4 Solutions when using a Pivot Table Slicer

Some tools can make your life easier when you understand how to apply them correctly, like the Pivot Table Slicer, which has a lot of advantages. But what happens if this doesn’t work as you imagined?

It is such a waste of time! Fortunately, in this article, you will find the answers to the 4 most common questions related to Slicers in Excel to pass through these awful complications:

Ready to solve all these concerns? Keep reading!

Why can't you connect a Slicer to several Pivot Tables?

This might be the most common question. Thus, to understand why you can’t connect your Slicer is vital to go to the font: literally the data source. 

That simple table, or data set, in which you create the original pivot table needs to be the same source as the others. So to prevent a possible mistake, make sure about your range because one extra cell will change everything. 

However, if the “Report Connections” window doesn’t show you the pivot table of the graphic you want to link, you can fix the problem by doing the following:

1. First, click on the pivot table already attached to the slicer.
2. Next, go to the “PivotTable Analyze” tab.
3. Look up the “Data” group tools.
4. Select the “Change Data Source” command.

5. Then in the dialog box, you can copy the name of the range or table linked.

6. Click “cancel.”
7. Now, go to the pivot table you want to connect, search the “Change Data Source” command again from the pane, and paste the range of the table.
8. Finally, click “OK.”

How to lock a Pivot Table without the slicer?

Locking cells or protecting your worksheets in Excel is very handy. However, when working with Pivot Tables and Slicers, you may not want other users to mess up all your hard work. In that kind of situation, you can block your Pivot Table but leave the Slicer as the interactive part by doing the following:

1. Right-click the Slicer.
2. Select the “Size and Properties” option.

3. Now go to the properties section in the “Format Slicer” pane on the right hand of the worksheet.

4. Then uncheck the “Locked” checkbox.
5. After that, switch to the “Review” tab in the ribbon, and pick the “Protect Sheet” button in the “Protect” group tools.
6. Now, in the “Protect Sheet” dialog box, unmark the “Select locked cells” option at the beginning of the menu.
7. Check the “Use PivotTable and PivotChart” checkbox.
8. And as usual, when locking cells, you can also designate a password and click “OK” when finished.

How to clear the Slicer filter after deleting it??

Usually, when you remove a slicer, your Pivot table clears the filters, but when this does not happen, follow these steps to solve this problem:

1. First, look up and click the swifter in the table header.

2. Pick the “Select all” option from the context menu.
3. Click “OK” to confirm the operation.

How to enable the Slicer command?

Sometimes, when you add a slicer, the icon is grayed out, which means it is disabled. To fix this problem, you only need to restart the workbook. So, to that you can follow these steps:

1. First, go to the “File” tab.
2. Then, click on “Save As.”
3. Choose the .XLSX  as the type to save your workbook.
4. Next, close the workbook and open it again.
5. Once you open it, click on the pivot table and try to insert the slicer again.

Do you want to know more?

There you have it! Now you can solve any difficulty related to Slicers. If you want to know more, check out our Excel course here in Skillademia! And don’t let anything stop you from improving your skills and learning some handy tips to master Excel. Good luck!