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Microsoft Excel - PivotTable #SPILL

Written by Myles Arnott | Oct 1, 2025 2:45:00 PM
No more annoying error message pop ups

 

Microsoft announced the PivotTable #SPILL feature to Excel insiders today.

The #SPILL will replace the somewhat annoying "Can't refresh PivotTableX" pop up message that we currently receive when something is blocking a PivotTable from expanding. This brings PivotTables error messaging in live with Dynamic Array functions in Excel.

When will I see this error message?

The #SPILL error will be displayed if you refresh a PivotTable and something is blocking the PivotTable from expanding. This often happens when a you add new field item in to a PivotTable row and the PivotTable then hits some text, values or another PivotTable in the cells below when it expands:

Video from Microsoft tech community here

How do I clear the #SPILL message?

In short you need to make it possible for the PivotTable to expand. This can be achieved in a couple of ways:

  • Simply delete the text blocking the PivotTable, or
  • Move the PivotTable so that there is room for it to expand

Video from Microsoft tech community here

How do I avoid having this #SPILL error?

To avoid having the #SPILL error in you PivotTable in the first place give some thought to the design of the layout of your model.

Give your Pivot Tables room to expand.

Our Future of Excel series

This series of articles focuses on new features soon to be released on Excel. This is based on announcements by the Microsoft Office Insider team.

See other articles in our Future of Excel series here.