Format a PivotTable in Excel – Instructions and Video

Format a PivotTable in Excel: Overview

            You can apply preset styles to format a PivotTable in Excel. To format a PivotTable in Excel, click into any cell in the PivotTable. Then click the “Design” tab of the “PivotTable Tools” contextual tab within the Ribbon. Then click the desired style to apply from the listing of PivotTable styles in the “PivotTable Styles” button group.

            You can also modify preset PivotTable style settings after formatting a PivotTable in Excel. To do this, click the “Design” tab of the “PivotTable Tools” contextual tab in the Ribbon. Then check the desired checkboxes in the “PivotTable Style Options” button group. This lets you select the areas within the PivotTable to which special formatting is applied. You can apply special formatting to the “Row Headers” and “Column Headers” by checking those checkboxes. You can also apply banding to the row or columns by checking the “Banded Rows” or “Banded Columns” checkboxes.

Format a PivotTable in Excel: A picture showing the “Design” tab of the “PivotTable Tools” contextual tab in the Ribbon of Excel.

            You can also easily change the summarization and layout of a PivotTable. To do this, click the “Design” tab of the “PivotTable Tools” contextual tab within the Ribbon. Then use the buttons within the “Layout” button group. You can click the “Subtotals” button to choose a layout for PivotTable subtotals from the drop-down menu that appears. Clicking the “Grand Totals” button lets you choose the display of PivotTable grand totals from a drop-down menu. You can click the “Report Layout” drop-down button to choose a desired PivotTable layout from a menu of choices. Finally, clicking the “Blank Rows” drop-down button lets you choose the display of blank rows in a selected PivotTable from the menu of choices that appears.

Format a PivotTable in Excel: Instructions

1. To format a PivotTable in Excel, click into any cell within a PivotTable.
2. Then click the “Design” tab of the “PivotTable Tools” contextual tab within the Ribbon.
3. Then click the desired style to apply in the listing of PivotTable styles shown in the “PivotTable Styles” group.
4. To modify the preset PivotTable style’s settings, click the “Design” tab of the “PivotTable Tools” contextual tab within the Ribbon.
5. Then check the desired checkboxes in the “PivotTable Style Options” button group to modify the PivotTable formatting.
6. To apply special formatting to the “Row Headers” and “Column Headers,” check those checkboxes.
7. To apply banding to the row or columns in the PivotTable, check the “Banded Rows” or “Banded Columns” checkboxes.
8. If you want to change the summarization and layout of a PivotTable, use the buttons in the “Layout” button group on the “Design” tab of the “PivotTable Tools” contextual tab in the Ribbon.
9. To choose a layout for subtotals in a selected PivotTable, click the “Subtotals” button.
10. Then make a choice from the drop-down menu that appears.
11. To choose the display of grand totals in a selected PivotTable, click the “Grand Totals” button.
12. Then make a choice from the drop-down menu that appears.
13. To choose a desired layout for a selected PivotTable, click the “Report Layout” drop-down button.
14. Then make a choice from the menu of choices shown.
15. To format the display of blank rows in a selected PivotTable, click the “Blank Rows” drop-down button.
16. Then make a choice from the menu of choices that appears.

Format a PivotTable in Excel: Video Lesson

            The following video lesson, titled “Formatting PivotTables,” shows you how to format a PivotTable in Excel. This video is from our complete Excel tutorial, titled “Mastering Excel Made Easy v.2019 and 365.”