Filters are crucial for fine-tuning data perspectives in Power BI. You can add filters to a report via the filters pane, the slicer visual, or buttons and bookmarks. While leveraging filters enables users to explore data through various lenses, in specific situations, preserving certain filter settings in a report becomes imperative.

You have the option to conceal filters in both Power BI Desktop and Power BI Online. Yet, concealing filters in Power BI Desktop only takes effect once the report is published online. This article illustrates how to prevent other users from applying filters to a report.

Hide Filters Using Power BI Desktop and Online Service

After creating your report, before publishing, follow these steps.

1. Click on the File menu, select Options and settings, then Options.

2. Go to the Report settings and uncheck the options in the Filtering experience section. Click on OK to lock in these settings.

The Filters pane search feature enables swift retrieval of filter cards by title, simplifying access to specific cards. This functionality is perfect for efficiently handling multiple filters. By disabling this feature, you prevent users from searching for filters in the filter pane.

The other setting restricts users from making changes to the filter types. With these settings, users with access to this data will not be able to change the filter selection or search from the filter pane for filter selection.

In Power BI Online, you will also find this setting. Simply open the report you want to alter, click on the File dropdown menu, and click on Settings.

In the settings dialogue window that opens on the right-hand side, scroll down until you find the Filtering experience setting. Once you’ve set this up in the Power BI Desktop version, the setting carries on to the online service after publishing.

An additional setting you can apply is to hide the entire Filter pane from view altogether. You can do this in the Power BI desktop version by clicking on the eye icon in the Filters pane.

To do this in the Power BI Online service, click on the Edit button so you can make changes to the report.

Click the eye icon and then the Save button to apply the change.

Lock or Hide Filter Cards

In specific scenarios, you may wish for users to utilize specific filters while concealing others. Furthermore, you might aim to restrict modifications to certain filters even if they are visible.

To accomplish this, simply hide or lock the filter category you wish to restrict from the filter pane. Here’s how.

To hide a filter card, click on the eye button of the filter category you don’t want the user to see. To keep users from altering a filter, click on the padlock button of the filter card you don’t want changed. When you’re done, click on the Save button to keep the changes.

This setup will ensure that users can only change or alter the filter category that’s not hidden.

You have the option to utilize the Persistent Filters setting. This feature restricts users from saving any alterations made to the report’s filter. By default, users can modify the filters on your report. Enabling this setting prevents such modifications.

Moreover, it allows all filters to be accessible to the user without limitations, as they cannot save any changes they make to the report’s filter. This can spare you valuable time spent concealing or securing specific filters that may not be imperative.

Conclusions

It’s important to note that the discussed filter settings primarily pertain to the filter pane within Power BI. It’s crucial to understand that these settings won’t impact filters controlled by bookmarks and slicers.

However, despite this limitation, mastering these settings provides valuable control over how users engage with filters on your report. Additionally, the diverse range of settings available affords significant flexibility in tailoring your report to various requirements. This flexibility ensures that your report remains versatile, accommodating different user needs and preferences.

By empowering users to interact seamlessly with your report, these settings maintain the integrity and clarity of your data visualization efforts, ensuring that insights are effectively communicated without overwhelming the audience with unnecessary complexity.