Workflow

Convert CSV to a Pie Chart

Last reviewed on 2026-05-22.

Paste two columns from your spreadsheet, get a chart

What you need

A CSV (or any spreadsheet selection) with two columns: a label column and a value column. The values can be raw counts, percentages, or dollar amounts — the chart math handles whichever you give it.

The 30-second workflow

Open your CSV in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, or any text editor.
Select the two columns you want to chart (label, value).
Open the maker and add a row for each pair — label on the left, value on the right.
Pick a chart title, choose a style (pie or donut), and export.

If your CSV has more than two columns

Pie charts represent one variable at a time. If your CSV has columns like Category, Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, you'll need to either pick one quarter to chart or create separate pies per quarter. For comparing across quarters, switch to a bar chart — pies aren't built for multi-series data.

Cleaning your data first

Remove header rows and footer rows (totals, subtotals) before charting — they'll distort the proportions.
Strip currency symbols and thousands separators from values (the maker reads $1,234 as 1).
Combine rows under ~3% into a single 'Other' row to keep the chart readable.
Verify that all values are positive — negative numbers don't make sense in a pie chart.

Direct paste from Excel and Google Sheets

If you have a small dataset (under ~20 rows), it's often faster to type the values directly into the maker than to set up a CSV import. The chart updates as you type, so you see the result immediately and can iterate quickly. For larger datasets, consider whether a pie chart is still the right format — pies struggle past 6–7 slices.

Tip: For repeated workflows, build the chart once, then use the Share button to grab the URL. Bookmark it — next time you want to refresh the chart, open the URL and update the values.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I upload a CSV file directly?

Not currently — the maker uses manual entry for security and simplicity (your data never leaves your browser). For most pie chart use cases, manually entering 4–8 values is faster than setting up a file import.

What CSV delimiters are supported?

When you paste values into the maker, comma- and tab-separated work via copy-paste from spreadsheets. For a true CSV import workflow, open the CSV in Excel or Sheets first and copy the relevant cells.

How do I chart a CSV with hundreds of rows?

You probably don't want a pie chart. With that many rows, you need to aggregate into 5–8 buckets first (group by category, sum values), then chart the buckets. Or switch to a bar chart, which handles many rows better.

Can I save my chart and reload the CSV later?

Yes — the Share button generates a URL that encodes your chart data, and the maker also auto-saves to your browser's local storage.