19. Bookmarks, Selection Pane, Buttons and Navigation
19.1 What a Bookmark Saves
Quick answer: the short, self-contained version of this lesson is the guide Power BI Bookmarks and Buttons.
Start with a problem
Shraddha sets the City slicer to Nashik, hides a chart, and wants to come back to exactly this view tomorrow with one click.
Explain simply
A bookmark saves the current state of a page: filters and slicers (Data), which visuals are visible (Display), and which page is open (Current page). You choose which of these a bookmark applies.
Show the data
| Saved part | Example |
|---|---|
| Data | City slicer = Nashik |
| Display | Table visible, chart hidden |
| Current page | Delivery page |
About this data: This table uses columns: Saved part, Example. This table uses columns: Moment, Total Sales card. This table uses columns: Captured by, What it includes. This table uses columns: Wrong result, Reason, Correction. Values shown are the lesson examples already on this page (not a new dataset).
Fictional sample data. Practice file: visuals_orders_apr_may_2026.csv (source: src/practice/).
Demonstrate
- Set the City slicer to Nashik.
- View › Bookmarks › Add. Rename it Nashik view.
- Clear the slicer (₹2,100 shows).
- Click the Nashik view bookmark.
Show the result
Your result should look like this (fictional sample):
| Moment | Total Sales card |
|---|---|
| After clearing slicer | ₹2,100 |
| After clicking bookmark | ₹800 (Nashik) |
Explain what happened
The bookmark stored the slicer state (Data) and re-applied it.
Explore further
- Turn off Data on a bookmark when it should change only visibility (19.4).
Detailed reference for this lesson:
A bookmark saves the current state of a report page:
| Captured by | What it includes |
|---|---|
| Data | Filters (Filters pane), slicer selections, sort order, drill location, cross-highlight selections |
| Display | Which visuals are visible or hidden (Selection pane), spotlight, focus mode, expanded/collapsed matrix state |
| Current page | Which page is shown (clicking the bookmark jumps to that page) |
| All visuals / Selected visuals | Whether the bookmark applies to every visual on the page or only to the visuals that were selected when it was updated |
Data, Display, Current page – he teen options samajle ki bookmarks cha jast-karun confusion sampto. Samjla ka?
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, many students expect a bookmark to save everything, then get surprised that slicers reset. Remember the three options: Data (filters and slicers), Display (visibility, drill state) and Current page. Decide which ones each bookmark should capture. Practise, and it will feel very easy.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, बऱ्याच students ना वाटतं bookmark सगळं save करेल, मग slicers reset झाले की त्यांना आश्चर्य वाटतं. तीन options लक्षात ठेवा: Data (filters आणि slicers), Display (visibility, drill state) आणि Current page. प्रत्येक bookmark ने कोणते capture करायचे ते ठरवा. Practice करा, मग एकदम सोपं वाटेल.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, बहुत से students उम्मीद करते हैं कि bookmark सब कुछ save करेगा, फिर slicers reset होने पर हैरान होते हैं. तीन options याद रखो: Data (filters और slicers), Display (visibility, drill state) और Current page. तय करो कि हर bookmark को कौन से capture करने चाहिए. Practice करो, फिर बहुत आसान लगेगा.
Fix common mistakes
| Wrong result | Reason | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Bookmark resets user's slicers unexpectedly | Data option On | Untick Data for display-only bookmarks |
| Bookmark shows old filter after model change | Saved state is fixed | Update the bookmark (right-click › Update) |
| Bookmark changes all pages | Misunderstanding | Bookmarks apply to their page; check Current page |
Practise independently
Practice task
Create a bookmark Pune view and say what the card shows when you click it.
Hints
- Pune total.
Solution
₹850.
Think like a professional
Bookmarks power guided stories and toggles. Name them clearly – a list of Bookmark 1…7 is unmaintainable.
Revision card
Interview card