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How to auto outline data in Excel?

Author Zhoumandy Last modified

When your data in a worksheet is extremely complicated, sometimes it’s even difficult for you to group them manually. In this case, we can group and summarize the data by creating an outline of rows and columns. This tutorial will introduce to you a quick way to "auto outline data" in Excel.
A screenshot showing data in Excel organized into groups with visible outline

Auto outline data in Excel


To auto outline the below data so you can quickly read and analyze the summary rows or columns or display the detailed data for each group, please do as follows:
A screenshot showing an example of data in Excel before applying auto outline

1. Go to the "Data" tab and click "Group" > "Auto Outline".
A screenshot showing the Data tab in Excel with Group and Auto Outline options selected

2. Now you can see the data is organized into groups and the outline is displayed.
A screenshot showing data in Excel organized into groups with visible outline

Now check the "minus (-)" button or the "plus (+)" button to collapse or expand the groups of rows and columns. Or click the appropriate "outline number symbols" to collapse or expand that entire level.
A screenshot showing the collapse and expand buttons in Excel's auto outline feature

In the screenshot above, I collapse the rows of sale products in each city and the columns of the specific months in Q1 and Q2.

Notes

  1. The Auto Outline feature is very handy, but it has its limitations. To use it, make sure there are "no blank rows or columns" in the data.
  2. There should be a "summary" row or column with formulas for each subset of rows or columns.
  3. When the auto-outlined groups are not correctly organized, you should change the "style in which the outline is performed".
    • On the "Data" tab, click the "dialog box launcher", a small arrow in the lower-right corner of the Outline group.
      A screenshot showing the dialog box launcher for the Outline group in Excel
    • The "Settings" dialog box pops up, check the "Automatic styles" box and uncheck the rest of the boxes, then click "OK".
      A screenshot showing the Settings dialog box for the Outline feature in Excel with Automatic styles checked
    • After the setting, the data will be correctly auto outlined.

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