Update a Pivot Table in Excel (In Easy Steps)

Pivot tables are a powerful feature in Excel that allows you to analyze and summarize large amounts of data. Updating a pivot table is a straightforward process. Let’s go through the steps:

1. Open the Excel workbook containing the pivot table you want to update.
2. Locate the pivot table on the worksheet. It will have a designated area with rows, columns, and values.
3. To update the data source for the pivot table, click anywhere inside the pivot table. This will display the “PivotTable Tools” contextual tab on the Excel ribbon.
4. In the “PivotTable Tools” tab, navigate to the “Analyze” or “Options” tab (depending on your Excel version).
5. Look for the “Change Data Source” button in the “Data” group and click on it.
6. The “Change PivotTable Data Source” dialog box will appear. Ensure that the range of cells correctly identifies the new data. If not, adjust it by typing the correct range or clicking and dragging to select the desired range on the worksheet.
7. Click “OK” to close the dialog box and update the pivot table with the new data.
8. If any of the fields in your pivot table have changed, you may need to update the field settings. Right-click on a cell within the pivot table and select “PivotTable Options” or “Field Settings,” depending on your Excel version. Make the necessary changes and click “OK” to apply them.

That’s it! Your pivot table is now updated with the new data source and field settings. Pivot tables are dynamic, so whenever your underlying data changes, you can repeat these steps to update the pivot table accordingly.