makes trends harder to follow because viewers have to compare angles across different circles.
Do not add independent conversion rates to create a pie. A 4% conversion rate for one product and an 8% rate for another may use different visitor counts; their sum is not a meaningful whole. Likewise, a multiple-choice survey in which people select several answers can exceed 100%. A bar chart with a clearly stated denominator usually communicates those results more honestly.
Prepare a category-and-value table
Put field names in the first row, one category per later row, and one numeric value beside each category. Avoid merged cells, title rows above the headers, blank category names, and a final Total row. Including the total as another category would count the whole twice. The pie graph maker suggests a category and value field, but you should check both selections before using the result.
This fictional sample is ready to paste. Select Channel as the category and Budget as the value. No spreadsheet formula is needed to calculate the displayed shares: each slice percentage is its value divided by the sum of selected values.
Channel,Budget Search,420 Social,240 Email,180 Events,160
The pie chart creator accepts a maximum of 12 unique categories, with non-negative numbers and a positive total. Duplicate labels require an explicit decision in your source data: sum them if they represent parts of the same category, or rename them if they represent different groups. Never remove a row just to make an error disappear without checking how that changes the denominator.
Keep percentage formatting consistent. A value written as 37.5% remains a percentage; do not mix percent signs and ordinary numbers in the same value column. Percentage inputs are still normalized to the selected total for slice labels. For example, entering only 20% and 30% produces shares of 40% and 60% of that selected subtotal. Include the remaining categories when you intend to show the full original population.
Three steps to a useful chart
Import and review
Open CSV, TSV, XLS, or XLSX, paste cells, or start with fictional sample data. Excel imports read the first worksheet. The shared import limits are 10 MB, 2,000 rows including the header, 100 columns, and 20,000 cells; the chart-specific category limit still applies. Review the selected fields before trusting the first preview. Automatic detection is a starting point, and the controls let you correct it.
Read and refine
Switch between Pie and Donut to suit the report. The donut center shows the total, while the legend identifies categories, original values, and shares. Adjust colors, percentage labels, the legend, and decimal places. Check the result at the size readers will actually see: a small slice that is visible on your monitor may disappear in a narrow slide layout.
Add a clear title, subtitle, source note, and any relevant qualification through the presentation controls. Use the available publication styles and canvas choices to fit the destination. A larger chart is not automatically clearer: a short title, consistent units, and fewer competing labels usually help more. Hover over marks to inspect the full category and value when labels are shortened.
Export your result
Download SVG when you need a vector figure that can be resized or edited in compatible design software. Choose PNG at 1×, 2×, or 3× for documents and slides, and check the transparent-background setting against the destination color. Open the downloaded image once before sharing it. Keep the original spreadsheet alongside the export so you can reproduce the chart when the numbers change.
Make the whole understandable
Keep category names recognizable and use a restrained palette. Do not rely on color alone: leave the legend or percentage labels available where readers need them. Rounding may make displayed percentages add to 99% or 101%, even though the underlying shares sum to 100%. Increase decimal places if that distinction matters, and do not change the source values merely to make rounded labels add neatly.
A free pie chart maker can draw the circle, but it cannot decide whether the categories overlap or whether the sample represents your audience. Check the period, source, and denominator before drawing a conclusion. Explain exclusions in the source note, particularly when displaying only a subset of the original dataset.
Frequently asked questions
How many slices should a pie chart have?+
This tool accepts up to 12 unique categories, but that is a limit, not a design target. A few distinct slices are easier to read. If many categories have similar shares, use a bar chart. Combine small categories into Other only when that grouping makes sense, and explain what it contains.
Can values be negative or zero?+
Values must be non-negative, and their sum must be greater than zero. An individual zero is allowed but has no visible slice. Negative amounts, such as refunds or losses, do not form meaningful sectors of a whole; use a bar chart to compare them instead.
Pie or donut — which should I use?+
Both show the same shares. A classic pie keeps the full circle; a donut adds space for the total in the center. Pick the layout that fits the report, not the one that makes differences look larger. Keep the legend visible when the slice labels alone are not enough.
When should I use a bar chart instead?+
Use bars when precise comparisons matter, the categories overlap, or the values are independent rates. For example, product conversion rates usually have different denominators and should not be treated as slices of a shared total. Bars also handle negative numbers and multiple series.
Can I paste percentages from Excel or Google Sheets?+
Yes. Include column headers and use a consistent numeric format. A column containing 42%, 24%, and 34% is valid. Mixing 42% with plain 24 in the same column is rejected. Slice labels show each value divided by the selected total, so check that the source describes one complete whole.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?+
No. Spreadsheet contents are read, checked, and rendered in your browser. Charttoolbox does not send file names, cell values, or chart data to Google Analytics. Optional analytics loads only after consent. Download the result before leaving because this tool does not save a cloud project.