Excel Pie Chart With Other Category: How to Group Slices

To make an Excel pie chart with an Other category, select the data and choose Insert > Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart > Pie of Pie; Excel moves selected small slices into a second pie and combines them in the main chart. If you need a clearly named, predictable Other slice, create a summary table that adds the smaller categories together, then chart that table instead.

How Excel’s Other slice works

A standard pie chart plots each source row as its own slice. Excel’s Pie of Pie chart is a built-in way to separate some of those slices: the main pie contains the larger categories plus a combined slice, while a smaller pie shows the categories represented by that combined slice. This lets a reader see the overall proportion of the small categories and inspect their individual contributions.

That combined wedge is often described as Other. However, it is a chart grouping, not necessarily a new row in your worksheet. The underlying values remain separate in the source data, and the exact text shown on the combined wedge depends on the chart’s data labels. If your report requires a literal category named Other, or you need to control exactly which items it includes, make a separate summary table.

A pie chart is most useful when the values are parts of one whole: for example, each category is a product’s share of the same month’s sales, and the categories do not overlap. A Pie of Pie chart does not correct inconsistent or incomplete data. Check that the values use the same unit and reporting period and that their sum represents the whole you intend to show.

Create a Pie of Pie chart in Excel

In Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, use these steps:

Arrange the category names in one column and their positive values in the next. Include the headers, but avoid selecting unrelated totals or notes.
Select the category and value cells.
Choose Insert > Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart > Pie of Pie.
Select the chart, right-click a slice, and choose Format Data Series. In the formatting pane, open Series Options to adjust how the categories are split.
Add labels if needed: choose Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels, then select a position. For more control, open More Data Label Options and choose whether to show category names, values, or percentages.

The chart’s second pie expands the combined group; it is not a second data series or a separate total to add back into the first pie. Read the primary pie as the summary and the secondary pie as a breakdown of the combined category. Avoid presenting both sets of slices as though they were independent parts of the whole.

On Excel for Mac, the chart type and series-formatting controls are also available, though their placement can vary slightly with the ribbon layout. Excel for the web supports common chart creation and formatting, but some detailed split and label controls may be limited; if you cannot find the needed option, open the workbook in the desktop app.

Choose which categories go into the second pie

Excel lets you change the split rule for a Pie of Pie chart. Select the chart, open Format Data Series, and look under Series Options for Split Series By. Depending on the rule you choose, Excel can split by position, value, percentage value, or a custom selection. The available controls are useful when the default grouping does not highlight the categories you want.

Position: sends a chosen number of categories at the end of the source list to the second pie. This is useful if you deliberately arrange the smaller categories last.
Value: groups categories according to a value threshold. Use this when small amounts, rather than row order, define what belongs in Other.
Percentage value: groups categories according to a percentage threshold. This can be easier to reason about when the total changes, although the group membership can change as the data changes.
Custom: lets you choose the plot for individual data points. This is helpful when you want specific categories in the secondary pie regardless of their size.

Check the effect after changing the rule. A position-based split can group the wrong items if someone sorts the source data, while a threshold-based split can move a category into or out of Other when values change. Custom grouping provides control, but it also means someone maintaining the chart should understand which points were assigned manually.

Make a literal Other category with a summary table

Build a summary table when the chart must have a dependable Other label, when only selected categories should be combined, or when the chart will be refreshed regularly. Keep the original data intact and create the chart from a separate, clearly labeled summary. This preserves the detailed records while giving the chart the categories you actually want readers to see.

For example, suppose A2:A7 contains six product names and B2:B7 contains their sales, with the first three products being the ones you want to show separately. Create a compact table in D2:E6 with the first three product names and values in D2:E4, then put Other in D5. With the smaller products’ sales in B5:B7, enter =SUM(B5:B7) in E5. If those three values are 5, 3, and 2, the formula returns 10. If the six product values are 50, 30, 10, 5, 3, and 2, the summary values are 50, 30, 10, and 10, which total 100 just as the original data does.

Select D2:E5 and insert a standard pie chart using Insert > Insert Pie or Doughnut Chart > 2-D Pie. Because Other is a real row in the chart’s source range, Excel can display that exact category name in a data label. When new products arrive, update the summary logic or the values included in the Other total; otherwise the chart may omit them. For recurring reports, consider making the summary range a well-maintained Excel Table so it is easier to extend, but verify that the chart’s source includes the intended rows.

Do not include both the individual small categories and their combined Other total in the same summary chart. Doing so counts those sales twice and makes the pie exceed the real whole. Similarly, avoid using the grand total as another slice alongside its component categories.

Label and format the chart so it is readable

Labels should help readers answer a specific question without making the chart crowded. For a Pie of Pie chart, category names are often more informative than percentages on the secondary pie because the secondary slices are the items grouped into Other. On the primary pie, percentage labels can make the overall share of Other easy to compare with the larger categories. If you show both names and values, ensure the labels do not collide.

Use a descriptive chart title that states the measure and period, such as “Share of Q2 unit sales by product.” Keep the same colors for the same categories if you use related charts, and avoid relying on color alone to identify a slice. Data labels or a clear legend help readers distinguish categories, including for viewers who cannot differentiate every color.

Be careful about rounding percentages. Displayed percentages may add to 99% or 101% because each label is rounded, even when the underlying values add exactly to 100%. That is a display effect, not necessarily an error in the source data. If exact amounts matter, include the values in the labels or provide a table alongside the chart.

When to use another chart type

A pie chart is not always the clearest way to show small categories. If readers need to compare many individual values, a sorted bar chart usually makes differences easier to see because bar lengths share a common baseline. If the purpose is to show every small category rather than hide them inside Other, a regular bar chart or a table may be more useful than a Pie of Pie.

Use a standard pie when there are only a few meaningful categories and the whole is easy to understand. Use Pie of Pie when the overall part-to-whole view matters but several slices are too small to read in the main pie. Use a manual Other row when category membership and naming need to be explicit. A stacked bar chart can be another option when comparing shares across several periods or groups; multiple pie charts are often difficult to compare precisely.

Common problems and checks

The Other slice is missing or unclear: confirm that the selected chart type is Pie of Pie, then check the split settings and data labels. If the label must say Other, use a summary table with an actual Other row.
The wrong categories are grouped: review whether the split is based on position, value, percentage, or custom choices. Sort order matters when using a position-based split.
The percentages do not match expectations: verify that the chart source includes only the intended categories and that no total row has been included as a slice. Check whether labels are rounded.
A slice does not appear: zero values have no visible area, and blank cells do not create a meaningful slice. Review the source values and ensure they are numeric.
The chart is misleading: pie slices represent proportions of a whole, so avoid using negative amounts or categories that overlap. If values can be negative, or the data are not parts of one whole, choose a chart type designed for that comparison.

Before sharing the workbook, inspect the source range and the chart labels together. A chart can look plausible even when it leaves out a row, includes a subtotal, or groups items in an unexpected way. A short note stating which categories are included in Other can prevent confusion, especially when the chart is copied into a presentation or report without the worksheet beside it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Excel automatically create an Other category in a pie chart?
A regular pie chart shows each source category separately. A Pie of Pie chart creates a combined group for the categories sent to its second plot, but that group is a chart feature rather than a worksheet row. Create a summary table if you need an explicit Other category in the data.

How do I change the slices included in Other?
Select the Pie of Pie chart, open Format Data Series, and change Split Series By under Series Options. Choose a threshold-based rule or Custom, depending on whether you want Excel to group by size or you want to assign particular categories.

Can I rename the combined slice to Other?
For a dependable label, make a summary table with a row named Other and chart that table. The built-in Pie of Pie grouping does not create a normal source-data row that you can rename like an ordinary category.

Can I show the percentage for Other?
Yes. Add or format data labels and select Percentage. For a Pie of Pie chart, make sure the label refers to the combined wedge in the main pie; the slices in the secondary pie show the breakdown of that group.

Why does my pie chart show the wrong total?
Check the chart’s selected range for omitted categories, duplicate rows, subtotals, or a grand-total row. Also confirm that the source categories represent mutually exclusive parts of one whole. If you used a manual Other row, make sure its sum includes each grouped item once and that those items are not also listed as separate slices.

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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