Is it possible to do this? In Microsoft Excel, pivot tables will automatically update

When something so obvious is available in competitors, even in other Microsoft programs and features, and Excel is only now getting it.

When working with Excel, one would expect that pivot tables, which can be used to summarize values, would automatically update when the data in them changes, as they do in charts, for example. But until now, a pivot table required a manual click to update after changes. And you had to remember these clicks to see the updated summary. Finally, Microsoft decided to do something about it. In the Excel beta channel (version 2506, build 19008.2000 or higher), the «Auto Refresh» feature for PivotTables has been added. And not even artificial intelligence was needed.

The company notes that automatic updates will even be enabled by default (who would want to turn it off?). But to disable the feature, you can go to the tab «PivotTable Analysis» and then select and configure «Auto Update». The company cautions that the new auto update feature is a property of each data source, and you won’t be able to see updates for changes in external data sources connected to the workbook. Microsoft claims that this is done to ensure data consistency.

Currently, Excel allows you to send a file to someone and set it to automatically update when they open it. But it’s not as good as being able to work on a volume within the file itself — like Google Sheets. How notes PCWorld, it’s unlikely that Excel will automatically recognize and update a pivot table if you add new cells outside the range of the current table.