To refresh a pivot table, the most common method is to right-click anywhere inside the pivot table and select the "Refresh" option. This updates the pivot table based on any changes made to the source data. You can also refresh all pivot tables in the workbook by using the "Refresh All" button on the Excel Ribbon under the PivotTable Analyze tab. If the source data range has changed, such as adding new rows or columns, you may need to update the data source range first by going to the PivotTable Analyze tab, clicking "Change Data Source," and selecting the new data range, then refreshing the pivot table. There are keyboard shortcuts for refreshing, too:
- To refresh the selected pivot table: press ALT + F5
- To refresh all pivot tables in the workbook: press Ctrl + Alt + F5
Additionally, Excel offers an option to refresh the pivot table automatically every time the file is opened. This can be enabled in the PivotTable Options under the Data tab by checking "Refresh data when opening the file." For Google Sheets, refreshing a pivot table can be done manually by using keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl + Shift + F5 on Windows/Linux; Command + Shift + F5 on Mac) or editing the data range in the Pivot Table editor. In macOS Numbers, pivot tables can be refreshed by clicking the Refresh button in the Pivot Options sidebar. Summary of methods to refresh a pivot table:
Platform| Method| Shortcut (if applicable)
---|---|---
Excel (Windows/Mac)| Right-click pivot table -> Refresh| ALT + F5 (single),
Ctrl + Alt + F5 (all)
Excel| PivotTable Analyze tab -> Refresh All|
Excel| Change Data Source when data range changes|
Excel| PivotTable Options -> Data tab -> Auto-refresh on open|
Google Sheets| Edit data range in Pivot Table editor or shortcuts| Ctrl +
Shift + F5 / Cmd + Shift + F5
Numbers (Mac)| Pivot Options sidebar -> Refresh|
This covers manual, keyboard shortcut, and automatic refresh methods for pivot tables in popular spreadsheet programs.
