Introduction:
Are you using Google Sheets and want to present your data in an organized and easily understandable way? Look no further than pivot tables! Pivot tables are one of the best tools in Google Sheets for reports, data analysis, and presenting information during meetings. While pivot tables are designed to automatically refresh their data, there may be circumstances that hinder this process. In this article, we will explore three solutions to refresh your pivot table in Google Sheets manually.
What prevents the refreshment of pivot tables?
Under normal circumstances, once you create a pivot table in Google Sheets, it automatically refreshes to display updated data. However, there are a few scenarios in which your pivot table may not refresh despite modifications to the extracted data. These scenarios include:
- Filters in your pivot table that can prevent proper refreshment.
- The source data from which the pivot table extracts data may require recalculations due to specific functions.
- New data may be added that exceeds the range of the pivot table.
How to refresh a pivot table in Google Sheets
As mentioned earlier, Google Sheets automatically refreshes pivot tables to minimize user effort. However, if you want to manually refresh the table for any reason, the process is straightforward. To refresh a pivot table in Google Sheets, simply follow these steps:
- Open a web browser tab displaying the Google spreadsheet containing your pivot table.
- Make any desired changes to your dataset or pivot table, such as adding filters.
- Click the “Refresh” button near the top of your browser window and wait for the tab to reload. Your pivot table in Google Sheets should now be refreshed along with the entire spreadsheet.
Alternatively, you can use the F5 key as a shortcut to refresh your web browser tab.
While clicking the refresh button is the quickest way to refresh a pivot table, the scenarios mentioned in the previous section may require different methods to refresh your pivot table in Google Sheets. We will discuss these methods in detail to ensure your pivot table displays accurate data.
Scenario 1: Pivot table not refreshing with new data rows
One common issue that users encounter when using pivot tables is that data from new rows does not appear in the table. When creating a pivot table in Google Sheets, you need to specify the data range from which the table will extract data.
If the data from new rows doesn’t appear in the pivot table, it is likely that these rows are not included in the table’s range. To address this, you can simply modify the dataset from which the pivot table extracts data and include the new rows you want to display in the table.
To avoid such situations in the future, you can include a few blank rows within the pivot table range if you anticipate adding more data. For example, if your pivot data currently uses only four rows but you know there will be more rows in the future, select additional blank rows when setting the data range for your pivot table.
This way, even if new data is added to your dataset, it will automatically refresh in the table without manually adding rows every time you want to include new information. The only downside is that the blank rows will appear in your pivot table, which can be visually unappealing. Luckily, this can be easily resolved by filtering the table to hide the empty rows and only show those that contain values.
Scenario 2: Filters prevent the pivot table from refreshing correctly
When using pivot tables with filters, it sometimes happens that the data displayed in the table doesn’t refresh when your dataset information changes. This is one of the most obvious drawbacks of the pivot table tool, and unfortunately, it cannot be circumvented. Your only solution in these cases is to first remove the filters, then modify the dataset before restoring the filters.
Here are the steps to achieve this:
- Hover over the pivot table and click the “Edit” button to open the “Pivot Table Editor” panel on the right side of the window.
- Go to the “Filters” section in the editor and click the “x” button at the top right of each added filter. Keep in mind that this will remove those filters, so make a note of them before proceeding to avoid difficulties in recalling the initially added filters.
- Once done, go back to your dataset and make any desired modifications.
- After modifying the dataset, return to the pivot table editor and click the “Add” button under “Filters” to recreate all the previously removed filters.
Scenario 3: Specific functions in your dataset prevent the pivot table from refreshing
If your dataset contains formulas with functions that inherently require refreshment, this will almost certainly cause issues for your pivot table. Examples of such functions include RAND, which generates a random number within a defined range, and TODAY, which inserts the current date value into a cell.
As these function values naturally fluctuate within your dataset, pivot tables are unable to reflect these changes accurately. Unfortunately, there is currently no solution to accurately reflect these types of functions in a pivot table. Your best option in such situations is to avoid using these functions and explore alternative methods to achieve the desired results.
Conclusion
You now know how to refresh a pivot table in Google Sheets. We hope this guide has been helpful to you! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.
