How to Create a Pivot Table in Google Sheets

To create a pivot table in Google Sheets, select your data with its column headers, choose Insert > Pivot table, confirm the range and destination, click Create, then add grouping fields and values in the editor. Use Google Sheets in a browser on a computer with permission to edit the spreadsheet.

Prepare your source data

Open your spreadsheet in Google Sheets on a computer and select the cells you want to summarize, including a header for every column. Those headers identify the fields you choose in the editor. For a simple sales summary, use a region field for grouping and a sales field for the amounts.

If your source needs another field, you can add columns in Google Sheets before selecting the range. Give the headers recognizable names, such as Region and Sales. You can rename columns in Google Sheets if a header is unclear, because each column of the source data needs a header.

Create the pivot table and add fields

With the source cells selected, click Insert > Pivot table. Confirm that Data range includes your source cells and headers, correcting it if needed. Choose New sheet, or choose Existing sheet and specify the destination cells. Click Create to open the pivot table and its editor.

In the Pivot table editor, click Add beside Rows and choose your grouping field, such as region. Next, click Add beside Values and select the field to summarize, such as sales. This gives your summary both its groups and its values.

To organize groups across the table, click Add beside Columns and select a grouping field. Add Filters when you need to narrow which source data contributes to the summary. Review the fields you selected before using the results to make a graph in Google Sheets.

Choose a suggested layout

After creating the pivot table, look under Suggested in the editor and choose a proposed pivot table. Suggestions depend on your selected data and may not appear. If none appear, add fields manually under Rows, Columns, and Values.

Google says high-confidence suggestions can also be inserted automatically during creation. To control suggestions, open Tools > Suggestion controls and turn on or turn off Enable Pivot table suggestions. Turning them off still lets you create pivot tables manually.

Find the command with search or keyboard shortcuts

Select your source data and click Search in the toolbar, or open Help > Search the menus. Type pivot table and select the matching Pivot table command. Complete the creation dialog, then add your grouping and value fields in the editor.

For keyboard access to search, press Alt + / on Windows or ChromeOS, or Option + / on Mac. Type pivot table, select the matching command, and press Enter. Confirm the range and destination, click Create, then configure the fields.

You can also open Insert directly with menu access keys. On Windows in Chrome, press Alt + i; in other Windows browsers, press Alt + Shift + i. On Mac, press Ctrl + Option + i; on ChromeOS, press Alt + i. Navigate to Pivot table, press Enter, then complete creation and configure the fields.

Ask Gemini to create a pivot table

With an eligible Google AI or Google Workspace plan, or eligible Workspace Experiments access, open the spreadsheet on a computer and click Ask Gemini. Enter a request describing the summary you need, such as the following:

Create a pivot table that shows the sum of sales by region

Press Enter, review the Action preview card, and click Apply. After creation, click Settings, if available, to adjust the pivot-table parameters. Gemini availability also depends on supported languages, usage limits, and account controls.

If your account has the Build experience, open Sheets on a computer and describe the spreadsheet or analysis you need in the automatically opened side panel, including the required pivot table. Answer any clarification questions, then review the generated plan and template outline. Use Add sources if you need additional source files, and follow the panel's prompts to continue.

Fix missing commands suggestions or Gemini access

If older instructions send you to Data > Pivot table or Pivot table report, use Insert > Pivot table instead. The former Explore workflow has been retired, so use the editor's suggestions or build the layout manually. If a keyboard shortcut fails because of your layout or browser, click Search in the toolbar to find the command.

If Gemini is unavailable, check your plan eligibility and account controls. You also need Smart features in Google Workspace enabled, but enabling that setting does not grant a missing subscription. You can change this prerequisite through any of the following web settings paths.

In Gmail, open Settings > See all settings > General > Google Workspace smart features > Manage Workspace smart feature settings. Turn on Smart features in Google Workspace and click Save.

In Drive, open Settings > Settings > Privacy > Manage Workspace smart feature settings. Turn on Smart features in Google Workspace and click Save.

In Calendar, open Settings > Settings > General > Google Workspace smart features > Manage Workspace smart features settings. Turn on Smart features in Google Workspace and click Save.

In Chat, open Settings > Data Privacy > Google Workspace smart features > Manage settings. Turn on Smart features in Google Workspace and click Save.

In Meet, open Settings > General > Google Workspace smart features > Manage. Turn on Smart features in Google Workspace and click Save.

On Android, open Gmail, tap Menu > Settings, and select your account. Under General, tap Google Workspace smart features and check Smart features in Google Workspace. Return to Sheets on a computer to create the pivot table.

On iPhone or iPad, open Gmail and tap Menu > Settings > Data privacy. Tap Google Workspace smart features and turn on Smart features in Google Workspace. Return to Sheets on a computer to create the pivot table.

If your organization controls Gemini access, an administrator with the Gemini Settings privilege can open Google Admin console > Menu > Generative AI > Gemini for Workspace. Click Feature access and optionally select an organizational unit or configuration group. Click Edit beside the service containing Sheets, click On, then click Save.

This administrator control supports Enterprise Standard/Plus, Teaching and Learning add-on, Education Plus, and Google AI Pro for Education. You still need the required smart features enabled in your account. If Gemini remains unavailable, use manual pivot-table creation.

Reuse an Excel or Google Sheets pivot table

To import an Excel pivot table, create or open a spreadsheet in Sheets and click File > Import. Choose the Excel file and click Select. Choose Create new spreadsheet or Insert new sheet(s) for the destination. Click Import data, then click Open now if prompted.

For an Excel workbook already in Drive, double-click it to open it in Sheets. Choose File > Save as Google Sheets to create a native Sheets copy. Continue working with the pivot table in that copy.

To convert future Excel uploads automatically, open Drive and click Settings > Settings. Under Convert uploads, check Convert uploaded files to Google Docs editor format, then upload the workbook. This setting applies to future uploads and does not automatically convert files already in Drive.

To reuse a Google spreadsheet's existing layout, open the file containing the pivot table and its source data, then click File > Make a copy. Enter a name, choose a destination, and click Ok. Replace or adjust the source data and edit the pivot table in the copy. The owner must allow copying, and the copy retains the existing setup rather than designing a new layout.

Create a pivot table from connected data

For BigQuery data, you need appropriate Google Cloud access, dataset permissions, and billing or a supported trial environment. Start a connection through Data > Data connectors > Connect to BigQuery. In a spreadsheet connected to BigQuery, click Pivot table at the top, choose the destination, and click Create.

Configure the fields in the editor and click Apply. When you need updated BigQuery results later, click Refresh beneath the pivot table.

For Looker, you need an eligible instance with the integration enabled and appropriate permissions. Open Data > Data connectors > Connect to Looker and enter the instance URL or ID. If account linking is requested, click Agree and continue. Click Connect to Explore, select a model, and click Connect.

Use the pivot-table creation control at the top left, then click Edit beneath the pivot table. Click Add or drag dimensions and measures into the editor categories, then click Apply. Dimensions support rows, columns, values, and filters; measures support values and filters.

Automate creation or use a formula summary

For Apps Script automation, open Extensions > Apps Script from your spreadsheet. Create a function that obtains the source and destination ranges, then calls destinationRange.createPivotTable(sourceRange). Configure the returned pivot table with addRowGroup, addColumnGroup, and addPivotValue as needed, then save and run the function. You need spreadsheet editing access, and account authorization or organizational script restrictions may apply.

For an application integration, use authorized spreadsheet write access to call spreadsheets.batchUpdate with an UpdateCellsRequest. Set the destination cell's pivotTable object with its source range, rows, columns, and values. Set the update field mask to pivotTable.

If you want a formula-driven crosstab, use QUERY instead of creating a native pivot-table object. For data with categories in column A, column-group labels in B, numeric amounts in C, and one header row, select an empty output cell and enter:

=QUERY(A1:C100,"select A, sum(C) group by A pivot B",1)

Press Enter and adjust the range and columns for your data. This produces a formula summary without a Pivot table editor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you create a pivot table in the Google Sheets mobile app?

Google directs Android, iPhone, and iPad users to Google Sheets on a computer to create pivot tables. Changing smart-feature settings in Gmail on your phone does not add pivot-table creation to the Sheets mobile app.

Do you need to download anything to create a pivot table?

No separate download or installation is required to create a native pivot table in Google Sheets. You can use the manual creation workflow in your computer's browser.

Can Sheets preserve an Excel pivot table backed by an Excel table range?

Yes, Google supports preserving imported Excel pivot tables backed by Excel table ranges. You do not need to assume that these imports become static grids.

Is there a dedicated keyboard shortcut for creating a pivot table?

Google documents shortcuts for opening menu search and the Insert menu, rather than a dedicated pivot-table shortcut. You still select the pivot-table command and complete its creation dialog.

Does enabling the separate Gemini app enable Gemini inside Sheets?

No, the separate Gemini app service-status switch does not control Gemini inside Sheets. Your administrator needs to manage Gemini access within Workspace services.