How to Make a Doughnut Chart in Google Sheets

Need a quick way to show how different parts contribute to a whole? The doughnut chart is a fantastic way to visualize proportions in your data, like how much each traffic source contributes to your website's total sessions. This article will guide you through creating, customizing, and mastering a doughnut chart right inside Google Sheets.

What Is a Doughnut Chart? (And When Should You Use One?)

A doughnut chart is essentially a pie chart with a hole in the middle. Like its filled-in cousin, it’s used to represent parts of a whole, where each "slice" of the doughnut shows the proportional size of a particular category. The entire doughnut represents 100%, and the size of each slice reflects its percentage of the total.

The hole in the center isn't just for looks, it provides a space where you can add a key piece of information, like the total value of all categories combined, which helps viewers understand the overall scale at a glance. It also de-emphasizes the use of central angles for comparison, encouraging readers to focus on the length of the arcs instead, which many people find easier to compare visually.

Common Use Cases for Doughnut Charts

Doughnut charts are ideal when you have a handful of categories that you want to compare as proportions of a total. They break down when you have too many categories, as the slices become too thin to read effectively. A good rule of thumb is to use them for six or fewer categories.

Here are some relatable examples where a doughnut chart shines:

• Marketing Budget Allocation: See how your total budget is split across paid ads, content marketing, SEO, email, and social media.

• Website Traffic Sources: Instantly visualize the percentage of visitors from Organic Search, Direct, Social Media, and Referral traffic.

• Sales by Product Category: Show which product lines (e.g., Apparel, Accessories, Footwear) make up the largest portion of your total sales.

• Survey Responses: Display the results of a simple survey, such as customer satisfaction ratings (e.g., "Very Satisfied," "Satisfied," "Neutral," "Dissatisfied").

• Project Time Allocation: Track how a team's hours are distributed across different tasks like "Planning," "Development," "Testing," and "Meetings."

Step-by-Step: How to Make a Doughnut Chart in Google Sheets

Let's build one from scratch. We'll use a common marketing scenario: analyzing website traffic sources for the month. It’s a simple process that only takes a few clicks.

Step 1: Set Up and Format Your Data

First, you need to organize your data correctly. A doughnut chart requires two columns: one for your categories (labels) and one for their corresponding values (numbers).

Structure your data in Google Sheets like this, with a clear header for each column:

Example Data Set:

Category: Website Traffic SourceValue: Sessions (Last 30 Days)

In your spreadsheet, it would look like this:

• Cell A1: Traffic Source

• Cell B1: Sessions

• Cell A2: Organic Search

• Cell B2: 12150

• Cell A3: Direct

• Cell B3: 5420

• Cell A4: Paid Search

• Cell B4: 4800

• Cell A5: Social Media

• Cell B5: 2750

• Cell A6: Referral

• Cell B6: 990

Make sure your values are formatted as numbers, not text. This clear, simple structure is the foundation of a successful chart.

Step 2: Select Your Data Range

Click on the first cell of your data set (A1 in our example) and drag your cursor to highlight all the data you want to include in the chart. In this case, you would select the range A1:B6. Be sure to include the headers, as Google Sheets is smart enough to use them as titles and labels automatically.

Step 3: Insert the Chart

With your data selected, navigate to the menu at the top of the screen and click Insert > Chart.

Google Sheets will automatically analyze your selected data and suggest what it thinks is the best chart type. Often, it defaults to a pie chart or a bar chart. Now, we'll tell it we want a doughnut chart.

Step 4: Select "Doughnut Chart" from the Editor

When you insert a chart, the Chart editor sidebar will appear on the right side of your screen. If it doesn't, just double-click on the chart you created to open it.

Inside the Chart editor, under the Setup tab:

1. Look for the Chart type dropdown menu.

2. Scroll down until you find the Pie chart section.

3. Click on the Pie chart icon. You should see three options pop up: a standard Pie chart, a Doughnut chart, and a 3D Pie chart.

4. Select Doughnut chart.

Congratulations! A basic doughnut chart visualizing your data will now appear on your sheet. But don't stop here - the real power comes from customization.

Customizing Your Doughnut Chart for Maximum Impact

An effective chart is one that's easy to read and tells a clear story. The default settings are a good start, but a few tweaks can make your doughnut chart much more professional and insightful. Let’s use the Chart editor’s Customize tab.

Adjusting Colors and 'Slices'

Brand consistency and visual clarity are important. You can change the colors of individual slices to match your company's brand or to group related categories.

• In the Customize tab, navigate to the Pie chart section.

• Here you can change the color of the chart's border.

• To change individual slice colors, go to the Pie slice subsection. Click on the dropdown menu (which will likely default to your first category, "Organic Search"). Select the slice you wish to change, and then pick a new color from the color picker below. Repeat for each slice.

Modifying the Doughnut Hole Size

The "Doughnut hole" setting lets you control the size of the empty space in the middle. A smaller hole (e.g., 25%) resembles a traditional pie chart, while a larger hole (e.g., 75%) creates a thinner ring. A 50% hole is often a good visual balance.

• Under the Customize > Pie chart menu, you will see a slider labeled Doughnut hole.

• Adjust the percentage to see what visually works best for your data.

Adding and Formatting Data Labels

Showing the actual values or percentages directly on the chart makes it much easier to interpret.

• Navigate to Customize > Pie chart.

• Find the Slice label dropdown. You have several choices:

  • None: No labels on the slices.

  • Label: Shows the category name (e.g., "Organic Search").

  • Value: Shows the raw number (e.g., "12150").

  • Percentage: Shows the percentage of the whole (e.g., "47%"). This is often the most useful option for a doughnut chart.

• After selecting your label type, you can also customize the Label font, font size, and text color to improve readability.

Changing the Legend Position

The legend helps viewers match colors to categories. Its placement can impact the chart's overall look.

• Go to Customize > Legend.

• Under Position, you can place the legend on the top, bottom, left, right, or inside. Choosing "Labeled" removes the need for a separate legend by pointing directly to each slice, which can be a great way to save space and simplify the chart. A position of "Right" is a common and clean default.

Adding a Clear and Descriptive Title

Never leave your chart untitled. A good title provides context so anyone can understand what the chart represents without having to ask.

• Go to Customize > Chart & axis titles.

• Type your main title into the Title text field (e.g., "Website Traffic Sources by Channel").

• You can also add a Chart subtitle to provide more detail, like the time frame (e.g., "November 2023").

• Pro tip: To put text in the center of the doughnut hole, add the total as a subtitle and then change the title's alignment to center. This is perfect for showing the overall metric being measured!

Bonus Tip: Tidying Up Small Slices

If your chart has several very small slices, they can clutter the visual and make it hard to read. A common best practice is to group categories that are less than 2-3% of the total into a single category called "Other." This simplifies the chart and draws attention to the more significant contributing factors.

You would do this in your source data. Add a row for "Other" and sum the values of the small categories, then remove the original small rows from your chart selection.

Final Thoughts

Creating a doughnut chart in Google Sheets is a straightforward process that transforms raw numbers into an easy-to-digest visual story. By preparing your data, inserting and selecting the chart, and then using the customization options, you can build clear, compelling reports that effectively communicate proportions at a glance.

While mastering charts in spreadsheets is a great skill, we know the real challenge often comes from having to gather and consolidate data from multiple sources like Google Analytics, your email platform, and your ad accounts every week. At Graphed, we created a solution that connects to all your marketing and sales tools and builds live, automated dashboards for you. Simply ask a question in plain English, like "Show me a doughnut chart of Shopify sales by product category for this month," and instantly get the visualization you need without any manual data wrangling.