How to Sort Excel Sunburst Chart Order (2 Ideal Examples)

The Sunburst Chart in Excel is generally used for displaying hierarchical data. Each ring of the chart represents each level of the hierarchy. The data in a sunburst chart are sorted in an order that the largest value appears first and then it is arranged from largest to smallest amount clockwise. There is no way you can change this order as it is a default characteristic of this chart. But you can sort the order of the data that is used for the Excel Sunburst Chart. The focus of this article is to explain this.

Sort Sunburst Chart Order in Excel: 2 Ideal Examples

In this article, I will explain 2 different examples of how you can sort Excel Sunburst Chart order. Here, I have taken the following dataset for this article. It contains 3 columns, State, Product, and Sales. I will show you how you can create a Sunburst Chart and sort the order in Excel.

1. Sort Sunburst Chart Order Alphabetically in Excel

In this example, I will sort the order of data of a Sunburst Chart in Excel alphabetically. You can do it quite easily. Let’s see the steps.

Step-01: Insert Sunburst Chart

In this step, I will insert the Sunburst Chart in Excel.

Firstly, select the data range for the chart.
Secondly, go to the Insert tab from the Ribbon.
Thirdly, select Insert Hierarchy Chart.
Then, select Sunburst from the drop-down menu.

Now, you will see a Sunburst Chart will be inserted. The inner ring represents the highest level of the hierarchy.

In the following image, you can see how my chart looks at this stage.

Step-02: Sort Sunburst Chart Order

Now, I will sort the data range alphabetically.

In the beginning, select the data range. Here, I selected cell range B4:D14.
Then, right-click on the selected range.
After that, select Sort.
Next, select Sort A to Z.

Further, if you look at the legends, you will see that they are rearranged accordingly. However, the order of data in the ring still remains the same because this is a must for a Sunburst Chart.

2. Use Custom Sort to Change Sunburst Chart Order in Excel

In this example, I will use a Custom list to sort the data in the data range so that it matches the order of the Sunburst Chart. I have taken the following dataset for this example. It contains Sales Person, Week, and Sales.

Let’s see how you can sort Excel Sunburst Chart order for this example.

To begin with, insert a Sunburst Chart by following Step-01 from Example-01.
Here, you can see that the order of data in the data range and in the chart do not match.

After that, select the data range.
Then, go to the Data tab.
After that, select Sort.

Next, the Sort dialog box will appear.
Click on the drop-down button for Sort by.
Then, select the column by which you want to sort. Here, I selected Sales Person.

Afterward, click on the drop-down option for Order.
Next, select Custom List…

Then, the Custom Lists dialog box will appear.
Write the sort order in the List entries section.
After that, select OK.

Now, the order will be added to the Sort dialog box.
Finally, select OK.

After that, you will see that the data order in the range and in the Sunburst Chart match.

How to Rotate Sunburst Chart in Excel

You can not rotate a Sunburst Chart in Excel. But, you can use the Camera tool to take an image of the chart and then rotate it. In this section, I will show you how you can do this. I have taken the following dataset to explain this section.

Step-01: Add Camera Tool in Quick Access Toolbar

In this step, I will show you how you can add the Camera tool to the Quick Access Toolbar.

Firstly, click on the Customize Quick Access Toolbar button.
Secondly, select More Commands…

Thirdly, the Excel Options dialog box will appear.
Then, click on the drop-down option for the choose command from section.
Next, select All Commands.

Afterward, select Camera.
Then, select Add.

Next, the Camera tool will be added to the Quick Access Toolbar.
Finally, select OK.

Step-02: Rotate the Sunburst Chart Using the Camera Tool

Now, I will show you how you can use the Camera tool to rotate the Sunburst Chart in Excel.

First, select the cells behind the Sunburst Chart.
Then, select the Camera tool.

After that, you will see that you have selected the area.
Then, press Enter.

Finally, you will get an image of the Sunburst Chart.
After that, you can select and rotate the marked button in the following picture and rotate the chart.

In the following image, you can see that I have rotated the Sunburst Chart according to my preference.

Practice Section

Here, I have provided a practice sheet for you to practice sorting the Excel Sunburst Chart order.

Download Practice Workbook

You can download the practice workbook from here.

Changing Order of Sunburst Chart.xlsx

Conclusion

To conclude, I tried to explain how you can sort the order of a Sunburst Chart in Excel. Here, I explained 2 different examples. Also, I explained how you can rotate a Sunburst Chart. I hope this article was helpful to you. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know in the comment section below.

<< Go Back to Sunburst Chart in Excel | Excel Charts | Learn Excel

Get FREE Advanced Excel Exercises with Solutions!

4 Comments

Nathalie Jan 23, 2024 at 6:00 AM

Hello Mashhura,
Thanks for the tips to order the graph.
It’s work for the first level, but when i try to order the second level, in the table it’s OK, but not in the graph.
Do you have a solution ?

In you want i can send you an image

Nathalie
- Reply
  Zahid Shuvo Jan 23, 2024 at 3:09 PM
  Hi there, Nathalie!
  
  Thanks for sharing your confusion here.
  Since your problem seems unique. We have three possible cases of solutions that you can use.
  
  Solution 01: You can use the Custom Sort feature to order the graph according to your choice. And it should update it by itself.
  
  Solution 02: Add a new sunburst graph according to the sorted data if it does not work.
  
  Solution 03: you can use sort data based on multiple columns, and you can specify secondary and tertiary sorting criteria. Here’s how:
  1. Select the range of data you want to sort.
  2. Go to the “Data” tab.
  3. Click on the “Sort” button.
  4. In the Sort dialog box, you can add multiple levels of sorting by clicking on the “Add Level” button.
  5. For each level, choose the column to sort by, the sort order (ascending or descending), and then click “OK.”
  Excel will first sort the data based on the primary column you specified. If there are any ties in the primary column, it will then sort those tied rows based on the criteria you specified for the secondary column, and so on for additional levels.
  Then, add a new sunburst graph based on the newly sorted data.
  
  Hopefully, one of the solutions from here should resolve your issue.
  
  Regards
  ExcelDemy Team
Nathalie Jan 24, 2024 at 5:18 AM

Thanks, that’s nice.
But it does not work.
The primary level works well with sorting, but the secondary level, even if it is sorted in the Excel table, does not appear sorted in the graph. It’s too bad !
If you think of another solution, please share it.

Regards
Nathalie
- Reply
  Maruf Hasan Jan 25, 2024 at 1:30 PM
  
  Hello Nathalie,
  
  I tried to sort it according to your comment. But, later, I discovered that Excel’s built-in sunburst chart does not natively support nested sorting. The sunburst chart in Excel is designed to represent hierarchical data with a radial layout, but it does not provide options for specifying the order of data within each level.
  The “Treemap” chart better represents hierarchical data with nested sorting.
  
  Regards,
  Maruf Hasan
  Exceldemy Team.