How to Create a Donut Chart

A donut chart is a simple and effective way to show how different parts make up a whole, such as demonstrating which marketing channels drive the most traffic to your website. We'll walk you through what they are, when to use them, and provide step-by-step instructions for creating them in both Google Sheets and Excel.

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What is a Donut Chart, Anyway?

A donut chart is essentially a pie chart with the inside cut out, creating its distinctive ring shape. Each section of the ring, or "arc," represents a category, and the size of the arc is proportional to its value out of the total. That empty space in the middle isn't just for looks, it's a perfect spot to display a key total or highlight a central message.

The main advantage over a traditional pie chart is a subtle trick of perception. With a pie chart, we try to compare the central angles of the different slices, which our brains find difficult. With a donut chart, we tend to compare the length of the different arcs, which is slightly easier. This often makes it a better choice for clean, modern-looking dashboards.

When should you use a donut chart?

Donut charts are great for specific situations, but they aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Here’s when they shine:

• Showing Proportions of a Whole: They excel at displaying compositional data where you need to see how individual categories contribute to a total, like the percentage of sales from different product lines.
• A Small Number of Categories: The chart becomes cluttered and hard to read with too many segments. They are most effective with six categories or fewer.
• Highlighting a Total Value: The center hole is prime real estate. You can use it to show the total number that the percentages are based on (e.g., "15,240 Total Sessions"), providing immediate context.
• Creating Modern Dashboards: Donut charts can feel less dated than pie charts and use space well, making them a popular choice for business intelligence dashboards.

When should you AVOID a donut chart?

• If You Have Many Categories: Once you go past about six categories, the chart turns into a rainbow mess where nothing is clear. In this case, a bar chart is almost always the better choice.
• For Comparing Data Over Time: Donut charts show a static snapshot. To track changes over weeks, months, or years, use a line chart or column chart.
• When Precise Comparison is Critical: While slightly better than pie charts, comparing arc lengths is still less accurate than comparing the length of bars. For showing the precise difference between 'Category A' and 'Category B', a bar chart is far more intuitive.

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How to Create a Donut Chart in Google Sheets

Let's make a donut chart to visualize website traffic sources. This is a common and practical example for any business with a web presence.

Step 1: Set Up Your Data

First, you need clean data organized in two columns. Column A will be your categories (the traffic sources) and Column B will be your numerical values (the number of user sessions).

Your data should look something like this:

• Column A (Source): Organic Search, Direct, Social Media, Referral, Paid Search
• Column B (Sessions): 8,250, 4,100, 1,980, 550, 360

Step 2: Highlight Your Data and Insert the Chart

Click and drag your mouse to select all the cells containing your data, including the headers. Next, navigate to the menu at the top of your screen and click Insert > Chart.

Google Sheets will often default to creating a different type of chart, like a line or pie chart. Don't worry, that's easy to change.

Step 3: Choose the Donut Chart Type

With the chart selected, a 'Chart editor' sidebar will appear on the right side of your screen. Under the 'Setup' tab, click the dropdown menu under 'Chart type'. Scroll down to the 'Pie' section and select the 'Donut chart' option.

Instantly, your data will transform into a donut chart.

Step 4: Customize Your Chart for Clarity

A default chart is good, but a customized chart tells a better story. Click on the 'Customize' tab in the Chart editor to open up the design options.

• Chart Style: Change the background color or font to match your brand.
• Pie Chart: This section holds the donut-specific settings.
• Chart & axis titles: Always give your chart a descriptive heading. Double-click the chart title to edit it. Make it clear and concise, like "Website Traffic by Source - Last 30 Days."
• Legend: Adjust the positioning of the legend to the right, bottom, or other locations based on what looks best for your dashboard.
• Series: Change the color of each slice to match your brand palette or to make a specific slice - perhaps "Organic Search" - stand out more.

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How to Create a Donut Chart in Excel

Creating a donut chart in Excel is just as straightforward. Let's use the same website traffic source data.

Step 1: Organize Your Data

Just like in Google Sheets, you need two columns: one for your categories and one for the corresponding values.

Step 2: Select Data and Insert the Chart

Highlight your data table. Navigate to the 'Insert' tab in the top ribbon. In the 'Charts' command group, find and click the 'Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart' icon. From the dropdown menu, select 'Doughnut'.

Excel will instantly drop a donut chart right onto your worksheet.

Step 3: Customize Your Excel Donut Chart

Now, let's fine-tune the chart to make it more professional and easier to understand. You can edit aspects directly by clicking on chart elements or by using the format options that appear on the right when it's selected.

• Change the Title: Double-click the default 'Chart Title' placeholder and type in something useful, like "Sources of Website Traffic".
• Add Data Labels: Click on your chart to select it. Three buttons will appear on the upper right side. Click the plus icon (+), called 'Chart Elements', and check the box next to 'Data Labels'. To show percentages instead of values, click the little arrow next to Data Labels and select 'More Options...'. In the task pane that opens, simply check 'Percentage' and uncheck 'Value'.
• Adjust the Hole Size: Right-click on any of the rings of the donut and select 'Format Data Series...'. In the 'Series Options' panel, you'll see a slider for 'Doughnut Hole Size'. Adjust it to your preference, usually between 40% and 60%.
• Change Colors: To change the chart's colors, right-click a slice and choose 'Fill', then select a new color. To change only a single slice, first click the whole donut, then click the specific slice you want to edit. Now any color change will only apply to that single piece.
• Trick: Put a Dynamic Total in the Center: This is a great way to use the empty center space effectively.

4 Best Practices for Effective Donut Charts

Creating a chart is one thing, creating one that communicates information clearly is another. Keep these tips in mind.

1. Order the Slices Logically

Arrange the segments in a logical order. The most common practice is to place the largest category at the 12 o'clock position and arrange the rest in descending order clockwise. Most software does this automatically, but it's good to double-check.

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2. Keep It Simple: Fewer Slices Are Better

The cardinal rule is to limit your categories. Charts with more than five or six slices become hard to interpret. If you have many small categories, group them into a single "Other" or "Miscellaneous" category.

3. Label Clearly and Directly

Don't make your audience hunt for information. Use direct labels, such as percentages, on the chart slices themselves. This makes the chart scannable and the meaning immediately clear.

4. Use the Center Space Wisely

That hole in the middle is valuable real estate. Showing the total sum of all categories gives crucial context, turning your chart from just "pretty" to pretty insightful.

Final Thoughts

Donut charts are a stylish and effective way to represent part-to-whole relationships when used correctly. Stick to a few categories, label everything clearly, and use that central space to your advantage, and you’ll have a professional visualization that quickly communicates key insights to your audience.

While creating a single chart in Excel or Google Sheets is straightforward, the weekly grind of exporting CSVs, combining data, and remaking reports takes hours away from actual analysis. At Graphed , we automate all that tedious work. Instead of manual setup, you can simply type, "create a donut chart showing website traffic from Google Analytics by source for the last month," and get a live, updating dashboard instantly. It gives you back the countless hours spent on routine reporting drudgery.