How to add a slicer to a pivot chart

In this video, we'll look at how to add a slicer to a pivot chart.

Slicers provide a powerful way to filter data interactively, and they are a key building block of many dashboards.

To filter a chart with a slicer, you can add a slicer to either the chart or pivot table.

Once you do that, the slicer will control both the pivot table and the pivot chart.

To add a slicer, select either the pivot table or the pivot chart. You'll find the Insert Slicer button on the Analyze tab for both.

When you add a slicer, the first step is selecting the field or fields you want to use in the slicer

In this case, I'll start with region.

Once you have a slicer, you can use it to immediately filter the chart and pivot table.

You can use the shift key to extend your selection across more than one item.

Hold down the control key to select more than one button when the buttons aren't next to one another.

To un-filter a slicer, use the clear filter button or you can use the keyboard shortcut Alt C to reset to all.

Slicers come with their own menu on the ribbon that you'll see only when you have one selected. Here you'll find slicer options, report connections (which we'll use in the next video), styles, standard controls for arranging objects, settings for the buttons, and inputs for the height and width of the slicer. 

If you add another slicer to the same pivot chart, you'll notice they are intelligently connected. For example, if I add a slicer for state, notice how the state buttons adjust as I select different regions.

Likewise, if I clear the region slicer and select specific states, the region buttons are adjusted to show which regions are active and inactive.

If you want to remove a slicer from a pivot chart, simply select and delete.