Excel Pie Chart: Combine Small Values into One Slice

To combine small values in an Excel pie chart, select the data and choose Insert > Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart > Pie of Pie or Bar of Pie. Excel groups selected categories into an additional slice in the main pie; to make a permanent, editable category called Other instead, create a summary table that adds those values together and chart that table.

What combining small values means

A pie chart becomes hard to read when several categories have tiny slices, especially when their labels overlap or leader lines cross. Grouping the minor categories makes the main chart easier to scan while preserving the fact that those categories contribute to the total.

Excel offers two different ways to handle this. A Pie of Pie or Bar of Pie chart is a visual arrangement: it moves selected points into a secondary plot and represents their combined amount as one slice in the primary pie. A summary table, by contrast, changes the data being charted so that several source categories become one actual row, such as Other. The first method is convenient for exploration; the second gives you a straightforward chart with a single combined category.

In either approach, the grouped values should still be included in the total. They are not removed or treated as zero. In a Pie of Pie chart, the secondary plot breaks down the grouped portion; it is not an extra contribution to the overall total.

Create a Pie of Pie or Bar of Pie chart

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, use these steps to create the chart:

Arrange category names in one column and their positive values in the next. Include the headings when selecting the range if you want Excel to use them for chart labels.
Select the category and value cells.
Choose Insert > Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart, then choose Pie of Pie or Bar of Pie.
Select the chart, right-click a slice in the primary pie, and choose Format Data Series. If the pane is not visible, double-clicking a slice usually opens its formatting options.
In the Format Data Series pane, open Series Options and adjust Split Series By and the related settings to decide which values appear in the secondary plot.

Pie of Pie keeps both plots circular. Bar of Pie uses a small bar chart for the separated values, which can make similarly sized minor categories easier to compare. The exact arrangement and available controls can vary slightly with the chart selection and Excel build. Excel for Mac has comparable chart types and series options, although the pane layout and right-click wording may differ. Excel for the web can handle many standard chart edits, but use the desktop app if the detailed split controls are unavailable in your browser.

Choose which categories move to the second plot

Excel lets you split the series by Position, Value, Percentage Value, or Custom. The choice matters because it determines whether the chart continues to group the categories you intend as the data changes.

Position: Sends a specified number of points, generally counted from the end of the series, to the secondary plot. This is simple when the small categories are already together at the bottom of the source list. If you sort the data differently, the same positions may contain different categories.
Value: Sends points below a chosen numeric amount to the second plot. This suits data where a fixed amount is a meaningful cutoff, but the appropriate threshold depends on the units and scale of the data.
Percentage Value: Uses a percentage cutoff instead of a fixed amount. It can be useful when the total changes but you want to identify categories that represent only a small share of that total.
Custom: Lets you assign specific points to the first or second plot. Use it when the categories to group do not follow a simple position or threshold rule.

After choosing a split rule, check the chart rather than assuming the result matches your intention. A value cutoff can move more categories than expected, and a position-based split can change meaning after sorting. For a custom split, select the relevant point, open Format Data Point, and use the point placement setting to assign it to the first or second plot. The chart updates visually; the source rows remain separate.

Set up a clear Other category in the source data

If you need one slice that is literally named Other, build a small summary table and chart that table instead of the full detail list. This method also makes the grouping rule explicit to readers and works well when the chart must keep the same categories across reports.

For example, suppose A2:A9 contains category names and B2:B9 contains values: North 420, South 260, East 140, West 85, Online 45, Resellers 25, Events 15, and Other sales 10. The total is 1,000. If you decide to group every category below 100, the four largest categories stay separate and West, Online, Resellers, Events, and Other sales are combined. Their sum is 180.

With those original values in B5:B9, enter this formula in the value cell beside the Other label in your summary table: =SUM(B5:B9). It returns 180. Add summary rows for North (420), South (260), East (140), and Other (180), then select that summary table and insert a regular pie chart. The displayed slices total 1,000: 420 + 260 + 140 + 180.

This example uses fixed source rows to make the calculation easy to inspect. If the source list grows, update the range or use a structured Excel table and a method that includes newly added records. Do not chart both the original small categories and the Other total together: that would count the grouped values twice. Keep the detail data elsewhere if you need to audit exactly which categories make up Other.

Format labels so the chart explains itself

Once the grouping is correct, make sure a reader can tell what each portion means. Select the chart and use Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels to add labels, then adjust their position or formatting as needed. With a label selected, right-click and choose Format Data Labels to choose useful items such as category name, value, or percentage.

Use category names when readers need to identify individual small categories in the secondary plot.
Use percentages when the main point is each category’s share of the total, but avoid crowding the chart with both long names and several numbers.
Keep a legend if labels are easier to read outside the slices; remove it if it repeats information already shown clearly beside each slice.
Use contrasting colors and do not rely on color alone to distinguish categories.

Check whether the main grouped slice is identified clearly. Depending on the label choices and chart setup, Excel may display a grouped label such as Other, but you should verify the visible wording rather than assume it will communicate your chosen rule. A Pie of Pie chart is still a visual split, not a substitute for documenting the categories included in the group.

When to use each method

Use Pie of Pie or Bar of Pie when the purpose is to draw attention to minor contributions while retaining a visible breakdown of them. It is quick to create and leaves the original data intact. It is especially helpful for a one-off presentation or a chart where viewers need to see both the combined share and the smaller components.

Use a summary table with an Other row when the chart needs a simple, stable set of categories; when the label must be exactly Other; or when the chart feeds a report that expects one row per displayed slice. A summary table is also easier to reuse in other charts and calculations. The trade-off is that you must define and maintain the grouping yourself.

Neither option is automatically best for every dataset. If the minor categories are important to compare with one another, a bar chart often communicates their relative sizes more clearly than narrow pie slices. If the main goal is to compare category values across several months or regions, a bar or column chart is usually easier to interpret than multiple pies.

Common problems and fixes

The wrong categories are grouped. Review Split Series By and its threshold or position setting. Choose Custom if the intended group does not fit a simple rule.
The chart changes after sorting the source list. A Position split depends on order. Use a value or percentage rule, or use a summary table, if category membership should not shift with sorting.
The Other slice is too large. Check the chosen cutoff and the values it captures. A combined category can conceal meaningful differences, so consider showing a short breakdown or using a bar chart.
Labels overlap or are missing. Reduce the number of label items, reposition labels, or use Bar of Pie. For a long category list, a sorted bar chart may be more readable.
The percentages appear confusing. Confirm whether labels show each slice’s share of the full pie or whether you are comparing a secondary breakdown. The secondary plot is an explanation of part of the whole, not a second independent total.

Pie charts are intended for parts of a whole, so use values that represent comparable, nonnegative contributions to one meaningful total. If the data includes negative amounts, unrelated measures, or many categories of similar size, first consider whether a pie chart is the right visual at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I combine small slices into Other without changing my original data?
Yes. Use a Pie of Pie or Bar of Pie chart and adjust its split settings. Excel changes how the chart displays the points; it does not merge or delete the source rows.

How do I make Excel group values below a certain amount?
Select the chart series, open Format Data Series, and choose Value under Split Series By. Set the value cutoff, then inspect the secondary plot to confirm which categories moved.

Can I choose exactly which pie slices go into the second chart?
Yes. Choose Custom as the split method and assign individual points to the first or second plot using the point formatting options. This is more precise than relying on list position or a cutoff.

How do I make the combined slice say Other?
For a reliably named Other slice, create a summary table with one row labelled Other and a total for the grouped categories, then chart that table. A Pie of Pie chart is useful for splitting the visual, but check its displayed labels rather than relying on an assumed label.

Does a Pie of Pie chart double-count the small values?
No. The secondary plot shows the components of the grouped slice. It does not add those values to the overall total a second time, though the chart can be confusing if the two plots are not labelled clearly.

Should I use a pie chart if there are many small categories?
Only if showing their share of one whole is the main purpose. If readers need to compare the small values precisely, a sorted bar chart is often clearer and gives the labels more room.

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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