Blog / Pivot tables

How to add a slicer in Excel: step by step

4 November 2026 · 7 min read

Add a slicer to a PivotTable or Excel table to filter it with buttons. Select several items, clear filters and connect one slicer to several PivotTables.

A slicer is a panel of buttons that filters a PivotTable or an Excel table. Each button is one value from a column, such as North or South. Click a button and the table shows only the rows that match it. Hold Ctrl and click a second button to add it. The selected buttons are highlighted, so you can see the current filter at a glance, without opening a drop-down arrow.

To add one, click a cell in your PivotTable or table, go to the Insert tab, click Slicer, tick the column you want and click OK. The steps below cover the details: how to prepare your data, how to use the buttons, how to connect one slicer to several PivotTables, and the mistakes that catch people out.

Before you start: choose the right kind of data

A slicer can filter two kinds of data:

A PivotTable. Build the PivotTable first, following the guide to creating a pivot table. The slicer then filters the report, and your source data is left alone.
An Excel table. Convert your list to a table by clicking any cell in it, pressing Ctrl + T and ticking My table has headers. A slicer needs a table, so a plain range of cells must be converted first.

Your list should have one header row, with a unique name for each column, and no blank rows inside the data. The best slicer columns have a small set of repeated values, such as Region, Department or Status. A column with hundreds of different values, such as invoice numbers, gives you a long panel of buttons that is hard to use.

Method 1: Add a slicer to a PivotTable

Click any cell inside the PivotTable.
In Excel for Windows, go to the Insert tab and click Slicer. In Excel for Mac or Excel for the web, go to the PivotTable Analyze tab and click Slicer.
In the Insert Slicers dialog box, tick the field you want, such as Region.
Click OK. The slicer appears on the sheet with one button for each value.

You can tick more than one field in step 3 to create several slicers at once, such as one for Region and one for Rep. A slicer can be moved by dragging it, and resized by selecting and holding its corner.

Method 2: Add a slicer to an Excel table

Click any cell inside the table.
Go to the Insert tab and click Slicer.
Tick the column you want, then click OK.

Table slicers work in Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac. Excel for the web does not create them, so use the desktop app for tables.

Use the buttons

Once a slicer is on the sheet, the rest is simple:

Select one value: click its button. The table or PivotTable updates straight away.
Select several values: hold Ctrl and click each button. On a Mac, hold Command instead. In Excel for the web, hold Control.
Clear the filter: click the Clear Filter icon in the slicer (on a Mac or in Excel for the web, click the Clear Filter button). Everything comes back.
Use two slicers together: a row must match the selection in both slicers to appear. If you choose North in a Region slicer and Ana in a Rep slicer, only Ana's North rows show.

Connect one slicer to several PivotTables

If you have two PivotTables built from the same data, one slicer can filter both of them. Slicers can only connect to PivotTables that share the same data source, so build both from the same list.

In Excel for Windows, select the slicer, go to the Slicer tab, click Report Connections, and tick the PivotTables you want. On a Mac, select the slicer, go to the Slicer tab, click Report Connections, tick the PivotTables and click OK. In Excel for the web, select the slicer, go to the Slicer tab, click Slicer Settings, and under PivotTable Connections, tick the PivotTables and click OK.

Worked examples: check the numbers

A slicer is easy to trust once you have checked a total yourself. The table below has eight sales in columns A to C. Each example puts its formula in column F and tests a result you would see with a slicer.

Rep	Region	Sales
Ana	North	120
Ben	South	60
Cal	North	75
Dee	West	80
Eli	South	150
Fay	West	45
Gus	North	110
Hana	South	35

Clicking North in a Region slicer should show three rows. The total of those rows is the SUMIF below:

F2=SUMIF(B2:B9,"North",C2:C9)

	A	B	C	F
1	Rep	Region	Sales	North total
2	Ana	North	120	305
3	Ben	South	60
4	Cal	North	75
5	Dee	West	80
6	Eli	South	150
7	Fay	West	45
8	Gus	North	110
9	Hana	South	35
10

Result: 305. 120, 75 and 110 are the North sales.

Now hold Ctrl and click West as well. The slicer shows North and West together, so the total is the two SUMIF results added:

F2=SUMIF(B2:B9,"North",C2:C9)+SUMIF(B2:B9,"West",C2:C9)

	A	B	C	F
1	Rep	Region	Sales	North and West
2	Ana	North	120	430
3	Ben	South	60
4	Cal	North	75
5	Dee	West	80
6	Eli	South	150
7	Fay	West	45
8	Gus	North	110
9	Hana	South	35
10

Result: 430. 305 from North plus 125 from West.

To check how many rows a single button shows, use COUNTIF. South has three rows, Ben, Eli and Hana:

F2=COUNTIF(B2:B9,"South")

	A	B	C	F
1	Rep	Region	Sales	South rows
2	Ana	North	120	3
3	Ben	South	60
4	Cal	North	75
5	Dee	West	80
6	Eli	South	150
7	Fay	West	45
8	Gus	North	110
9	Hana	South	35
10

Result: 3. Three rows say South.

When you click Clear Filter, every row is back, so the grand total is the sum of the whole column:

F2=SUM(C2:C9)

	A	B	C	F
1	Rep	Region	Sales	Grand total
2	Ana	North	120	675
3	Ben	South	60
4	Cal	North	75
5	Dee	West	80
6	Eli	South	150
7	Fay	West	45
8	Gus	North	110
9	Hana	South	35
10

Result: 675. The regions add up to 305, 245 and 125.

The North, West and South totals together make 675, which matches the grand total.

Common mistakes

Expecting a SUM to change. In a table, a slicer hides rows, but a plain SUM still adds every row, including the hidden ones. To total only the visible rows of a table, use SUBTOTAL with function number 9 instead.
Forgetting to clear the filter. A slicer with a selection can show a partial total, and a reader may take it for the full one. Click Clear Filter before you share the file, so the next person sees every row.
Trying to slice a plain range. Without a table or a PivotTable, there is no Slicer button to press. Convert the range to a table with Ctrl + T first.
Connecting PivotTables from different data. Slicers only connect to PivotTables that share the same source. If the Report Connections list is empty, rebuild one of the PivotTables from the same data.
Using Excel for the web for table slicers. The web can create slicers for a PivotTable, but not for a table. Use the desktop app for table slicers.
Choosing a column with too many values. A slicer with 200 buttons is harder to use than a filter drop-down. Pick a column with a handful of repeated values.

Frequently asked questions

Does a slicer change my original data? No. A slicer on a PivotTable filters only the report. A slicer on a table hides rows while it is filtered, and every row returns when you clear the filter. Your values are not changed.

How do I remove a slicer? Click Clear Filter first, so the table or PivotTable shows every row. Then select the slicer and press Delete, or right-click it and choose Remove. Your data stays as it is.

Can a slicer and a formula work together? Yes. A SUMIF or COUNTIF formula reads all of its rows, so it always gives the same answer, whatever the slicer shows. Use these formulas to check your numbers, as in the examples above. For the visible rows of a table, use SUBTOTAL.

Which versions support these steps? The steps follow Microsoft's current instructions for slicers, which list Excel 2021, Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365 on Windows and Mac. Older versions may place the buttons in a different tab, so check your version's help if a step does not match.

Practice filtering with slicers

Reading the steps is a start, but slicers make more sense once you have clicked them yourself. The PivotTable basics lesson gives you a sales list to summarize, and the more PivotTables lesson goes further with counts and extremes. For the formulas that check your numbers, see the guides to SUMIF, COUNTIF and SUMIFS.

Practice it: PivotTable basics

Type the formulas yourself in a real spreadsheet, with instant feedback on every answer. Your first five lessons are free.

Start the lesson