Excel Bar of Pie Chart: How to Configure It

To configure a Bar of Pie chart in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select a category-and-value data range, choose Insert > Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart > Bar of Pie, then right-click a chart series and select Format Data Series to control which values appear in the secondary bar. You can then adjust labels, title, colors, and the split rule to make the smaller categories easier to read.

What a Bar of Pie Chart Shows

A Bar of Pie chart is a pie-chart subtype with two connected views. The main pie displays the larger portions, while a separate bar displays selected smaller categories. Excel combines the categories moved to the bar into an Other slice in the main pie. This lets a reader see the overall share of the smaller categories and inspect their individual values alongside it.

The design is useful when a few categories dominate a total but several smaller categories matter too. For example, a store might show its three largest product groups in the pie and break out the remaining groups in the bar. It is not a way to add a second, unrelated data series: both views represent parts of the same total.

Because the chart still asks readers to compare slice sizes, it works best with a modest number of categories and positive values that add up to a meaningful whole. If exact comparisons among many categories are the priority, a bar chart is usually clearer.

Prepare the Source Data

Arrange the information as one category column and one numeric column, with a header in each column. For example, cells A1:B6 could contain Category and Sales in the first row, followed by five product groups and their sales values. Select the headers and all five data rows before inserting the chart.

Use one row per category and one value column for the series.
Check that values are numeric, not numbers stored as text.
Leave out grand-total rows: including a total alongside its component categories counts the same amount twice.
Review blanks, zeros, and negative values. Pie charts represent parts of a whole, so negative amounts do not make sensible slices; resolve or exclude them before charting.
Use clear category names. Those names can become the labels readers see in both parts of the chart.

Excel uses the selected range to establish the chart’s categories and values. If the chart treats categories as separate series, or includes an unintended total, check the selection and the chart’s data source before changing its appearance.

Create the Chart in Excel

Select the category labels, value heading, and values in the source range.
On the ribbon, choose Insert > Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart.
Choose Bar of Pie from the chart gallery. Excel inserts a chart with a main pie and a secondary bar.
Click the chart title to replace the default wording with a concise description, such as Sales by Product Group.
Right-click a data series and choose Format Data Series to open the formatting pane and set the split.

If the chart appears blank or its categories look wrong, first confirm that the intended cells were selected and that the values are numeric. You can also select the chart and use Chart Design > Select Data to inspect or correct its source range. The ribbon’s Chart Design tab appears when the chart is selected.

In Excel for Mac, the chart type is available from the Insert tab’s pie-chart menu, although the gallery layout and pane placement can differ. For Excel for the web, chart editing options can vary; use the Windows desktop app when you need the full set of series-splitting controls described below.

Choose How Excel Splits the Categories

In the Format Data Series pane, open Series Options and use Split Series By. The available choices determine which categories move to the secondary bar. The relevant controls underneath the split choice change to match the method.

Position: Move a chosen number of data points into the second plot. This is useful when you already know how many categories should be broken out. Check the resulting labels because the source order affects which points are grouped.
Value: Send values below a specified threshold to the second plot. This is useful when a fixed sales or count cutoff makes sense for the data.
Percentage Value: Split categories according to a percentage threshold. This can help when the chart should group categories based on their share rather than their raw amount.
Custom: Choose the destination for particular data points individually. Use this when a category belongs in the bar for a specific reason even though it does not meet a general position or threshold rule.

For the threshold methods, enter a cutoff in the control Excel displays, such as Values less than or Percentage values less than. For Position, set the number of values in the second plot. With Custom, select a point and use its data-point formatting controls to assign it to the appropriate plot. The exact controls displayed depend on the split method selected.

There is no universally correct split. A threshold can make the chart easier to maintain as values change, while a fixed position or custom choice can preserve a particular editorial grouping. After changing the rule, inspect both plots: the aim is to keep the main pie readable without hiding meaningful small categories in an overlong bar.

Format Labels, Titles, and Appearance

Labels are especially important because the secondary bar can contain several categories that would otherwise be difficult to identify. Select the chart, then use Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels to add labels. You can also right-click a label and choose Format Data Labels to adjust what it displays. Depending on the selected options, labels can show category names, values, or percentages.

Choose label content based on the question the chart answers. Category names help identify each bar segment; values communicate the underlying amounts; percentages explain each category’s share of the total. Showing every item at once can clutter the chart, so remove redundant information when the legend or title already supplies it.

Use Chart Design > Add Chart Element to add or position a chart title, legend, or other available chart elements. A specific title is more helpful than a generic label such as Breakdown. If category names are long, widen the chart or shorten the source labels thoughtfully rather than shrinking text until it is hard to read.

To change colors, select a data point and use the formatting controls for that point, or choose a chart style from the Chart Design tab. Keep the Other slice visually distinct enough to see, but avoid using colors that imply a ranking or category relationship the data does not have. A legend may be unnecessary if the chart already labels every category directly.

Worked Example: A Small Product Group

Suppose a shop has six product groups with monthly sales of 420, 280, 160, 70, 45, and 25 units. Their total is 1,000 units, so the three smallest groups together account for 140 units, or 14% of the total. A Bar of Pie chart can keep the larger groups visible in the main pie and show the 70-, 45-, and 25-unit groups individually in the secondary bar.

For this data, choose Position and put three values in the second plot if the three smallest groups are already the final three rows. If rows are not ordered that way, sort the source data deliberately or use a different split method and verify which categories moved. Alternatively, a value threshold can group the categories below a chosen unit count, but test the result: changing the cutoff may move a category you intended to keep in the main pie.

The example also shows why source order and split settings matter. Excel’s rule applies to data points, not to a reader’s intention that a particular product group is unimportant. Give the chart a title that identifies the period and measure, then add category and value labels if readers need the actual unit counts as well as the visual proportions.

Common Problems and Fixes

The wrong categories are in the bar: Reopen Format Data Series and check Split Series By and its associated control. With Position, confirm how many points are assigned to the second plot and review the data order.
The chart has an oversized Other slice: More categories may have been moved into the secondary plot than intended. Reduce the count or revise the threshold, then verify the categories shown in each plot.
Labels overlap: Show fewer label fields, enlarge the chart, shorten category text, or use a legend where appropriate. Too many labels can make both views difficult to interpret.
A category is missing or its value is wrong: Check the selected range, formulas in the source cells, and whether a total row or blank row has been included. Use Chart Design > Select Data to inspect the range.
Percentages do not look as expected: Confirm that the chart contains only the intended components of one total. A pie chart calculates proportions from the plotted values, so an included total or unrelated item changes the shares.

For a reliable result, check the chart against the source table after each split change. A chart can look plausible even when the wrong points are grouped, especially when several categories have similar values.

When to Use a Different Chart

Use Bar of Pie when the overall composition matters and readers also need to see a few small components separately. It offers more detail than a basic pie chart, but still relies on area and angle comparisons, which are less precise than comparing aligned bar lengths.

A regular horizontal bar chart is often better when there are many categories, close values, long labels, or a need to rank items. A 100% stacked bar chart can be useful for comparing category shares across several groups or periods, while a standard stacked bar can show totals and their components together. These alternatives answer different questions: Bar of Pie focuses on one whole, not a trend or a comparison among many wholes.

Do not use a Bar of Pie simply because the chart offers a way to display more categories. If the secondary bar becomes long, the reader must compare two visual regions and track many labels. A sorted bar chart may communicate the same data more directly and make small differences easier to judge.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I move a specific slice to the bar?
Right-click the chart series, choose Format Data Series, and set Split Series By to Custom. Select the relevant data point and use its point-formatting controls to assign it to the secondary plot. Check the chart afterward to confirm the category moved.

Can I change how many categories appear in the bar?
Yes. In Format Data Series > Series Options, choose Position and set the number of values in the second plot. If you want the split determined by size instead, choose Value or Percentage Value and adjust its threshold.

Why does Excel combine categories into Other?
Other represents the categories moved out of the main pie and into the secondary bar. It lets the main pie retain a single slice for their combined share while the bar displays those categories separately.

Can a Bar of Pie chart show percentages?
Yes. Add or select data labels, open Format Data Labels, and enable Percentage. You can choose whether to show category names or values as well, but displaying every label field may make a compact chart crowded.

Can I make a Bar of Pie chart with negative values?
A pie chart is intended to show positive parts of a whole, so negative values do not represent meaningful slices. Review the source data and use a chart suited to signed values, such as a bar chart, when gains and losses both need to be displayed.

Try it: the Percentage Formula Generator: percent of, percent change, increase and decrease, with the formula.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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