Formatting and refresh Updated November 2026

Slicers

Click in the pivot, go to PivotTable Analyze, Insert Slicer, tick the field and click OK. Clicking a button filters the pivot; Ctrl+click selects several. Use Slicer, Report Connections to make one slicer drive every pivot built from the same source.

Syntax

PivotTable Analyze > Insert Slicer > tick field > OK; Slicer > Report Connections > tick pivots

Part	What it is
`Multi-Select`	The icon at the top of the slicer, or Ctrl+click, to pick several items
`Clear Filter`	Icon at the top right, or Alt+C with the slicer selected
`Report Connections`	List of pivots sharing the cache that the slicer can filter
`Columns`	Slicer tab setting to lay buttons out in several columns

Examples

Rows: Department. Values: Sum of Amount
Insert Slicer: Status > click Approved

Result: Only approved spending per department; the Status field is not in the pivot but filters it.

Two pivots from the same Table > Slicer: Region > Report Connections > tick both

Result: Clicking East filters both pivots at once, a simple dashboard.

Slicer: Priority > Ctrl+click High and Urgent

Result: The pivot shows both priorities together.

Common mistakes

The second pivot is not in Report Connections: it was built from a different source or cache; rebuild it from the same Table.
Grayed-out buttons clutter the slicer: Slicer Settings, untick Show items with no data, or tick Hide items with no data.
The slicer filters the wrong pivot: Report Connections shows which ones are ticked; adjust.
A slicer on a Data Model pivot cannot connect to a normal pivot: both must be on the same cache or model.

Practice Slicers

These drills check your answer on live data, free, no account needed.

Approved spending onlyShow total Amount by Category, counting only claims whose Status is Approved.
High priority workloadCount tickets by Team with Status across the top, but only tickets whose Priority is High or Urgent.

Questions

How do I connect one slicer to multiple pivot tables?

Select the slicer, open Slicer, Report Connections, and tick each pivot. They must share the same pivot cache or Data Model.

Can I use slicers on a normal table?

Yes, on an Excel Table (Ctrl+T) via Table Design, Insert Slicer, but it cannot be connected to pivots.

TimelineInsert a timeline to filter a pivot table by year, quarter, month or day with a drag slider. Where the button is, connecting several pivots, and real dates.
Filter a pivot tableFour ways to filter a pivot table: the row label dropdown, the Filters area above the table, Value Filters on totals, and slicers. Examples and catches.
Pivot chartMake a chart that stays linked to a pivot table with PivotTable Analyze, PivotChart. Choose the type, hide field buttons, sort bars, filter from the chart.