Pie and donut charts in Power BI - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Pie and donut charts show parts of a whole. They help you see how different categories compare in size. Use them to quickly understand proportions in your data.

When you want to show sales distribution by product category in a simple visual.

When you need to compare market share percentages among competitors.

When you want to display survey results as parts of total responses.

When you want to highlight the biggest contributors to total revenue.

When you want a visual that is easy for anyone to understand at a glance.

Steps

Step 1: Click

- Report view pane

The report canvas is active and ready for visuals

Step 2: Select

- Visualizations pane > Pie chart icon

A blank pie chart visual appears on the canvas

Step 3: Drag

- Category field from Fields pane to Legend well in Visualizations pane

The pie chart slices are created based on categories

Step 4: Drag

- Value field from Fields pane to Values well in Visualizations pane

The pie chart slices size adjusts to the values

Step 5: Click

- Visualizations pane > Format (paint roller icon)

Format options for the pie chart appear

Step 6: Toggle

- Format pane > Details > Donut toggle

The pie chart changes to a donut chart with a hole in the center

💡 Use donut charts to add a label or number in the center

Step 7: Adjust

- Format pane > Data colors

Colors of slices update to your chosen palette

Before vs After

Before

Blank report canvas with no visuals

After

Pie chart showing sales by product category with slices sized by sales amount and legend on the right

Settings Reference

Legend

📍 Format pane > Legend

Show or hide the legend and choose where it appears

Default: On, Position: Right

Detail labels

📍 Format pane > Detail labels

Control what text appears on each slice

Default: Category and Percent of total

Donut toggle

📍 Format pane > Details

Switch between pie chart and donut chart style

Default: Off

Data colors

📍 Format pane > Data colors

Change slice colors to match your theme or preference

Default: Automatic colors

Common Mistakes

Using too many categories in the pie chart

Too many slices make the chart hard to read and colors confusing

Limit categories to 5-7 or group smaller ones into 'Other'

Not adding values to the Values well

The pie chart will not show slice sizes and looks empty

Always drag a numeric field to Values to size slices properly

Using pie charts for data that changes over time

Pie charts do not show trends or changes well

Use line or bar charts for time series data

Summary

Pie and donut charts show parts of a whole using slices.

Add category fields to Legend and numeric fields to Values to build the chart.

Limit categories for clarity and use donut style to add center labels.