Excel Slicers: Visual Filters for Tables and Pivot Tables

Creating a Slicer

For Tables:
1. Click anywhere in the Table
2. Table Design tab → Insert Slicer
3. Check the columns you want slicers for
4. Click OK

For Pivot Tables:
1. Click the Pivot Table
2. PivotTable Analyze tab → Insert Slicer
3. Choose fields

Using Slicers

• Single select: Click a button to filter to that value
• Multi-select: Hold Ctrl and click multiple buttons
• Clear filter: Click the clear button (top-right of slicer)

Formatting Slicers

Click the slicer → Slicer tab:

• Slicer Styles: Change colors and appearance
• Columns: Display buttons in multiple columns
• Size: Adjust width and height

Connecting Slicers to Multiple Pivot Tables

One slicer can control multiple Pivot Tables:

Right-click the slicer → Report Connections → check the Pivot Tables you want it to filter

This is powerful for dashboards where multiple views need to filter together.

Timeline Slicers

For date fields, use Timeline slicers instead of regular slicers. They provide a visual timeline you can drag to select date ranges.

Insert → Timeline (from PivotTable Analyze tab)

Official Resources

• Use slicers — Microsoft's slicers guide
• Timeline slicers — date filtering visually