Google Sheets Pivot Tables don’t let you specify multiple values in the built-in Text contains or Text does not contain filters. The workaround is to use a custom formula with REGEXMATCH, allowing you to include or exclude multiple text values in a single condition.

This tutorial shows you exactly how to do that.

Formula Cheat Sheet

Replace FALSE with TRUE to use Text contains instead of Text doesn’t contain.

Note: Enclose column names containing spaces in single quotes. For example, use 'Item No' instead of Item No.

Sample Data and Pivot Table

Suppose you have the following sample data in the range B2:D10.

Create a Pivot Table from the above data.

1. Select the data.
2. Click Insert > Pivot table.
3. In the Pivot table editor, add Participants under Rows and Score under Values.

You will get a Pivot Table like the one below.

Now suppose you want to exclude rows where the Attempt field contains “2nd” or “3rd”. Notice that Attempt isn’t used in the Pivot Table itself.

The built-in Text does not contain filter only accepts a single value. For example, you can exclude 2nd or 3rd, but not both at the same time.

To filter multiple values, use a custom formula instead.

Multiple Values in Text Does Not Contain

To exclude rows containing 2nd or 3rd, use one of the following formulas in the Custom formula is field.

Case-sensitive

=REGEXMATCH(Attempt,"2nd|3rd")=FALSE

Case-insensitive

=REGEXMATCH(Attempt,"(?i)2nd|3rd")=FALSE

To exclude more values, simply separate them with the pipe (|) operator.

2nd|3rd|4th|5th

The pipe symbol (|) acts as the OR operator in regular expressions. The above pattern matches 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th.

How to Add the Custom Formula

1. Click Add next to Filters in the Pivot table editor.
2. Select the field to filter (Attempt in this example).
3. Choose Filter by condition > Custom formula is.
4. Paste one of the formulas above.

Using REGEXMATCH in a Pivot Table vs. a Worksheet

The formula used in the Pivot Table filter is slightly different from the one you would use in a worksheet.

For example, if you test the formula in a worksheet, you’ll need to use a range reference instead of the field name.

=ARRAYFORMULA(REGEXMATCH(C3:C10,"2nd|3rd"))

Keep these differences in mind:

• When using the formula in a worksheet, use the cell range (for example, C3:C10) instead of the field name.
• Since the reference is an array, wrap the formula with ARRAYFORMULA.
• Inside the Pivot Table editor, neither of these is required. You can simply use the field name (Attempt).

REGEXMATCH returns TRUE when the text matches the specified pattern.

Since we want Text does not contain, we append =FALSE so matching rows are excluded.

Multiple Values in Text Contains

If you want to include only rows containing specific values, replace =FALSE with =TRUE.

=REGEXMATCH(Attempt,"2nd|3rd")=TRUE

Google Sheets Pivot Table Filter Multiple Values Using Exact Match

The previous formulas perform partial matching (similar to Text contains and Text does not contain).

If you want to match only the exact text, use start (^) and end ($) anchors in the regular expression.

Partial match

2nd|3rd
(?i)2nd|3rd

Exact match

^2nd$|^3rd$
(?i)^2nd$|^3rd$

Replace 2nd and 3rd with the exact text values you want to match.

FAQ

Can I use multiple conditions in the built-in Text contains or Text doesn’t contain filter in a Google Sheets Pivot Table?

No. The built-in filter only supports a single condition. To filter by multiple values, use a REGEXMATCH formula in the Custom formula is field.

Can I use MATCH or XMATCH instead of REGEXMATCH?

Not for this use case. Both MATCH and XMATCH support the * and ? wildcards (XMATCH requires match_mode set to 2). However, the wildcard matching applies only to the search key, not the lookup values. Since we need to match the field value against multiple criteria, REGEXMATCH is the better choice.

Does the custom formula automatically include new rows added to the source data?

Yes. As long as the Pivot Table’s source range includes empty rows below the existing data before you apply the custom formula, newly added rows will be included automatically when the Pivot Table refreshes.

Conclusion

Although Google Sheets Pivot Tables don’t support filtering by multiple values using the built-in Text contains and Text does not contain conditions, you can achieve the same result with REGEXMATCH in a custom formula. By combining multiple values with the pipe (|) operator, you can easily include or exclude several text values in a single Pivot Table filter.

Related Tutorials

• How to Filter by Total in Google Sheets Pivot Tables
• How to Filter Top 10 Items in a Google Sheets Pivot Table
• Filter the Bottom 10 Items in a Pivot Table in Google Sheets
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• How to Match Multiple Values in a Column in Google Sheets