How to Create a Donut Chart in Google Sheets

A donut chart is a fantastic way to display parts of a whole, breaking down how different categories contribute to a total number. It’s like a pie chart with the center cut out - perfect for visualizing data like marketing channel performance, budget allocation, or survey responses. This tutorial will walk you through exactly how to prepare your data, create a donut chart in Google Sheets, and customize it to look sharp and professional.

What is a Donut Chart and When Should You Use One?

Think of a donut chart as a more modern, slightly more space-efficient version of the classic pie chart. Each "slice" of the donut represents a category, and the size of that slice is proportional to its value. The empty space in the middle is not just for looks, it can be used to display a key metric, like the total number of website sessions or the total revenue amount, giving your chart extra context at a glance.

Donut charts are excellent for answering questions like:

• What percentage of our website traffic comes from each marketing channel?

• How is our quarterly marketing budget split across different initiatives?

• What are the most popular responses to our latest customer survey?

However, they aren't the right choice for every situation. You should avoid using a donut chart when you have too many categories (more than 5 or 6) or when you need to show how data changes over time. Too many slices make the chart cluttered and hard to read, and a line chart or bar chart is much better for timeline-based data.

Preparing Your Data for a Donut Chart in Google Sheets

Before you can make your chart, your data needs to be in the right format. Google Sheets is smart, but it works best when data is simple and organized. For a donut chart, you need a straightforward two-column setup:

• Column 1 (A): Categories. These are the text labels for your slices (e.g., "Organic Search," "Paid Social," "Email").

• Column 2 (B): Values. These are the numbers corresponding to each category (e.g., the number of sessions, dollars spent, or survey responses).

It’s also a good practice to include headers for each column. Here’s a simple example of properly formatted data showing website traffic sources:

Example Data:

This clean structure makes it incredibly easy for Google Sheets to understand exactly what you want to visualize. One quick pro-tip: sort your data from largest to smallest value before creating the chart. This will automatically arrange the slices in a logical order, making your chart easier to interpret.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Donut Chart

Once your data is prepped and ready, creating the actual chart takes just a few clicks. Follow these steps to build your donut chart from scratch.

Step 1: Select Your Data

Click and drag your cursor to highlight all the cells containing your data, including the headers. Using our example above, you would select cells A1 through B6.

Step 2: Insert the Chart

With your data highlighted, navigate to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click Insert > Chart. Google Sheets will automatically create a chart and open the Chart editor pane on the right side of your screen.

By default, Google Sheets might suggest a different chart type, like a bar or column chart. No worries - changing it is simple.

Step 3: Choose the Donut Chart Type

In the Chart editor, make sure you're on the Setup tab. Look for the "Chart type" dropdown menu. Click on it, scroll down to the "Pie" section, and select the Donut chart option (it’s the one that looks like, well, a donut).

That's it! You now have a basic donut chart on your spreadsheet. Now, let’s make it look great.

Customizing Your Donut Chart for Clarity and Impact

A default chart gets the point across, but a well-customized chart tells a compelling story. The Customize tab in the Chart editor is where you can transform your basic visual into a polished report asset. Let’s break down the most useful options.

Chart Style

This is where you control the overall look of your chart. You can change:

• Background color: Change the background of the chart box. A transparent background often looks cleaner when placed in reports or presentations.

• Font: Set a consistent font for all text on the chart.

• Donut hole: This might be the most important setting. You can adjust the size of the hole from 25% to 75%. A smaller hole makes it look more like a pie chart, while a larger hole can create a cleaner, more modern ring effect. Experiment to see what feels right for your data.

Pie Chart Settings

This section controls the donut slices themselves.

• Slice label: This is a powerful feature for making your chart instantly readable. You can choose to display the category label, the value, the percentage, or a combination. Displaying the Percentage directly on each slice is often the best choice, as it eliminates the need for viewers to guess the proportions.

• Label font size and color: Adjust the text on the slices for better readability.

Pie Slice Colors

Don't stick with the default colors! Here, you can click on each category (e.g., "Organic Search," "Direct") from the dropdown menu and assign it a specific color. This allows you to:

• Use your company's brand colors for a cohesive look.

• Emphasize a specific slice with a bold, contrasting color.

• Use different shades of the same color for a clean, monochromatic look.

Chart & Axis Titles

Every chart needs a clear, descriptive title. Click on this section to edit the Chart title text. Instead of a generic "Sessions," use something more informative like "Website Traffic by Source - Q2 2024." This gives your audience all the context they need in one line. You can also adjust the font, size, and color of your title text here.

Legend

The legend helps viewers match the colors to the categories. In the legend customization options, you can change its position (top, bottom, left, right, or inside). For donut charts, setting the legend position to Labeled is a great option. This removes the separate legend box and displays the category names directly next to their corresponding slices, which can make the chart much easier to read.

Tips for Making Your Donut Charts More Effective

Creating the chart is only half the battle. Presenting the data in a way that’s immediately understandable is what truly matters. Here are some best practices to follow.

• Limit Your Slices: A donut chart with ten different slices becomes a confusing rainbow wheel. As a rule, try to stick to five or six categories at most. If you have more, consider grouping the smallest categories into an "Other" slice to keep your chart clean and focused.

• Order Slices Logically: As mentioned earlier, sorting your data from largest to smallest value is a simple trick that vastly improves readability. This places the most significant segment at the top (the 12 o'clock position) and arranges the rest clockwise in descending order.

• Use the Center for Context: The empty hole is prime real estate! Add a bold title or a textbox overlay in the center stating the total value. For our traffic example, you could place "16,400 Total Sessions" in the middle. This provides a crucial reference point for the percentages shown in the slices.

• Highlight What Matters Most: Use color to guide your audience's attention. If the goal of the chart is to show the success of "Organic Search," make that slice a bright, attention-grabbing color while keeping the other slices in more neutral, muted tones.

Final Thoughts

In summary, creating a donut chart in Google Sheets is a simple process: organize your data into two columns, insert a chart, select the donut type, and use the customization options to make it clear and insightful. By focusing on data labels, strategic color use, and a clear title, you can turn a basic chart into a professional-grade data story.

Building charts manually is effective, but it can become tedious, especially when you’re pulling data from multiple sources like Google Analytics, your ad platforms, and your CRM. Constantly exporting CSVs and updating your spreadsheets just to create a weekly report takes up time that could be spent on strategy. That’s precisely why we built Graphed. We connect directly to all your data sources so you can create real-time dashboards by simply describing what you want in plain English - no spreadsheets required.