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Hi Reader,

Welcome to the Google Sheets Tips newsletter #396, your Monday morning espresso, in spreadsheet form!

Today I'm sharing 3 killer tips for pivot tables. I would still argue that Pivot Tables are THE killer feature of spreadsheets. Their ability to quickly and simply generate insights about your data is unmatched. So it makes sense to learn how to use them to their fullest.

Today, I'm sharing three under-the-radar tips for using pivot tables. All 3 are very simple but will save you time and improve your pivot tables. Check them out below.

Recently, I've been enjoying new videos from one of my favorite content creators: an Australian chap called Beau Miles. He's an adventurer and storyteller who has a phenomenal talent for making mundane things interesting to watch.

His past adventures, like kayaking to work, were both hilarious and inspirational; however, his most recent work, I Bought The Worst House I Could Afford, where he is renovating a dilapidated cottage in the mountains, is inspiring in a completely different way.

I am not a DIY person at all, but this new work is reawakening my interest in a long-standing project of mine: to build a bike from the frame up, choosing all the components myself. Something I've always wanted to do.

Maybe this will be the winter I give it a shot? 🤔

➜ News

I.
Gemini is now available in the sidebar of Apps Script! 🎉

This is a fantastic move to truly enable folks without technical experience to start automating their Google Workspace workflows with Apps Script.

Rolling out now to people enrolled in the Gemini Beta Program or personal paid AI tiers.

​More details here >>​

II.
And now for something completely different...

I published a video from the trip my brother and I took to Tasmania earlier this year. If you like outdoorsy stuff, especially hiking or paddling, check it out here:

​Packrafting In Tasmania 2026​

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➜ Sheets Tip #396: Three Killer Pivot Table Tricks

I'd still argue that pivot tables are the killer feature of spreadsheets, but many people find them intimidating or never progress past the basics.

However, once you learn how to use them, they are incredibly useful for doing all sorts of data analysis very quickly. They're perfect for the exploratory phase of data analysis.

And as with other tools in spreadsheets, pivot tables have all sorts of hidden features to make them more user-friendly.

Here I'm sharing three of my favorites that not everyone knows. Once you learn how to use these, they'll dramatically improve your pivot tables.

I hope you find them useful!

Tip 1: Quickly Duplicate Pivot Tables

Suppose you've created a useful pivot table and want to create a second one for doing further analysis.

Rather than starting from scratch with a new blank pivot table, you can instead copy and paste the existing one very quickly.

To do this:

1. Click on the top left corner of the pivot table.
2. Press Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on a Mac) to copy it.
3. Go to a new blank cell and press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on a Mac) to paste it.

And voila! You have a new working copy of that pivot table!

Note: it only works with the TOP LEFT CELL of the pivot table. Try it with any other cell in the pivot table and it only copies the data in that single cell.

Tip 2: Rename Pivot Table Headings

This is a simple trick that many people don't know about, but it will dramatically improve the presentation of your pivot tables.

The headings in pivot tables often default to long, ugly phrases such as "COUNTA of City" based on the data in the Pivot Table.

However, you can type over the top of these default headings and give your headings more user-friendly names such as "Number of Cities" in this example.

Tip 3: Drill Down On Your Data Automatically

Ok, so you have your fancy new pivot table, and it's giving you all sorts of insights into your data.

But now you want to drill down and understand what those specific results are for Brazil, for example.

Old you would go back to your data and use filters to isolate those two rows, but that can be time-consuming or sometimes challenging for larger data sets.

Instead, you can use the Pivot Table, which has already done the work for you.

Simply double-click on the value that you want to investigate (for example, the "2" next to Brazil), and it will pull out the entirety of those records into a new sheet.

Feel free to delete this details sheet once you've used it.

What are your favorite pivot table tricks?

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to a friend who might enjoy it.

Have a great week!

Cheers,
Ben

P.S. Hmm, maybe we should have chosen a different name?​