Excel is a powerful tool that allows users to analyze and manipulate data in a variety of ways. One of the most useful features of Excel is the PivotTable, which allows users to quickly summarize and analyze large amounts of data. However, creating a PivotTable can be time-consuming, especially if you need to format it to match your company’s branding or style guidelines. In this article, we’ll explore the default formatting options available in Excel for PivotTables, and how you can customize them to meet your needs.
Default Formatting Options
When you create a PivotTable in Excel, it will automatically apply a default formatting style to the table. This style includes bold column and row headers, alternating row colors, and a light gray background color for the table. While this default style is functional, it may not be visually appealing or match your company’s branding.
Excel provides several built-in PivotTable styles that you can apply to your table with just a few clicks. To apply a style, select any cell in the PivotTable, then go to the “Design” tab in the ribbon. In the “PivotTable Styles” group, you’ll see a gallery of pre-designed styles that you can apply to your table. Simply click on a style to apply it to your table.
Customizing PivotTable Styles
If you can’t find a pre-designed style that meets your needs, you can customize the PivotTable style to match your company’s branding or style guidelines. To customize a PivotTable style, select any cell in the table, then go to the “Design” tab in the ribbon. In the “PivotTable Styles” group, click on the “New PivotTable Style” button.
This will open the “New PivotTable Style” dialog box, where you can customize the various elements of the PivotTable style. You can change the font, font size, font color, background color, and border styles for each element of the table, including the column and row headers, data cells, and grand totals. You can also specify which elements should be bold or italicized, and whether to apply shading to the entire row or column.
Once you’ve customized the PivotTable style to your liking, you can save it as a new style by giving it a name and clicking the “OK” button. Your new style will now appear in the “PivotTable Styles” gallery, where you can apply it to any PivotTable in your workbook.
Conclusion
Excel’s PivotTable feature is a powerful tool for analyzing and summarizing large amounts of data. While the default formatting options are functional, they may not be visually appealing or match your company’s branding. By using the built-in PivotTable styles or customizing your own, you can create a PivotTable that is both functional and visually appealing.
