Pivot Table Selections

See how you can enable pivot table selection, then select just the pivot table labels, or select both the labels and the data. Select the entire pivot table, and move it to a different location

Pivot Table Selection

In this pivot table video tutorial, you'll see how to enable selection and use the Selection Arrow. There are written steps, and more pivot table selection tips, below the video

Enable Selection in Pivot Table

You can use the Selection Arrow to highlight specific sections of an Excel Pivot Table. Before the Selection Arrow can work correctly, you might have to turn on the Enable Selection feature.

To turn on Enable Selection:

1. Select a cell in the pivot table, and on the Ribbon, click the Options tab.
2. In the Actions group, click Select
3. Check to see if Enable Selection is ON or OFF, as shown in the screen shot below.

   

4. If Enable Selection is OFF, click it to activate the feature.
5. If Enable Selection is ON, click the worksheet, to close the menu without making a selection.

Select Entire Pivot Table

Once the Enable Selection feature has been turned on, you can use the Selection Arrow to select the entire Pivot Table.

To select the entire pivot table, including the report filters:

1. Point to the top border of the top left cell, in the body of the pivot table.
2. When the pointer changes to a thick black arrow, click, to select the entire pivot table.

   

In some Pivot Table report layouts, the Select All arrow might not appear when you point to the top left cell. In that case, you can use the Ribbon commands.

To select the entire pivot table, including the report filters:

1. Select a cell in the pivot table, and on the Ribbon, click the Options tab.
2. In the Actions group, click Select
3. Click Entire PivotTable.

Move a Pivot Table

Instead of manually selecting a large pivot table and moving it, you can use a built-in command to move a pivot table. Watch this short video to see the steps, and the written instructions are below the video.

Move a Pivot Table

If you need to move a pivot table, after creating it, there is a Ribbon command that will automatically select the entire pivot table, and move it to a new location.

To move a pivot table:

1. Select any cell in the pivot table
2. On the Excel Ribbon, under Pivot Table Tools, click the Options tab
3. In the Actions group, click the Move PivotTable command



4. In the Move dialog box, select New Worksheet, or select a location on an existing sheet.



5. Click OK

Select Labels in Pivot Table

Once the Enable Selection feature has been turned on, you can use the Selection Arrow to select specific sections of an Excel Pivot Table.

To select only the Row Labels:

1. Point to the top border of a Row Label heading
2. When the pointer changes to a thick black arrow, click, to select the row labels for that field.

   

To select only the Column Labels:

1. Point to the top border of a Column Label heading
2. When the pointer changes to a thick black arrow, click, to select the column labels for that field.

   

To select all the Labels:

1. Point to the top border of a Column Label heading
2. When the pointer changes to a thick black arrow, click, to select the column labels for that field.

   

Select Pivot Table Labels and Values

After you have selected the Row or Column labels, you can extend the selection, to include the Labels and their related values.

To select the Labels and Values:

1. Select Row or Column labels, as described in the previous section.
2. On the Excel Ribbon, click the Options tab.
3. In the Actions group, click Select
4. Click Labels and Values

   

Get the Sample File

You can download the zipped Pivot Table Selection sample file for this tutorial. The Excel workbook is in xlsx format, and does not contain any macros.

More Tutorials

Excel Pivot Table Report Filters

FAQs - Pivot Tables

Pivot Table Introduction

Running Totals

Summary Functions

Clear Old Items in Pivot Table