Home > Pivot > Errors > Field Name Pivot Table Field Name Not Valid See how to troubleshoot and fix the Excel pivot table error message, "PivotTable field name is not valid". My free macro can help you find potential pivot table problems, and the steps below will help you fix them!

Introduction

Usually, things go smoothly when you when you try to create a pivot table. However, occasionally you might see a pivot table error, such as "PivotTable field name is not valid", or "A PivotTable report cannot overlap another PivotTable report".

This video shows two pivot table problems, and how to fix them. My free macro can help with troubleshooting, in a file with lots of pivot tables. There are written steps for troubleshooting, below the video.

You can get the macro and workbook from the Pivot Table List Macros page, to follow along.

Field Name Not Valid

Sometimes, if you try to create or refresh a pivot table in Microsoft Excel, a PivotTable error message appears:

• “The PivotTable field name is not valid. To create a PivotTable report, you must use data that is organized as a list with labeled columns. If you are changing the name of a PivotTable field, you must type a new name for the field.”

Check Pivot Table Source Data

If we check the source data for this pivot table, everything looks okay. There are 7 columns of data, and no blank columns or rows in the list. There is a pivot table field name at the top of each column.

Fix the Source Data

The pivot table error, "field name is not valid", usually appears because one or more of the heading cells in the source data is blank. To create a pivot table, you need a heading value for each column.

Tip: If you create an Excel Table from your data, column headings are automatically added to columns with blank heading cells, and you can avoid this error.

To find the problem of missing headers, try these steps:

• In the Create PivotTable dialog box, check the Table/Range selection to make sure you haven’t selected blank columns beside the data table.
• Check for hidden columns in the source data range
  • Unhide them, and add a header value, if any column header is missing.
• If there are any merged cells in the heading row, unmerge them, and add a heading in each separate cell.
• Select each heading cell and check its contents in the formula bar; text from one heading may overlap a blank cell beside it. In this example, the Product Name heading overlapped the empty heading cell beside it.

Long Headings:

• If there are no blank heading cells, and you are using Excel 2003 or earlier, check for long headings – there is a limit of 255 characters in those versions
• Pro Tip: Column headings should be as short as possible!
  • Occasionally, I've seen long headings in client files, because someone accidentally pasted long text into a heading cell.

Get the Excel Files ✅

• Field Name Error: To see the pivot table "field name is not valid" error message, download the Field Name Not Valid sample file. The zipped file is in xlsx format, and does not contain any macros.

Get Monthly Excel Tips!

Don't miss my monthly Excel newsletter! You'll get quick tips, article links, and a bit of fun. Add your email, and click Sign Up.

Next, when you get my reply, click the Confirm button. I add this step to protect you from spam!

More Pivot Table Tutorials

Error: Pivot Table Overlap

Error: Couldn't Get Data

Error: Reference Isn't Valid

Problem: Pivot Table Duplicate Items

Hide Error Values in Pivot Table

Pivot Table Details List Macros

List All Pivot Tables – Details

Pivot Table Introduction

Clear Old Items in Pivot Table