What Is Excel Rotate Pie Chart?
The rotate Pie chart in Excel is an option that helps rearrange the slices, without disturbing the order, in a Pie plot, making it clearer. Also, rotating a Pie graph ensures one can place the slice labels in the desired positions, format the slices according to the needs, and make the plot more presentable.
Users can rotate a Pie chart by various degrees to position the largest slice on one side and the remaining smaller slices on the other side of the plot. It makes the chart highly resourceful for an effective analysis. For example, the table below lists countries and their annual average rice consumption figures. The worksheet also contains a Pie chart to represent the data graphically. We can plot the chart using the 2-D Pie chart from the Insert tab.
Though the plot is clear, the requirement is to rotate simple Pie chart in Excel because we need the largest slice on the left side of the plot. Then, we can make a Pie chart in Excel rotate by right-clicking the data series to open the Format Data Series window. And then updating the Angle of first slice to 183°, as shown below.
Thus, once we rotate simple Pie chart in Excel by 183°, we see the largest slice in the plot shifted to the left side and the remaining smaller ones shifted to the right.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- The rotate Pie chart in Exceloption helps set the slices in the desired positions, without changing their order, in the plot. And thus, it helps improve the Pie chart’s appearance according to our requirements.
- Users can use the option to rotate a Pie chart to rotate the data labels along with the slices to display them clearly in the plot area.
- You can use the Angle of first slice option in the Series Options tab in the Format Data Series pane to change a Pie chart’s orientation from 0° to 360°.
How To Rotate Pie Chart In Excel?
The steps to rotate Pie chart in Excel are:
- Select the data range and choose the Insert tab – Pie or Doughnut Chart drop-down – 2-D Pie chart to insert the 2-D Pie chart.
- Otherwise, select the data range and choose the Insert tab – Pie or Doughnut Chart drop-down – 3-D Pie chart to insert the 3-D Pie chart.
Otherwise, select the data range and choose the Insert tab – Pie or Doughnut Chart drop-down – Doughnut chart to insert the Doughnut chart. - After inserting the required chart, right-click the data series plotted in the chart. And then, choose Format Data Series from the context menu to access the Format Data Series window.
- Set the required Angle of first slice in the Series Options tab in the Format Data Series window by sliding the scale till the chart rotates to the required orientation. Otherwise, we can update the angle (0° to 360°) to which we must make a Pie chart in Excel rotate in the field adjacent to the sliding scale and press Enter.
Examples
We shall see examples of effectively using the rotate Pie chart in Excel option.
Example #1 – 2D Rotate Pie Chart
We shall see an example of how to create a Pie chart in Excel, which is 2-D, and rotate it.
The table below exhibits the market shares of bakery companies in the US.
And if the requirement is to create a Pie chart in Excel, which is 2-D, and rotate it by 45°. Then, the steps are:
Step 1: If we must insert the chart for the entire dataset, then click on a cell in the dataset range. Otherwise, select the data range for which we require the Pie chart. Next, choose Insert – Pie or Doughnut Chart – 2-D Pie chart.
We will achieve the following 2-D Pie chart.
Step 2: Next, right-click the data series plotted in the chart, and then, choose Format Data Series in the context menu.
Then, the Format Data Series window opens.
Step 3: Now, set the Angle of first slice in the Series Options tab in the Format Data Series window as 45° in the specified field.
Next, press Enter to rotate Pie chart in Excel.
Step 4: Next, click the plot area to enable the Chart Elements option. Then, check the Data Labels box to display the data labels in the plot.
Step 5: Double-click the chart title element in the plot area to update it.
Next, click on a data label. All the data labels in the plot area will get selected, as shown below.
And then, click on the data label required to reposition and drag it to place it in the desired location in the plot area.
Likewise, repeat the process for the remaining data labels to make the rotated 2-D Pie chart presentable, as depicted below.
Example #2 – 3D Rotate Pie Chart
We shall see an illustration of how to insert Pie chart in Excel, which is 3-D, and modify its orientation.
The table below shows the nutrients shares in a balanced diet.
And if the requirement is to insert Pie chart in Excel, which is 3-D, and rotate it by 180°. Then, the steps are:
Step 1: If we must insert the chart for the entire dataset, then click on a cell in the dataset range. Otherwise, select the data range for which we require the Pie chart. And choose Insert – Pie or Doughnut Chart – 3-D Pie chart.
We will achieve the following 3-D Pie chart.
Step 2: Next, right-click the data series plotted in the chart. Then, choose Format Data Series in the context menu.
The Format Data Series window opens.
Step 3: Set the Angle of first slice in the Series Options tab in the Format Data Series window as 180° in the specified field, and press Enter to rotate Pie chart in Excel.
Step 4: Click the plot area to enable the Chart Elements option and check the Data Labels box to display the data labels in the plot.
Step 5: Double-click the chart title element in the plot area to update it.
Next, click on a data label. All the data labels in the plot area will get selected, as shown below.
And then, click on the data label required to reposition and drag it to place it in the desired location in the plot area.
Likewise, repeat the process for the remaining data labels to achieve the rotated 3-D Pie chart, as depicted below.
Example #3 – Doughnut Rotate Pie Chart
The following illustration shows how to rotate Pie chart in Excel. And we will use a Doughnut chart to explain the process.
The table below lists different beverages and their preferences among customers.
And if the requirement is to rotate Pie chart in Excel to show the largest section on the top of the plot. Then, the steps are:
Step 1: First, if have to must insert the chart for the entire dataset. Then, click on a cell in the dataset range.
Alternatively, we can select the data range for which we require the Doughnut chart. Then, choose Insert – Pie or Doughnut Chart – Doughnut chart.
We will achieve the following Doughnut chart.
Step 2: Next, right-click the data series plotted in the chart. Then, choose Format Data Series in the context menu.
The Format Data Series window opens.
Step 3: Now, use the sliding bar under the Angle of first slice option in the Series Options tab in the Format Data Series window to rotate Pie chart in Excel. And stop adjusting it once the largest section appears in the desired location.
Step 4: Next, click the graph area to enable the Chart Elements option. Then, check the Data Labels box to display the data labels in the plot.
Step 5: Then, double-click the chart title element in the graph area to update it.
Next, click on a data label. All the data labels in the graph area will get selected, as shown below.
And then, click on the data label we wish to reposition and drag it to place it in the desired location in the graph area.
Likewise, iterate the process for the remaining data labels to achieve the rotated Doughnut chart, as depicted below.
Thus, the resulting chart shows the biggest chunk in the top part of the plot. Remember, it helps analyze data with more clarity.
How To Use Rotate Pie Chart In Excel?
We can use the rotate Pie chart in Excel option in the following ways:
- We can rotate a Pie chart in the clockwise and anti-clockwise directions to suit our requirements.
- Rotating a Pie chart helps change the existing slices’ positions without changing their order in the plot.
- Rotating a Pie chart helps place the respective data labels in the desired location to be visible. And thus, the resulting plot becomes more meaningful and clearer for data interpretation.
- We can change the Pie chart orientation to ensure it best fits printing purposes.
Important Things To Note
- When you know the angle, you must rotate Pie chart in Excel, then use the field on the right of the sliding bar under the Angle of first slice option. Otherwise, use the sliding bar under the Angle of first slice option to rotate the Pie chart to ensure the slices are in the desired positions in the plot.
- If you wish to rotate a Pie chart in the counterclockwise direction, ensure the Angle of first slice option is already set at a certain angle. And then, enter an angle value lesser than the current angle or a negative angle value to rotate the Pie chart counterclockwise.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You can rotate a Pie chart 90 degrees in Excel using the Angle of first slice option in the Series Options tab in the Format Data Series window.
Let us see the steps with an example.
The table below contains a list of products and their sales figures.
If the requirement is to create a 2-D Pie chart based on the given data and rotate the plot by 90°. Then, the steps are:
Step 1: To begin with, if we have to insert the chart for the entire dataset, then click on a cell in the dataset range.
Alternatively, we can select the data range for which we require the Pie chart.
Then, choose Insert – Pie or Doughnut Chart – 2-D Pie chart.
We will achieve the following 2-D Pie chart.
Step 2: Next, right-click the data series in the plot. Then, choose Format Data Series from the context menu.
The Format Data Series window will open.
Step 3: Then, set the Angle of first slice option in the Series Options tab in the Format Data Series window as 90°. And press Enter.
Step 4: Now, click the plot area to enable the Chart Elements option. Then, check the Data Labels option box to display the data labels in the graph area.
Step 5: Next, double-click the chart title element in the plot area to update it.
Next, click on a data label. All the data labels in the graph area will get selected, as shown below.
And then, click on the data label required to reposition and drag it to place it in the desired location in the plot area.
Now, we will follow the above mentioned process for repositioning the largest slice’s data label. It is because the remaining data labels are clear and visible.
And thus, the required Pie chart, rotated by 90°, will appear as follows.
You can rotate data labels in Excel Pie chart using the following steps:
1. Right-click the data series in the Pie chart and choose Format Data Series from the context menu to open the Format Data Series window.
2. The Series Options tab in the Format Data Series window will open. It contains an option Angle of first slice with a sliding bar. Drag the cursor on the sliding bar to rotate the chart by a certain angle, which you will see updated in the field on the right of the sliding bar.
3. Once you stop dragging the cursor on the sliding bar, you will see the chart rotated. And with it, the data labels would appear repositioned or rotated.
4. You can iterate steps 2 and 3 to rotate the labels further to suit your requirements.
You can rotate Pie chart in Excel counterclockwise only when the Angle of first slice is already set at a certain angle. And the steps are:
1. First, right-click the data series in the Pie chart and choose Format Data Series from the context menu to open the Format Data Series window.
2. Next, the Series Options tab in the Format Data Series window will open, and the Angle of first slice will show the angle by which the Pie chart is already rotated.
3. Then, enter an angle value lesser than the existing angle or a negative angle value in the field provided on the right of the sliding bar under the Angle of first slice option.
4. Finally, press Enter.
You will see the Pie chart rotate counterclockwise.
However, irrespective of the negative angle you enter in the Angle of first slice field, the angle will become 0°. It is because the field can take a value between 0° to 360°. And 0° is the least angle the field can accept.
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