How to format pivot table in excel

Answer

Formatting a pivot table in Excel improves readability, highlights key data, and makes analysis faster. Excel provides multiple options to customize the appearance, layout, and style of pivot tables.

1. Apply a Pivot Table Style

To apply a predefined style:

1. Click anywhere inside the pivot table.

2. Go to the PivotTable Analyze tab (Windows) or PivotTable tab (Mac).

3. Select Design.

4. Choose a PivotTable Style from the gallery. Styles include light, medium, and dark options.

5. To change row or column banding, check Banded Rows or Banded Columns under the Design tab.

2. Format Numbers in Pivot Table

Numbers in a pivot table can be formatted for currency, percentage, date, or custom format.

1. Click on a value field in the pivot table.

2. Right-click and select Value Field Settings.

3. Click Number Format.

4. Choose the desired format type, for example:

   • Currency for financial data.

   • Percentage for ratios or proportions.

   • Number with thousand separators.

5. Click OK to apply the formatting.

3. Adjust Column Width and Row Height

1. Hover over the column header border until the cursor changes to a double arrow.

2. Drag to adjust width manually.

3. To auto-fit, double-click the column border.

4. Repeat the same for row height if needed.

4. Customize Layout of Pivot Table

1. Click the pivot table.

2. Open the Design tab.

3. Choose Report Layout to display:

   • Show in Compact Form – default view with grouped fields.

   • Show in Outline Form – displays field names in separate columns.

   • Show in Tabular Form – aligns each item in rows for easier reading.

4. Enable or disable Subtotals and Grand Totals from the same Design tab.

5. Change Field Settings

Field settings allow custom aggregation and formatting:

1. Right-click a field in Rows or Columns.

2. Select Field Settings.

3. Rename the field, adjust Subtotals, or sort the items.

4. For value fields, select Value Field Settings to apply sum, average, count, max, or min calculations.

6. Conditional Formatting

Highlight important trends or outliers:

1. Select the pivot table values.

2. Go to Home → Conditional Formatting.

3. Choose rules such as Data Bars, Color Scales, or Icon Sets.

4. Excel applies formatting dynamically when the pivot table is updated.

7. Refresh and Maintain Formatting

1. Pivot tables do not automatically maintain formatting after changes.

2. To refresh the table, click PivotTable Analyze → Refresh.

3. To preserve formatting, go to PivotTable Options → Layout & Format and check Preserve cell formatting on update.

8. Example of a Well-Formatted Pivot Table

• Rows: Product categories.

• Columns: Months.

• Values: Total sales, formatted in currency.

• Style: Medium gray with banded rows.

• Conditional formatting: Green color scale for top-performing months.

This approach ensures data is readable, visually appealing, and ready for analysis.

Yes · 0 No · 0 Add Comment · 0

Add ·

Report