Report-level filters in Power BI - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Report-level filters let you control what data appears across all pages of your Power BI report. This helps you focus your entire report on specific information without changing each page separately.

When you want to show sales data only for the current year on every page of your report.

When your report should display information for a single region across all visuals and pages.

When you need to exclude certain product categories from the entire report.

When you want to analyze data for a specific customer segment throughout the report.

When you want to apply a filter once and have it affect all report pages automatically.

Steps

Step 1: Open your report in Power BI Desktop

- Power BI Desktop main window

Your report pages and visuals are visible

Step 2: Click the Filters pane on the right side

- Filters pane

Filters pane expands showing Visual, Page, and Report level filter sections

Step 3: Drag the field you want to filter by from the Fields list

- Fields pane to Report level filters section in Filters pane

The field appears under Report level filters

Step 4: Select the filter type and values you want to include or exclude

- Report level filters section in Filters pane

All report pages update to show data filtered by your selection

Step 5: Save your report

- File menu > Save

Your report saves with the report-level filter applied

Before vs After

Before

All report pages show sales data for all years and regions

After

All report pages show sales data only for the year 2023

Settings Reference

Filter type

📍 Report level filters section in Filters pane

Choose how to filter data, such as selecting specific values or setting conditions

Default: Basic filtering

Filter values

📍 Report level filters section in Filters pane

Specify which data to include or exclude in the report

Default: All values selected

Common Mistakes

Applying the filter to the Visual level instead of Report level

The filter affects only one visual, not the entire report

Drag the field to the Report level filters section to apply it across all pages

Not saving the report after setting the filter

Changes will be lost if the report is closed without saving

Always save your report after applying report-level filters

Summary

Report-level filters apply a filter to all pages and visuals in a Power BI report.

They help focus the entire report on specific data without setting filters on each page.

Remember to drag fields to the Report level filters section and save your report.