Create a Pivot Table in Google Sheets

Quick answer

Select a source table with headers and choose Insert > Pivot table. Add a category under Rows and a numeric field under Values, then verify the summary operation and source range before relying on totals.

Prepare an auditable source

Use a native Google Sheets spreadsheet in a desktop browser with editing permission. Google’s mobile pivot help directs creation to a computer; do not look for the same editor in the phone app.

Name the source tab Orders and enter this fixture at A1:

Region	Product	Amount
East	Pens	100
West	Pens	200
East	Paper	50

All three fields have headers. Amount contains numeric values, not currency strings or precomputed subtotal rows. The source total is 350. East contributes two records totaling 150; West contributes one record totaling 200. Preserve a copy of the source before testing structural changes.

Build the regional summary

1. Select Orders!A1:C4 and choose Insert > Pivot table. Use a new sheet for the output so it cannot overwrite the input.
2. Open the pivot sheet and its editor. If Sheets inserted a suggested layout, inspect it rather than assuming it matches this task. Remove unwanted fields or use Clear all before setting the deliberate layout.
3. Beside Rows, click Add and choose Region.
4. Beside Values, click Add and choose Amount. Set its summarization to SUM, not COUNT or COUNTA.
5. Keep the region totals visible. Compare East = 150, West = 200 and grand total = 350 with the three source records.

A count of two East records is not the same as 150 in sales. If the pivot shows a count unexpectedly, first check whether the Amount source cells are numbers and then inspect the chosen summarization.

Add a second dimension without double-counting

Under Columns > Add, choose Product. The expected intersections are East/Pens = 100, East/Paper = 50 and West/Pens = 200. West/Paper has no record; do not interpret an empty intersection as a missing input that must be filled into the source.

The grand total must remain 350. Moving a category between Rows and Columns changes the arrangement, not the underlying total. Remove Product from Columns when finished if the final deliverable is the compact region-only summary.

Verify maintenance after edits

Change Orders!C4 from 50 to 75. Since that cell is inside the source range, the pivot should update to East = 175 and grand total = 375. Restore 50 for the baseline final summary.

Now append West, Paper, 25 in Orders!A5:C5. A pivot restricted to A1:C4 does not include that new row. Open the pivot’s Edit control, use Select data range, and extend it to Orders!A1:C5. Check East = 150, West = 225 and total = 375. Leave this extended source and result as the final maintained version. After online saving, reopen and check the range as well as the displayed numbers.

Investigate and recover safely

Double-click a summary value to inspect its contributing source rows on a new sheet. Treat that detail sheet as an inspection output, not a replacement for Orders. If totals are too high, check for source subtotals, repeated records or an unintended field rather than manually overwriting the pivot.

Use a duplicate workbook for a destructive recovery drill: clear the pivot fields and rebuild Region plus SUM of Amount. The intended four-record final source must still total 375. Leave the verified original intact. Grouping and custom calculations are separate advanced tasks; this guide owns the initial summary and its source-range maintenance.

For cleaning the source’s visible ordering without changing the summary design, see sort and filter data.

Official references

• Create & use pivot tables - Computer - Google Docs Editors Help
• Create & use pivot tables - Android phone & tablet - Google Docs Editors Help
• Create & use pivot tables - iPhone & iPad - Google Docs Editors Help

Documentation basis: first-party extracted snapshots retrieved 20 October 2026. The fixture expectations were checked independently; no native Google Sheets session, account action, screenshot or export was executed for this article.