Finally, PivotTables are going ‘live’ and will automatically refresh if other parts of the workbook change. It’s something that Excel users have wanted for years.
Auto Refresh turns your PivotTable into a live mirror—updates to source data within your workbook now instantly refresh any connected PivotTables, without you lifting a finger. No more manual “Refresh” clicks!
How to toggle Auto Refresh:
Auto Refresh is on by default for new PivotTables.
To enable or disable it on existing PivotTables: go to the PivotTable Analyze | Auto Refresh toggle
Or use the PivotTable Options menu
If Auto Refresh can’t run (e.g. unsupported sources or older shared sessions), Excel adds a “stale data” indicator at the window’s bottom-left. Click it to manually refresh all outdated tables.
- Only works with in‑workbook data sources—external sources like Power Query or databases aren’t supported.
- It’s a data‑source‑level toggle: all PivotTables tied to the same source follow the single setting.
- If you’re doing co‑authoring with older Excel versions or volatile functions (like
RAND()/NOW()), Auto Refresh may not be available.
PivotTables and PivotCharts from scratch, for Microsoft Excel helps anyone get the most of an essential part of Excel
Who gets it?
Microsoft 365 Windows or Mac, starting with Insiders channel.
- Windows Insiders on v2506 build 19008.2000 and later
- Mac Insiders on v16.99 build 250616106 and later.
It’s a gradual rollout so not all Insiders might see the feature at first.
Alternatives (pre‑Auto Refresh era)
For other versions of Excel or while you’re waiting for AutoRefresh to reach your Excel 365.
Refresh on opening: Set your PivotTable to refresh whenever the workbook opens—this keeps your Undo history intact, but it’s not “live.” Found under PivotTable Options | Data tab | ‘Refresh data when opening the file’.
PivotTables and PivotCharts from scratch, for Microsoft Excel
