Using the Selected Visuals Option of Bookmark to Retain the Slicer Selection Between Different Bookmarks in Power BI

Problem Statement: Retain the slicer selection between different bookmarks.

Below is a simple page where the sales amount is displayed in a table visual with its respective product category and product name.

Along with that, there are:

1. Two slicers – Category and Date
2. One Card visual shows the total sales amount.
   Four buttons on the left side help to switch between four different bookmarks.

Each button corresponds to each bookmark, which is created along with that.

The measure is created to show data in the table where Sales Amount is less than 100 and a bookmark is created for the same. Similarly, measure and bookmark are also created for:

1. Sales between 100 to 1000
2. Sales >1000
3. No filter (all data will be displayed)

Also, Conditional formatting is applied where if the sales are less than 100, the background color should be blue. Likewise:

1. If the sales amount is between 100 to 1000 background should be pink
2. Sales amount greater than 100 background should be green.
3. If there is no filter background should be white

When switching between bookmarks, the user has to select Office Supplies in the slicer again and again if they want to view the sales for the category of Office Supplies.

To prevent this, you can keep the same slicer selection and then easily navigate between different bookmarks.

In the evolving world of Power BI dashboard design, one of the biggest challenges is ensuring a smooth, consistent user experience (UX). Bookmarks are a powerful storytelling tool in Power BI, allowing report creators to capture specific report states and toggle between views seamlessly.

However, a common frustration emerges when switching between bookmarks, Power BI resets slicer selections, forcing users to reapply filters manually.

Imagine an executive dashboard where the user filters Office Supplies or selects a specific date range, and every time they navigate to a different view, those selections are lost. This not only disrupts the analytical flow but also creates friction in decision-making.

That’s where the Selected Visuals option in Power BI bookmarks becomes a true game-changer. It gives you granular control over which visuals update when a bookmark is activated, ensuring that your slicer selections persist while the visuals refresh dynamically.

This small feature has a major business impact, it transforms Power BI dashboards into intuitive, interactive, and context-retaining analytical experiences, especially when dealing with complex, data-driven narratives across multiple metrics.

Solution: In the bookmark tab, there is an option called Selected Visuals. If that option is ticked, changes will apply to the visuals, which are getting updated in the bookmark, instead of the entire page.

Go to the Bookmarks Tab > Click on the ellipsis of the desired bookmark > Select “Selected Visuals” > close the tab.

Apply the same to all the bookmarks.

Now, Select any category value from the category slicer and select the date range from the date slicer

Now, navigate between different bookmarks using the buttons at the left.

Bookmark: Sales amount < 100:

Bookmark: Sales amount between 100 to 1000:

Bookmark: Sales amount >1000:

When you create a bookmark in Power BI, the tool saves the entire page state, including slicer selections, filters, visual configurations, and drill positions. That’s great for static storytelling, but in dynamic dashboards with multiple slicers, it can become restrictive.

By enabling Selected Visuals, Power BI only applies the changes to the visuals you’ve explicitly selected. For example:

• If you select your sales table and card visual before saving the bookmark, Power BI remembers only their states.
• Slicers remain unaffected, preserving the user’s selection.

This ensures users don’t lose context as they navigate between analytical views, a vital requirement for interactive executive dashboards.

When designing advanced Power BI dashboards, combining Selected Visuals with Sync Slicers can create a seamless, multi-page filtering experience that retains slicer values across pages and bookmarks.

The Practical Business Use Case

Think of a real-world scenario:

A Sales Performance Dashboard built for a retail client has multiple bookmarks — one for low-performing products, one for mid-range products, and one for high-value products.

Without the “Selected Visuals” option, each bookmark reset would erase slicer selections (e.g., specific regions or time periods), forcing the user to start over.

But with “Selected Visuals” enabled:

• A regional sales manager can filter for “West Coast” and “Office Supplies”.
• Then seamlessly navigate across bookmarks (Sales <100, 100–1000, >1000).
• The filters remain intact, and only the visuals change dynamically.

The result? Zero rework, faster insights, and smoother storytelling.

This subtle UX improvement translates directly into productivity gains, better data adoption, and higher executive satisfaction — especially when dashboards are used in live meetings or board reviews.

Best Practices for Power BI Bookmarking

Here are a few expert strategies to make your bookmarks more robust:

1. Use clear naming conventions: Always label bookmarks based on their purpose (e.g., Sales < 100, High Value Sales, All Sales).
2. Group bookmarks logically: Power BI allows grouping bookmarks, perfect for creating interactive tabs, storytelling paths, or report states.
3. Pair bookmarks with buttons: Buttons or images can be linked to bookmarks for intuitive navigation, giving users the feel of an application interface.
4. Optimize for performance: Too many bookmarks capturing the full page state can increase file size and refresh latency. The Selected Visuals approach prevents unnecessary overhead.
5. Test across devices: Always verify bookmark and slicer behavior on both Power BI Service and Power BI Mobile for consistent UX.

Addend Analytics Perspective: Beyond Bookmarks

At Addend Analytics, our team of certified Power BI experts helps businesses go beyond visual storytelling — designing data architectures, Power BI governance models, and AI-powered analytics dashboards that scale securely across enterprises.

We’ve implemented Power BI solutions for industries such as:

• Manufacturing: Real-time shop floor analytics.
• Banking & Finance: Interactive risk dashboards with dynamic slicers.
• Retail & FMCG: Category-wise sales reports with persistent filters.
• Healthcare: KPI dashboards with multi-level drill-through filters.

Our Power BI consulting services ensure that features like bookmarks, drillthroughs, and slicer retention aren’t just functional but strategically aligned with how your teams consume insights.

CTA:  Want to build interactive, high-performing Power BI dashboards that retain context and drive real business value?
Book a free Power BI consultation with Addend Analytics today.