Microsoft Word 2016 – Adding Pie Charts

Pie charts are a popular way to show how much individual amounts—such as quarterly sales figures—contribute to a total amount, such as annual sales.

Pie charts can convert one column or row of spreadsheet data into a pie chart. Each slice of pie (data point) shows the size or percentage of that slice relative to the whole pie.

Pie charts work best when:

•       You have only one data series.

•       None of the data values are zero or less than zero.

•       You have no more than seven categories, because more than seven slices can make a chart hard to read.

Tip:  If your data won’t work in a pie chart, try a bar chart, column chart, or line chart.

To create a Pie chart from scratch in Word:

1. Click Insert > Chart.

2. Click the chart type and then double-click the chart you want.

Tip: For help deciding which chart is best for your data, see Available chart types.

3. In the spreadsheet that appears, replace the default data with your own information.

Tip: When you insert a chart, small buttons appear next to its upper-right corner. Use the Chart Elements Chart Elements button to show, hide, or format things like axis titles or data labels. Or use the Chart Styles Customize the Look of Your Chart button to quickly change the color or style of the chart. The Chart Filters Chart Filters button is a more advanced option that shows or hides data in your chart.

4. When you’ve finished, close the spreadsheet.

5. If you want, use the Layout Options button to arrange the chart and text in your document.

 

Note: You can make a chart in Word. If you have lots of data to chart, create your chart in Excel, and then copy it into your document. This is also the best way if your data changes regularly and you want your chart to always reflect the latest numbers. In that case, when you copy the chart, keep it linked to the original Excel file.