Updating Multiple PivotTables at Once

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 19, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

For certain types of data analysis, PivotTables can be very handy. If you have a workbook that contains several PivotTables, all based on the same data, you may wonder if there is a way to update them all at once, rather than going through them individually and updating them.

There is no Excel command that allows you to update all PivotTables, but you can create a short macro that will do the job for you. The following macro, RefreshAllPivots, steps through each worksheet in a workbook, checks to see if there are any PivotTables, and then updates them if there are.

Sub RefreshAllPivots()
    Dim wks As Worksheet
    Dim pt As PivotTable

    For Each wks In Worksheets
        For Each pt In wks.PivotTables
            pt.RefreshTable
        Next pt
    Next wks
End Sub

If you do a lot of work with multiple PivotTables, you may want to assign the macro to a shortcut key, a toolbar button, or to a menu option so that you can run it easier. (Information on how to assign macros to toolbars, shortcut keys, and menus is covered in other issues of ExcelTips.)

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2287) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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