How to Make Donut Chart Bigger in Tableau

Trying to resize a donut chart in Tableau can be surprisingly frustrating. You go through all the steps to create it, but you're left with a tiny circle swimming in a sea of white space. This guide will walk you through exactly how to control the size of your donut chart, so it looks just right in your worksheet and dashboards.

First, Let's Build a Standard Donut Chart

Before we can make it bigger, we need to have a donut chart to work with. If you already have one, you can skip to the next section. If not, here’s a quick and easy method using a sample "Sales by Category" scenario.

The trick to a donut chart is creating two overlapping pie charts on a dual axis - one slightly smaller than the other to create the "hole."

Step 1: Create a Placeholder for the Pie Slices

First, we need to tell Tableau how to structure the chart. The easiest way is to use a simple placeholder calculation.

• In the data pane, right-click and select Create "Calculated Field".

• Name it something like "Placeholder."

• In the formula box, type MIN(0). This just creates a constant value of zero that we use to build our pies.

• Click OK.

Step 2: Build the Foundation with Pie Charts

Now we'll use this placeholder to create the two pie charts that will form our donut.

• Drag your new "Placeholder" field onto the Columns shelf twice. This will create two separate axes for our two pies.

• Go to the Marks card. You'll see two tabs, one for each MIN(0) placeholder you added. Switch to the first MIN(0) tab.

• Change the mark type from Automatic to Pie using the dropdown.

• Drag your category dimension (e.g., "Product Category") onto the Color card.

• Drag your measure (e.g., "Sales") onto the Angle card. This determines the size of each slice.

At this point, you should have one nicely colored pie chart. Now, let's create the second one which will become the hole in the donut.

• Go to the second MIN(0) tab on the Marks card.

• Change its mark type to Pie as well.

• Make this pie chart slightly smaller than the first one. Click the Size card and drag the slider down a little.

• To make the "hole" pop, click the Color card and select white (or any color that matches your dashboard background).

Step 3: Create the Donut Hole with a Dual Axis

This is where the magic happens. We're going to overlay the smaller, white pie on top of the larger, colored one.

• Right-click the second MIN(0) pill on the Columns shelf.

• Select Dual Axis from the dropdown menu.

• Tableau will likely turn your charts into circles. No worries! Just go back to both MIN(0) tabs on the Marks card and ensure the mark type for both is set back to Pie.

And there it is! You have a basic donut chart. The problem is, it’s probably a bit small for your liking.

3 Simple Ways to Make Your Donut Chart Bigger

Tableau treats the donut chart's size relative to the space it's given. Here's how to command that space and get the size you want.

1. Use the Master "Size" Slider

The most direct way to control the overall diameter of your donut is by adjusting the size of the first pie chart - the outer, colored one.

• Navigate to the Marks card.

• Click the tab corresponding to your first MIN(0) placeholder (the one with your dimensions on Color and Angle). This is your outer ring.

• Click on the Size card.

• Drag the slider to the right. You’ll see the entire donut chart - both the outer ring and the inner hole - grow larger.

Pro-Tip: The size of the hole is relative to the size of the outer pie. Adjust the Size slider on the second MIN(0) Mark to control the thickness of your donut ring itself. A slightly smaller second pie creates a thicker ring, while a much smaller one creates a thinner ring.

2. Adjust the Worksheet View

Sometimes, the problem isn't the chart itself, but the container Tableau is displaying it in. By default, the view is set to "Standard," which can leave a lot of empty space. Changing this forces the chart to fill the available area.

• On the main toolbar at the top of the worksheet, look for a dropdown box that says "Standard."

• Click it and change the view to "Entire View".

Suddenly, your donut chart will expand to fill the entire worksheet pane. Now, when you resize the window or place it on a dashboard, the chart will dynamically grow or shrink to fit. This is often the most impactful and simplest fix!

3. Edit the Axis Range for Precise Control

If the slider feels a bit imprecise, you can get exact control by manually editing the chart's axes. Although we hid the headers initially, they still control the chart's placement and scale. This method gives you perfect control over the sizing.

• Right-click on the X-axis (the one running along the bottom of your view and labeled 'MIN(0)').

• Select Edit Axis.

• Under the Range section, choose "Fixed."

• Change the Fixed start to -1.5 and the Fixed end to 1.5. Feel free to play with these numbers, think of them as defining the 'frame' for your circle. A smaller numerical range (like -1 to 1) will make the chart appear larger within the view, while a larger range (-2 to 2) will make it smaller.

• Repeat this process for the Y-axis. It often gets updated automatically with the X-axis, but it's good practice to check and make sure they match.

Once you've set the axes, feel free to right-click them again and uncheck "Show Header" to clean up your visualization.

Resizing Your Chart on a Dashboard

Once you have your chart looking great in the worksheet, the next step is adding it to a dashboard. Combining the "Entire View" setting with dashboard containers gives you the ultimate control.

• Make sure your worksheet view is set to "Entire View."

• Drag the sheet containing your donut chart onto your dashboard canvas.

• By default, it will be placed in a "Tiled" container. You can simply drag the borders of this container to resize it, and your donut chart will scale up or down beautifully within that space.

• If you need more freedom, you can set the chart to "Floating." This lets you place it anywhere on the dashboard and resize it independently of other elements. Just click the container dropdown and select Floating.

Final Thoughts

Creating a bigger donut chart in Tableau is an exercise in managing space. By using the Size slider on the Marks card, switching your worksheet to "Entire View," and editing the axes, you gain precise control over your visualization, transforming it from a tiny circle into an impactful centerpiece for your dashboard.

Mastering chart settings is a valuable skill, but we started Graphed because we believe your time is better spent on insights, not on hunting down formatting options. You can connect your marketing and sales data sources (like Google Analytics, Shopify, or HubSpot) and create an entire dashboard just by asking for what you need. Describing "a donut chart of our sales by product category for this month," and instantly getting a perfect visualization means you can spend more time acting on your data instead of wrestling with toolbars and menus.