Manually reorder and custom sort pivot tables in Google Sheets

<p>Google Sheets now supports custom sorting and manual reordering in pivot tables. Users can now drag and drop rows and columns on a pivot table to match specific presentation needs and custom business hierarchies, rather than being restricted to standard ascending or descending alphanumeric order. This launch includes the following capabilities:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>On-grid drag-and-drop: </b>Directly grab and move individual row or column headers with clear drop-zone indicators</li><li><b>Multi-item reordering: </b>Select and reposition multiple rows or columns simultaneously</li><li><b>Hierarchical preservation:</b> Automatically move nested child items alongside parent fields, maintaining structure across expand and collapse actions</li><li><b>Persistent sort states:</b> Preserve custom arrangements across browser sessions, data refreshes, filtering, and layout adjustments</li></ul><p></p><p>This update also delivers significant improvements for Microsoft Excel file interoperability. Previously, when importing Microsoft Excel workbooks containing pivot tables with manual or custom sort orders, Google Sheets defaulted back to ascending or descending order. Now, imported spreadsheets retain their pivot tables with the exact custom sort order preserved. Furthermore, exporting workbooks back to Microsoft Excel retains these sorted orders for seamless roundtrip compatibility.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSerr5Y380nyaHGWMp2xiCn1lIcT0utb_YASWXX1MLyMHttjH911m7BJGMzHoSYwgXrWmK34HPJynHOfHEfvvQDs7kXSZQmpqGzv54rvdbiOFbO2FS8PyLGa5DDEqR5BgRhUVtwEpnre6tMTX_9Lec1e_fnAbfmvoJWif2NvF0-uGORoFzvNSA6UdQf4U/s2000/Manually%20reorder%20and%20custom%20sort%20pivot%20tables%20in%20Google%20Sheets%20-%206842.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1251" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSerr5Y380nyaHGWMp2xiCn1lIcT0utb_YASWXX1MLyMHttjH911m7BJGMzHoSYwgXrWmK34HPJynHOfHEfvvQDs7kXSZQmpqGzv54rvdbiOFbO2FS8PyLGa5DDEqR5BgRhUVtwEpnre6tMTX_9Lec1e_fnAbfmvoJWif2NvF0-uGORoFzvNSA6UdQf4U/s1600/Manually%20reorder%20and%20custom%20sort%20pivot%20tables%20in%20Google%20Sheets%20-%206842.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />User dragging and dropping row labels to manually reorder a pivot table in Google Sheets</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;">Getting started</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Admins: </b>There is no admin control for this feature.</li><li><b>End users: </b>Visit the Help Center to learn more about <a href="https://support.google.com/docs/answer/7572895" target="_blank">customizing pivot tables in Google Sheets</a> or <a href="https://support.google.com/docs/answer/1272900" target="_blank">creating and using pivot tables in Google Sheets</a>.</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Rollout pace</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://support.google.com/a/answer/172177" target="_blank">Rapid Release domains:</a> Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on September 22, 2026&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://support.google.com/a/answer/172177" target="_blank">Scheduled Release domains:</a> Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on October 5, 2026&nbsp;</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Availability</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Resources</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Google Docs Editors Help: <a href="https://support.google.com/docs/answer/1272900" target="_blank">Create &amp; use pivot tables</a></li><li>Google Docs Editors Help: <a href="https://support.google.com/docs/answer/7572895" target="_blank">Customize pivot tables</a></li></ul><p></p>

Publication

Google Workspace Updates blog feed · Government/Regulator

Published

22nd September 2026

Original report

workspaceupdates.googleblog.com

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