Use these options to design your pivot tables clearly and professionally

An Excel pivot table becomes far more powerful once you apply precise sorting, targeted filtering, and professional design options — transforming raw data into a clear, structured report in minutes. Sorting is straightforward: click the filter icon in the first column header and select Sort Z to A for reverse alphabetical order. To rank by turnover instead, right-click any value in the turnover column, point to Sort, and choose Largest to Smallest — the top performer moves instantly to the top of the list. Filtering works exactly as it does in standard Excel lists. Click the filter icon, deselect Show All, then tick only the salespeople you want to analyse. For value-based filtering — for example, to show only salespeople with turnover below £40,000 — use the Value Filter option and enter your threshold. Remove any active filter via the same menu when you're ready to restore the full view. For design options, click inside the pivot table, activate the Design tab, and open the style gallery on the far right. Hover over any colour template to preview it live, then click to apply. With over 70 templates available, you can match your report to any corporate or presentation standard. Use Ctrl + Z to undo any change instantly. Save your work with Ctrl + S and your pivot table is ready to share — sorted, filtered, and styled to communicate exactly what matters.