Use slicers to filter data

Slicers provide buttons that you can click to filter tables, or PivotTables. In addition to quick filtering, slicers also indicate the current filtering state, which makes it easy to understand what exactly is currently displayed.

Windows macOS Web



You can use a slicer to filter data in a table or PivotTable with ease.

Create a slicer to filter data

1. Click anywhere in the table or PivotTable.

2. On the Home tab, go to Insert > Slicer.

   

3. In the Insert Slicers dialog box, select the check boxes for the fields you want to display, then select OK.

4. A slicer will be created for every field that you selected. Clicking any of the slicer buttons will automatically apply that filter to the linked table or PivotTable.

   Notes: 

   • To select more than one item, hold Ctrl, and then select the items that you want to show.

   • To clear a slicer's filters, select Clear Filter in the slicer.

5. You can adjust your slicer preferences in the Slicer tab (in newer versions of Excel), or the Design tab (Excel 2016 and older versions) on the ribbon.

   Note: Select and hold the corner of a slicer to adjust and resize it.

6. If you want to connect a slicer to more than one PivotTable, go to Slicer > Report Connections > check the PivotTables to include, then select OK.

   Note: Slicers can only be connected to PivotTables that share the same data source.

Slicer components

A slicer typically displays the following components:

1. A slicer header indicates the category of the items in the slicer. 2. A filtering button that is not selected indicates that the item is not included in the filter. 3. A filtering button that is selected indicates that the item is included in the filter. 4. A Clear Filter button removes the filter by selecting all items in the slicer. 5. A scroll bar enables scrolling when there are more items than are currently visible in the slicer. 6. Border moving and resizing controls allow you to change the size and location of the slicer.

Create a slicer in an existing PivotTable

1. Click anywhere in the PivotTable for which you want to create a slicer.

   This displays the PivotTable Analyze tab.

2. On the PivotTable Analyze tab, click Insert Slicer.

3. In the Insert Slicers dialog box, select the check box of the PivotTable fields for which you want to create a slicer.

4. Click OK.

   A slicer is displayed for every field that you selected.

5. In each slicer, click the items on which you want to filter.

   To select more than one item, hold down Command, and then click the items on which you want to filter.

Create a slicer in an existing table

1. Click anywhere in a table for which you want to create a slicer.

   This displays the Table tab.

2. On the Table tab, click Insert Slicer.

3. In the Insert Slicers dialog box, select the check box of the fields (columns) for which you want to create a slicer.

4. Click OK.

   A slicer is displayed for every field (column) that you selected.

5. In each slicer, click the items on which you want to filter.

   To select more than one item, hold down Command, and then click the items on which you want to filter.

Format a slicer

1. Click the slicer that you want to format.

   This displays the Slicer tab.

2. On the Slicer tab, click a colored style that you want.

Make a slicer available for use in another PivotTable

If you have a slicer on a PivotTable already, you can use that same slicer to filter another PivotTable. Please note that this only works when the two PivotTables use the same data source.

1. First create a PivotTable that is based on the same data source as the PivotTable that already has the slicer you want to reuse.

2. Click the slicer that you want to share in another PivotTable.

   This displays Slicer tab.

3. On the Slicer tab, click Report Connections.

4. In the dialog box, select the check box of the PivotTables in which you want the slicer to be available.

Disconnect a slicer

1. Click anywhere in the PivotTable for which you want to disconnect a slicer.

   This displays the PivotTable Analyze tab.

2. Click the PivotTable Analyze tab, and then click Filter Connections.

3. In the dialog box, clear the check box of any PivotTable fields for which you want to disconnect a slicer.

Delete a slicer

Do one of the following:

• Click the slicer, and then press DELETE.

• Control-click the slicer, and then click Remove <Name of slicer>.

Slicer components

A slicer typically displays the following components:

1. A slicer header indicates the category of the items in the slicer. 2. A filtering button that is not selected indicates that the item is not included in the filter. 3. A filtering button that is selected indicates that the item is included in the filter. 4. A Clear Filter button removes the filter by selecting all items in the slicer. 5. A scroll bar enables scrolling when there are more items than are currently visible in the slicer. 6. Border moving and resizing controls allow you to change the size and location of the slicer.

Note: Excel for the web allows you to use slicers that were created in desktop versions of Excel, but does not support creating slicers, editing slicers, or selecting multiple values in a slicer.

Delete a slicer

Do one of the following:

• Click the slicer, and then press DELETE.

• Control-click the slicer, and then click Remove <Name of slicer>.

Slicer components

A slicer typically displays the following components:

1. A slicer header indicates the category of the items in the slicer. 2. A filtering button that is not selected indicates that the item is not included in the filter. 3. A filtering button that is selected indicates that the item is included in the filter. 4. A Clear Filter button removes the filter by selecting all items in the slicer. 5. A scroll bar enables scrolling when there are more items than are currently visible in the slicer. 6. Border moving and resizing controls allow you to change the size and location of the slicer.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community, get support in the Answers community, or suggest a new feature or improvement on Excel User Voice.

See Also

Filter data in a PivotTable