How to Sort a Month Slicer Chronologically in an Excel Pivot Table
Question details
The user needs to sort a Pivot Table month slicer chronologically (e.g., Jan, Feb, Mar) instead of its default alphabetical order.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Creating or interacting with a monthly data report using Pivot Table slicers.
- Observed behavior
- The month slicer displays months alphabetically (e.g., Apr, Aug, Dec) because the system reads the month names as text or the underlying month number values are stored as text rather than numerical data.
Ensure your dataset or Data Model includes both a text-based 'Month Name' column and a numeric 'Month Number' column (values 1 through 12) to serve as a sorting reference.
Use the Sort by Column Feature in Power Pivot
This is the most reliable method for Data Models, forcing the text-based Month Name to follow the numeric Month Number order.
When using Power Query or Power Pivot, Excel's standard Custom Lists do not automatically apply to slicers. You must explicitly tell the Data Model to sort the text column by a numerical column.
Open your Data Model in Power Pivot. Ensure the 'Month Number' column is explicitly set to a Whole Number data type, and 'Month Name' is set to Text.
Click anywhere inside the 'Month Name' column in your Power Pivot window.
Navigate to the Home tab on the ribbon and click the 'Sort by Column' button.
In the dialog box, set 'Sort' to your Month Name column and 'By Column' to your Month Number column, then click OK.
Return to your standard Excel worksheet, select your Pivot Table, go to the PivotTable Analyze tab, and click 'Refresh All' to update the slicer.
Use Custom Lists for Standard Pivot Tables
If your Pivot Table is built directly from a standard worksheet range (not the Data Model), you can use Excel's built-in custom lists.
Organize Your Pivot Table Data Effortlessly with WPS Spreadsheet
WPS Spreadsheet offers powerful, user-friendly data analysis tools, including Pivot Tables and Slicers. It natively supports custom list sorting, allowing you to easily keep your months in perfect chronological order without complex data modeling.
- 1. Open Your Data: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open your existing Excel (.xlsx) file containing the Pivot Table.
- 2. Open Slicer Settings: Right-click your existing month slicer and select 'Slicer Settings'.
- 3. Apply Custom Sorting: Ensure that the option 'Use Custom Lists when sorting' is checked so WPS automatically applies calendar sorting logic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Pivot Table slicer sort months alphabetically by default?
By default, slicers sort text data in alphabetical order. Because month names (like January or February) are text strings rather than numbers, the system organizes them from A to Z unless explicitly configured to use a numeric reference or a custom list.
What should I do if my month numbers are stored as text?
If your month numbers (1-12) are stored as text, the Sort by Column feature will fail. You must change the data type of the month number column in Power Query or Power Pivot from Text to Whole Number before applying the sort settings.
Can I sort slicers chronologically without a Date table?
Yes, for standard Pivot Tables not added to the Data Model, you can rely on the built-in Custom Lists feature. You simply need to verify that 'Use Custom Lists when sorting' is enabled in your Slicer Settings.
