Slicers in Google Sheets: how to add, use and save them
A slicer is a filter control that sits on the sheet and filters the tables, pivot tables and charts built on one data range. This guide shows how to add and customize a slicer, how to keep its selection for everyone, how one slicer controls several pivot tables, and how slicers differ from filters and filter views.
A slicer is a filter control that floats on the sheet. To add one:
- Click a cell in your data, a pivot table or a chart.
- Click Data > Add a slicer.
- In the panel on the right, choose the column to filter by.
- Click the slicer on the sheet and choose the values to show.
The slicer filters the table, the pivot tables and the charts on that sheet that are built on the same data range.
Four rules, from Google’s help page on slicers (checked in October 2026), explain most of the surprises:
- One slicer filters one column. To filter by two columns, add two slicers.
- A slicer applies to all charts and pivot tables in the sheet that use the same data set. It does not apply to formulas that read the same range.
- Several slicers on the same data must have the same data range.
- A selection is private and is not saved unless you set it as the default.
Reading to get this done?
Add a slicer step by step
Step 1: Click inside the data
The example is a sales table with a date, region, salesperson, product, units sold, revenue and month.
Step 2: Data > add a slicer
Step 3: Choose the column
A slicer box appears on the sheet with the text “Select column first”, and the Slicer panel opens on the right. Check the data range and pick the column, here Region.
Step 4: Place the slicer
Drag the slicer to a free spot and resize it by its handles. It shows the column name and “All” while nothing is filtered.
Step 5: Filter
Click the slicer. It offers the same two ways of filtering as a normal filter:
- Filter by values: uncheck the values to hide. Select all and Clear switch everything on or off.
- Filter by condition: a rule such as “greater than”, “text contains” or “date is after”.
With only North checked, the table shows the three rows of that region and the slicer reads “1 of 4”.
Keep the selection: set it as default
Keep the selection: set it as default
By default a selection is yours alone: other people who open the file do not see it, and it is gone when you close the file. To keep it, open the three-dot menu of the slicer and click Set current filters as default. The selection is then saved and applied for everyone who has access to the spreadsheet.
The same menu holds Copy slicer and Delete slicer. Selecting the slicer and pressing Delete also removes it. Deleting a slicer does not touch the data.
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Edit and customize a slicer
Choose Edit slicer in the three-dot menu. The Data tab of the panel holds the data range, the column and the Apply to pivot tables checkbox.
The Customize tab holds the title, its font, size, format and color, and the background color of the slicer.
A title that says what the control does (“Filter by Region”) and a color that stands out help readers who did not build the sheet notice that they can filter it.
One slicer for several pivot tables
One slicer for several pivot tables
A slicer controls every pivot table on the sheet that is built on the same range. Here two pivot tables summarize the sales table: revenue by salesperson and units sold by product.
Click inside one of them, add a slicer and choose the column Month. Apply to pivot tables is ticked.
Choose January in the slicer:
Both pivot tables now show January only.
The column in the slicer does not have to be in the pivot table. Month is neither a row nor a value in these two tables, and the slicer still filters them, because it works on the source rows.
If a pivot table does not react, compare its range with the range of the slicer: they have to be the same. A pivot table built on B2:H12 and a slicer on B2:H100 are not connected.
Two slicers on one pivot table
Two slicers on one pivot table
Each slicer filters one column, and several slicers combine: a row has to pass all of them.
Add one slicer for Region and one for Product, both on the same data range.
With East and Tablet selected, the pivot table shows the revenue of tablets in the East region only. The same pair of slicers also filters any chart on the sheet that is built on this range, which is how a simple is made: a few charts and pivot tables on one tab, and a row of slicers above them.
Slicers, filters and filter views
Slicers, filters and filter views
| Filter | Filter view | Slicer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it is | In the header row | In the header row, under a saved name | A box on the sheet |
| Who sees the result | Everyone with access | Only you, while the view is applied | Only you, unless set as default |
| Does it stay | Until someone removes or changes it | Saved views can be reopened by anyone with access | Not saved, unless set as default |
| Who can use it | Editing needs edit access | Viewers can create temporary views; saving needs edit access | Anyone with access can adjust it; adding or removing needs edit access |
| What it filters | The rows of the range | The rows of the range | Tables, pivot tables and charts on the same data |
Use a filter when the whole team should see the same rows, a filter view when each person needs their own view of a table, and a slicer when the readers of a report should be able to filter its charts and pivot tables without editing anything. For filtering with a formula, see the FILTER function.
Common problems with slicers
⚠️ Problem: The slicer does not change a pivot table or a chart.
✅ Solution: The slicer and the pivot table or chart use different data ranges, or they are on different tabs. Open Edit slicer and make the range the same; put the slicer on the tab where the pivot table is.
⚠️ Problem: Formulas next to the pivot table ignore the slicer.
✅ Solution: Slicers do not apply to formulas. A SUM over the source range keeps adding all rows. Take totals from the pivot table, which the slicer does filter.
⚠️ Problem: The selection is gone after reopening the file, or a colleague sees something else.
✅ Solution: Selections are private until saved. Use Set current filters as default.
⚠️ Problem: New rows are not filtered.
✅ Solution: The data range of the slicer ends above them. Extend it in Edit slicer, together with the range of the pivot tables.
⚠️ Problem: Add a slicer is not available.
✅ Solution: Adding or removing a slicer needs edit access. With view access you can still use the slicers that are there.
⚠️ Problem: Two slicers contradict each other and the table is empty.
✅ Solution: All slicers apply together. Set one of them back to all values.
Related guides
- Pivot tables: The tables slicers are most often used with.
- Pivot charts: Charts built on a pivot table.
- Pivots and charts: Combine both in one report.
- Charts in Google Sheets: Chart types and settings.
- FILTER function: Filter with a formula.
- How to sort data: Sorting and basic filters.
- Data validation: Dropdowns that keep the filtered columns consistent.
A slicer filters the rows that are in the sheet
A slicer filters the rows that are in the sheet
A dashboard with slicers looks live: readers click, charts move. It is live only in the sense that it re-filters the rows already in the tab. If those rows were pasted from an export, every reader is slicing the same old snapshot, and the missing months are simply not in the list.
The OWOX Data Marts extension for Google Sheets covers that half. A data analyst publishes a data mart (a table or an SQL query in your data warehouse) and makes it available for reports. In Sheets you open the extension, pick the data mart, tick the columns you want and run it. The rows land in a tab, ready for your formulas.
What changes for the person who maintains the sheet:
- Refresh replaces re-export. Refresh current report in the extension menu re-runs the same pull, and a scheduled refresh keeps the tab current without anyone touching it.
- The source is written on the sheet. The header cell of an imported tab carries a note with the data mart it came from, the time of the import and a link to the report.
- No SQL and no warehouse access needed. The analyst decides which data marts and columns are available. You choose from that list.
The extension does not write or change the analyst’s SQL. Slicers, pivot tables and charts are then built once on that tab and keep working on each refreshed set of rows. The extension comes with the OWOX Cloud plans of OWOX Data Marts; spreadsheet reporting describes both ways data reaches a sheet.
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The ask
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Who answers
Your assistant builds the sheet with you; OWOX refreshes it on a schedule from a published Data Mart.
The handoff
Open the prompt in your assistant. It reads this page, asks what it is missing, and sets OWOX up with you.
The result
The same report landing in a Google Sheet on a schedule, from a published Data Mart.
Example from our demo shop
25 reports, 1 live schedule
The Purchases Data Mart feeds 25 reports into Google Sheets, Slack, Looker Studio and Excel. One is scheduled and active: it refreshes on the 3rd of each month, last run Nov 3 (success), next Dec 3.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do slicers help in data analysis?
Slicers simplify complex data by letting users filter quickly. They help focus on key insights, speed up reporting, and make dashboards easier to navigate and present.
How do I remove a slicer in Google Sheets?
Click the slicer, open its three-dot menu and choose Delete slicer, or select the slicer and press Delete. Removing a slicer does not change your data, pivot tables or charts; it only removes the filter control.
Why is my slicer not working in Google Sheets?
Check three things. The slicer and the pivot table or chart must use exactly the same data range and sit on the same tab. Slicers do not apply to formulas, so a SUM next to the table keeps adding all rows. And a selection is private until you choose Set current filters as default, so colleagues may see unfiltered data. The filtered column does not have to appear in the pivot table.
How do slicers differ from regular filters in Google Sheets?
Slicers are visual and interactive, floating above your data. They don’t change the dataset structure and are ideal for shared dashboards, unlike standard filters embedded in rows.
Can I use multiple slicers in Google Sheets?
Yes, you can add multiple slicers to filter by different fields. Each slicer can control one column, and they work together for layered, interactive filtering.
How do I add a slicer in Google Sheets?
Go to Data > Add a slicer, choose the column you want to filter, and position the slicer on your sheet for easy data interaction.
