To show PivotTable values as percentages, click a value and choose Show Values As, then select the percentage calculation that matches the denominator you need. Use % of Grand Total for a share of the whole report, % of Row Total for a share of a row, and % of Column Total for a share of a column. These options answer different questions, so the right choice depends on what you want to compare.
Choose what the percentage should be a share of
Before changing the PivotTable, decide which total or item should serve as the denominator. A value can have one percentage of the grand total and a different percentage of its row total; neither is inherently more correct.
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| Question you want to answer | Show Values As calculation |
|---|---|
| What share of all values in the report is this? | % of Grand Total |
| What share of this row or category is this? | % of Row Total |
| What share of this column or series is this? | % of Column Total |
| What share of its parent item is this? | % of Parent Row Total, % of Parent Column Total, or % of Parent Total, depending on the field layout |
| How does this value compare with a particular item? | % Of, with a base field and item selected where available |
For example, if a PivotTable breaks sales into products by region, a row percentage can show each product’s share within a region, while a grand-total percentage shows that product-region value’s share of all sales in the report. See Microsoft’s explanation of different calculations in PivotTable value fields.
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- Click a number in the PivotTable’s Values area.
- Right-click the value and choose Show Values As. Alternatively, open the value field’s settings and use the Show Values As tab.
- Select % of Grand Total, % of Row Total, or % of Column Total. For a hierarchy or comparison to a specific item, choose the relevant parent-total option or % Of.
- To control decimal places or ensure the result displays a percent sign, open the value field settings, choose Number Format, and select a percentage format.
Microsoft documents the context-menu workflow as: “In the PivotTable, right-click the value field, and then click Show Values As.” Its support instructions cover Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, and Excel 2016 on Windows and Mac. On Mac, the initial menu may not show every option; use More Options if the calculation you need is absent. See Microsoft’s instructions and confirm labels in your Excel edition.
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Keep the original numbers beside the percentages
If you want both the underlying amounts and their shares visible, add the same source field to the PivotTable’s Values area a second time. Set one copy to the original summary and set the other copy’s Show Values As calculation to the desired percentage. Each copy can use its own calculation and number format. Microsoft’s PivotTable guidance describes adding a field more than once for separate calculations: Create a PivotTable to analyze worksheet data.
Check the summary when the percentage looks wrong
Excel displays Count instead of Sum
Values placed in the Values area normally use Sum when Excel recognizes them as numeric. If the source values are interpreted as text, Excel may use Count instead. Check the source column for text-formatted numbers or mixed data types, then confirm the value field’s summary function before interpreting its percentage. Microsoft’s PivotTable setup guidance explains how values are summarized.
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The result uses an unexpected base
Reopen Show Values As and check whether the calculation is based on the grand total, a row, a column, a parent, or a selected base item. The percentage is only meaningful in relation to that denominator.
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On Mac, check More Options in the Show Values As menu. Some data sources and field types—including OLAP sources, calculated fields, and calculated items—can restrict changes to the summary function or custom calculation. Microsoft’s article on changing a PivotTable summary function or custom calculation describes these limitations.
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Show Values As and Number Format do different jobs
Show Values As determines the calculation and its denominator. Number Format controls how the calculated result appears, such as whether it has a percent sign and how many decimal places it shows. Changing the number format alone does not turn a raw value into its share of a total; select the calculation first, then format its display.
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