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Bookmarks and Buttons in Power BI

Create bookmarks to capture report states and build navigation with buttons

Bookmarks capture the current state of a Power BI report page — which visuals are visible, what filters are applied, and which slicers are selected. Combined with buttons, bookmarks create navigation flows, show/hide panels, and toggle between views — making your reports feel like a professional app rather than a static dashboard. Common uses: toggle between a chart view and a table view, show/hide a filter panel, create a navigation bar with page links, create "reset all filters" functionality.

Example

Create a show/hide toggle with bookmarks
USE CASE: Show/hide a filter panel on click

STEP 1 — Design:
  Add a panel shape (Insert → Shapes → Rectangle)
  Add slicers on top of the panel shape
  Group them: select all → Format → Group

STEP 2 — Capture hidden state:
  Select the group → right-click → Hide
  View → Bookmarks → Add bookmark → name "Hidden Panel"

STEP 3 — Capture visible state:
  Select the group → right-click → Show
  Add bookmark → name "Visible Panel"

STEP 4 — Add buttons:
  Insert → Buttons → Blank
  Name it "Show Filters"
  Format pane → Action → Type: Bookmark → Visible Panel

  Add another button "Hide Filters"
  Action: Bookmark → Hidden Panel

STEP 5 — Layer the buttons on the panel edge:
  "Show Filters" button: visible when panel is hidden
  "Hide Filters" button: visible when panel is shown
  Each bookmark captures which button is visible/hidden too
💡 Check "Data", "Display", and "Current page" options in the bookmark to control what each bookmark captures.

Key Points

  • ✓Bookmarks capture: slicer state, visual visibility, filter state, scroll position
  • ✓Check/uncheck "Data" in bookmark options to control whether it saves the filter state
  • ✓Buttons need Action enabled (Format pane → Action → On) to do anything when clicked
  • ✓Bookmark Navigator (Insert → Buttons → Navigator) auto-creates a bookmark menu
  • ✓Use Ctrl+click to preview a bookmark in the Bookmarks pane without switching to it

Practice Question

You want a button that toggles a filter panel visible/hidden in your Power BI report. What feature do you need to set this up?

Related Topics

Drill-Through in Power BISet up drill-through pages that give users detail views when they right-click a data pointSlicers and Filters in Power BIAdd slicers and configure the filter pane to let users explore data interactivelyBuilding Your First Power BI ReportStep-by-step: connect data, build charts, add slicers, and create your first complete report