Power BI Bookmarks Tutorial Step by Step

If you have ever wanted to create a button in Power BI that shows or hides a visual, switches between different views of the same data, or guides users through a report like a story — bookmarks are the feature that makes all of this possible.

Bookmarks are one of the most powerful and most underused features in Power BI. They capture the current state of a report page — which visuals are visible, what filters are applied, what slicers are selected and let you return to that exact state with the click of a button.

In this guide, we will walk through everything you need to know about Power BI bookmarks — what they are, how to create them, and how to use them to build buttons, toggle panels, navigate reports, and tell data stories.

What Is a Bookmark in Power BI?

A bookmark is a saved snapshot of a report page’s state. It captures which visuals are visible, their positions, the current filter context, slicer selections, spotlight settings, and the current page.

When you click a bookmark, Power BI restores that exact state — showing or hiding visuals, applying filters, and switching pages exactly as they were when the bookmark was created.

Simple Analogy

Think of a bookmark like a saved camera angle on a film set. The director (you) sets up the perfect shot — which actors are visible, what the lighting looks like, what is in the background. A bookmark saves that exact setup so you can return to it instantly at any point during filming.

In Power BI, the “actors” are your visuals and filters. Bookmarks save your perfect setup and let users jump back to it with one click.

What Can a Bookmark Capture?

When you create a bookmark, you can choose what it captures:

Data — The current filter context, slicer selections, and drill state of all visuals on the page

Display — Which visuals are visible or hidden (show/hide state)

Current Page — Whether the bookmark navigates to a specific report page

You can mix and match these properties — for example, a bookmark that only captures display state (for showing/hiding panels) but not data (so it works regardless of what filters the user has applied).

Where to Find the Bookmarks Panel

View tab → Bookmarks

This opens the Bookmarks pane on the right side of your screen alongside the Selection pane. You will use both together constantly — the Selection pane controls which objects exist and their visibility, and the Bookmarks pane saves those states.

Also open the Selection pane:

View tab → Selection

The Selection pane shows every object on the current page with a visibility toggle (eye icon) next to each one. Hiding or showing objects here is what you capture with bookmarks.

Step 1: Creating Your First Bookmark

Let us start with the simplest possible bookmark — capturing the current state of a report page.

Basic Bookmark Creation

1. Set up your report page exactly as you want it — apply any filters, select any slicers, show or hide any visuals
2. Open the Bookmarks pane (View → Bookmarks)
3. Click Add in the Bookmarks pane
4. A new bookmark appears named “Bookmark 1”
5. Double-click the name and rename it something meaningful — for example “North Region View”

That is it. You have created a bookmark.

Testing the Bookmark

1. Change something on the page — apply a different filter, change a slicer selection
2. Click your “North Region View” bookmark in the Bookmarks pane
3. Power BI restores the exact state it was in when you created the bookmark

Step 2: Bookmark Properties — Controlling What Gets Captured

Right-click any bookmark in the Bookmarks pane to access its properties.

Update — Updates the bookmark to capture the current state (use this when you change your setup and want to re-save)

Rename — Change the bookmark name

Delete — Remove the bookmark

Data — Toggle whether this bookmark captures the current filter context and slicer state. Turn this OFF if you want the bookmark to work regardless of what filters the user has applied.

Display — Toggle whether this bookmark captures the show/hide state of visuals. Turn this OFF if you only want to capture filter context.

Current Page — Toggle whether this bookmark navigates to a specific page when clicked.

When to Turn Off Data Capture

If you are building a bookmark that shows or hides a panel (like a filter panel or a help overlay), you typically want Data OFF because the panel should appear regardless of what filters the user has set. If Data is ON, clicking the bookmark also resets their filters, which is unexpected and frustrating.

Best practice for show/hide bookmarks:

• Data: OFF
• Display: ON
• Current Page: OFF (unless you want it to navigate to a specific page)

Step 3: Show/Hide Panels — The Most Common Bookmark Use Case

The most practical everyday use of bookmarks is creating panels that users can show and hide like a filter panel, a help overlay, or a detail card.

Building a Toggle Filter Panel

Step 1: Design the filter panel

Create a rectangle shape that will serve as the panel background. Add slicers or filter controls on top of it. Group them if you like (Ctrl + select all → Format → Group).

Step 2: Position the panel

Place the panel group off to the side or overlapping the main content —wherever you want it to appear when shown.

Step 3: Name the objects in the Selection pane

Open the Selection pane (View → Selection). Find your panel group and rename it “Filter Panel” by double-clicking the name. Clear naming is essential when you have many objects.

Step 4: Create the “Panel Hidden” bookmark

In the Selection pane, click the eye icon next to “Filter Panel” to hide it. Now create a bookmark — name it “Filter Panel Hidden”. In the bookmark properties: Data OFF, Display ON.

Step 5: Create the “Panel Visible” bookmark

Click the eye icon again to show the Filter Panel. Create another bookmark — name it “Filter Panel Visible”. In the bookmark properties: Data OFF, Display ON.

Step 6: Create two buttons

Insert → Buttons → choose a button style. Create one button labeled “Show Filters” and one labeled “Hide Filters”.

Step 7: Assign bookmarks to buttons

Click the “Show Filters” button. In the Format pane:

• Go to Action → Type → Bookmark
• Set Bookmark → Filter Panel Visible

Click the “Hide Filters” button:

• Action → Type → Bookmark
• Bookmark → Filter Panel Hidden

Step 8: Test in View mode

Press Ctrl+click on each button to test (or publish and test in the browser). “Show Filters” reveals the panel. “Hide Filters” hides it. The current filter context is preserved because Data is OFF.

Step 4: Bookmark Navigation Buttons

Buttons connected to bookmarks are the foundation of all bookmark-driven interactivity. Let us explore button configuration in detail.

Button Types Available

Insert → Buttons gives you:

• Blank — Full custom control over appearance
• Back — Built-in back navigation
• Bookmark — Pre-configured for bookmark actions
• Page Navigation — Navigates to specific pages
• Q&A, Info, Help — Specialty buttons

For most bookmark use cases, start with Blank for maximum formatting flexibility.

Configuring a Button for Bookmark Navigation

1. Insert a Blank button
2. In the Format pane → Button Text → type your label (e.g., “View by Product”)
3. Go to Action section → toggle Action to On
4. Set Type → Bookmark
5. Set Bookmark → select your target bookmark

Button States — Normal, Hover, Pressed

Power BI buttons have three visual states you can format independently:

On (Normal) — Default appearance On Hover — Appearance when the mouse is over the button On Press — Appearance when clicked

Format each state in the Format pane → Style section. Change background color, text color, border, and shadow for each state to create professional interactive feedback.

Testing Buttons in the Editor

Buttons only work when you hold Ctrl and click in the editing view. In published reports or View mode, a regular click triggers the action.

Step 5: Creating a Tabbed Navigation System

One of the most impressive bookmark applications is creating custom tab navigation — replacing the default Power BI page tabs with styled custom buttons at the top of the report.

Building Custom Tabs

Step 1: Design your tab buttons

Create three rectangles styled to look like tabs — for example “Overview”, “Details”, and “Trends”. Position them in a row at the top of the page.

Step 2: Create content areas

Design the content for each “tab” — either on separate pages or as different visual groups on the same page (using show/hide bookmarks).

Step 3: Create bookmarks for each tab state

If using same-page show/hide:

• Show Overview visuals, hide Details and Trends visuals → create “Tab: Overview” bookmark
• Show Details visuals, hide Overview and Trends visuals → create “Tab: Details” bookmark
• Show Trends visuals, hide Overview and Details visuals → create “Tab: Trends” bookmark

Set all bookmarks: Data OFF, Display ON

Step 4: Style the active tab

Create two versions of each tab button — one styled as “active” (bold text, bright background) and one as “inactive” (muted colors). In each bookmark, the active tab button is styled or positioned differently.

Or use a simpler approach: a highlight rectangle that moves behind the active tab. Include this rectangle in each bookmark at the correct position.

Step 5: Assign bookmarks to tab buttons

Each tab button gets an Action → Bookmark pointing to its corresponding bookmark.

The result is a professional tabbed interface that makes the report feel like a dedicated application rather than a standard Power BI report.

Step 6: Report Storytelling With Bookmark Groups

Bookmarks can be organized into groups that play as a slideshow — perfect for guided presentations or data stories.

Creating a Bookmark Group

1. In the Bookmarks pane, select multiple bookmarks (hold Ctrl and click)
2. Click the three dots on any selected bookmark → Group
3. A group folder appears containing your selected bookmarks
4. Rename the group: “Q4 Sales Story”

Playing Bookmarks as a Slideshow

1. Click the three dots on a bookmark group → Play
2. Power BI enters presentation mode, cycling through each bookmark in the group
3. Navigation arrows appear for moving forward and backward through the story
4. Press Escape to exit

This is extremely powerful for presenting to executives — each bookmark represents one insight or talking point in your analysis narrative.

Ordering Bookmarks in a Group

Drag bookmarks within the group to reorder them. The slideshow plays in the order they appear in the group.

Step 7: Bookmarks for Conditional Formatting and Visual Swapping

Use bookmarks to let users switch between different chart types showing the same data — for example, toggling between a bar chart and a line chart.

Building a Chart Type Switcher

Step 1: Create both charts

Place a bar chart and a line chart in the exact same position and size (perfectly overlapping). They should show the same data.

Step 2: Name them in the Selection pane

Rename them “Bar Chart” and “Line Chart” in the Selection pane.

Step 3: Create two bookmarks

• Show Bar Chart, hide Line Chart → bookmark “View as Bar”
• Show Line Chart, hide Bar Chart → bookmark “View as Line”

Both bookmarks: Data OFF, Display ON

Step 4: Create toggle buttons

Two buttons: “Bar Chart” and “Line Chart” — each with Action → Bookmark pointing to the appropriate bookmark.

Users now switch between chart types instantly — all showing the same data with the same filter context.

Step 8: Bookmarks With Spotlight and Cross-Filtering

Bookmarks capture spotlight state — when one visual is highlighted and others are dimmed.

Setting Up a Spotlight Bookmark

1. Right-click a visual → Spotlight
2. The selected visual becomes prominent, others dim
3. Create a bookmark in this state — name it “Revenue Spotlight”
4. Create a second bookmark with no spotlight — “Normal View”
5. A button toggling between them creates a focus effect that draws attention to key insights during presentations

Real-World Bookmark Applications

Executive Dashboard With Hidden Detail Panels

A summary dashboard shows high-level KPI cards. A “Details” button reveals a detailed table panel overlaid on the dashboard. An “X” button inside the panel hides it again. Executives see clean KPIs by default and can drill into detail on demand without leaving the page.

Guided Onboarding Overlay

A “Help” button reveals an instructional overlay explaining how to use the dashboard — what each visual shows, how the filters work, what the KPIs mean. A “Close” button hides the overlay. New users get guidance on demand without cluttering the main report.

Monthly Report Story

A presentation-ready report with eight bookmarks walks stakeholders through: revenue summary → regional breakdown → product performance → year-over-year comparison → key insights → recommended actions. The presenter clicks forward through the bookmark group like a slideshow.

A/B Chart Comparison

Two different visualization approaches for the same metric — one showing absolute values, one showing percentage change — are toggled with bookmark buttons. Analysts switch between views to support different analytical perspectives.

Bookmark Use Cases

Use Case	Data ON/OFF	Display ON/OFF	Best For
Save filter state	ON	OFF	Returning to specific data views
Show/hide panel	OFF	ON	Toggle panels without resetting filters
Chart type switcher	OFF	ON	Bar vs line vs table toggle
Tab navigation (same page)	OFF	ON	Custom tabbed interface
Page navigation	OFF	OFF	Use Page Navigation action instead
Presentation story	ON	ON	Guided data stories
Spotlight focus	OFF	ON	Drawing attention during presentations

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Not turning off Data when building show/hide toggles — If Data is ON in your hide/show bookmark, clicking the button also resets the user’s filter context — unexpected and frustrating. Always turn Data OFF for display-only bookmarks
• Forgetting to name objects in the Selection pane — When you have many visuals, Power BI names them “Rectangle 1”, “Rectangle 2”, “Chart 3”. Renaming objects in the Selection pane before creating bookmarks makes management much easier
• Testing buttons with single click in the editor — Buttons only respond to Ctrl+click in the Power BI Desktop editor. A common mistake is thinking buttons are not working when they actually are — you just need to hold Ctrl. In View mode and published reports, a regular click works.
• Creating bookmarks before finalizing visual layout — If you move or resize visuals after creating bookmarks, the bookmarks capture the old positions. Always finalize your layout before creating bookmarks, or update each bookmark after making layout changes
• Not grouping related bookmarks — Ungrouped bookmarks become hard to manage as their number grows. Use groups from the start to organize bookmark sets by function
• Overusing bookmarks when page navigation is simpler — If you just want to navigate between pages, use Page Navigation buttons (Insert → Buttons → Page Navigation) instead of bookmarks. Bookmarks are most valuable when you need to capture specific visual states within a page

Power BI bookmarks unlock a completely different level of interactivity — transforming reports from static views into dynamic, user-controlled experiences that feel like purpose-built applications.

Here is a quick recap of everything we covered:

• Bookmarks capture the current state of a page — filters, slicer selections, and visual visibility
• Use the Bookmarks pane (View → Bookmarks) to create, manage, and organize bookmarks
• Use the Selection pane (View → Selection) to show or hide visuals before creating bookmarks
• Turn Data OFF for display-only bookmarks so they do not reset user filter context
• Connect bookmarks to buttons using Action → Bookmark in the Format pane
• Use bookmark groups for guided presentations and data stories
• Common applications include toggle panels, tab navigation, chart switchers, and storytelling

Start with one simple use case — a show/hide filter panel. Build the two bookmarks, connect them to buttons, test with Ctrl+click. Once that feels natural, the more advanced patterns like tab navigation and presentation stories follow the same underlying logic.

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