TL;DR
The Power BI text slicer is now the input slicer, and it is no longer in preview. It adds a search box to a report, so readers type a value instead of scrolling a long list. You pick a column and a matching rule, such as contains or starts with. Each value readers type becomes a small tag that they can edit or remove. It works on one column, so searching several fields needs a combined column. Leave the column empty and it collects typed input, such as comments or approvals.
Key Takeaways Microsoft renamed the text slicer to the input slicer and made it generally available in February 2026, so no preview switch is needed. Seven filter operators control matching, and Contains any is the default. Typed values become pills that readers can edit, remove, and combine across text and numeric columns. Edit interactions decide which visuals the slicer filters, and it filters other slicers by default. The visual takes one data column, so multi-field search needs a combined column or a custom visual. With no data column, the same visual becomes an input control for translytical task flows. The Search Box Your Report Readers Kept Asking For A category manager opens a sales report and needs one product out of tens of thousands. The dropdown scrolls and scrolls. She gives up and exports the data to Excel, which is exactly what the report was built to prevent.
Report authors spent years patching this gap with search boxes, bookmarks, and disconnected tables. Microsoft shipped a native answer in November 2024 as the text slicer, which the November 2024 feature summary introduced as a preview. In February 2026 it became generally available under a new name, the input slicer.
Both names describe the same visual. Which one your team uses decides what you search for online and what you see in the Visualizations pane.
What Is the Power BI Text Slicer and Why Is It Now Called the Input Slicer? The text slicer is a visual in Power BI that filters a report from values a reader types or pastes. Instead of listing every distinct value, it shows an input box. The reader enters text, presses Enter, and the report narrows to matching rows.
Microsoft’s documentation states the change plainly. The visual was called text slicer during preview and is now generally available as the input slicer . The Power BI update archive records the rename and general availability in the February 2026 release.
The timeline matters if you read older tutorials. The preview arrived in November 2024 and sat behind a Preview features switch, as Wise Owl’s November 2024 notes also record. General availability followed in February 2026, and conditional formatting for the visual arrived in March 2026.
The input slicer works in both Power BI Desktop and the Power BI service. A tutorial that tells you to enable a preview toggle describes a step you no longer need on a current build.
Area Text slicer preview (November 2024) Input slicer (generally available) Name in the Visualizations pane Text slicer Input slicer Status Preview feature Generally available since February 2026 Turn-on step Options and settings, then Preview features, then restart None on a current build Matching Contains-style text matching Seven filter operators, with Contains any as the default Formatting Basic text box styling Operator dropdown, apply button, input box, and filter pills, plus conditional formatting since March 2026
How to Add a Text Slicer (Input Slicer) in Power BI You need Power BI Desktop from the February 2026 release or later to see the visual under its current name. The steps below use a small sample table, so you can follow along in a blank report and check every result.
Step 1: Create the Sample Data In Power BI Desktop, go to Modeling and select New table. Paste the formula below. It builds an Items table with eight rows, one brand per row, plus a category, an item name, and a sales figure.
Items =
DATATABLE(
"Brand", STRING,
"Category", STRING,
"Item", STRING,
"Sales", INTEGER,
{
{"Brand 10", "Footwear", "Trail Runner", 420},
{"Brand 11", "Footwear", "City Sneaker", 310},
{"Brand 12", "Apparel", "Rain Jacket", 275},
{"Brand 2", "Apparel", "Fleece Vest", 190},
{"Brand 21", "Accessories", "Canvas Belt", 95},
{"Brand 3", "Accessories", "Wool Cap", 60},
{"Brand 30", "Footwear", "Hiking Boot", 385},
{"Brand 4", "Apparel", "Sun Hat", 120}
}
)Step 2: Add the Input Slicer and One Column Select an empty spot on the canvas, then choose the input slicer from the Visualizations pane. Drag the Brand column from the Items table into the visual. Add a table visual beside it with Brand, Category, Item, and Sales, so you can watch the filter work.
Step 3: Type a Value and Pick an Operator Click the input box, type Brand 1, and press Enter. The text turns into a pill and the table filters. With the default Contains any operator, the table shows Brand 10, Brand 11, and Brand 12.
Brand 21 stays out, because its text contains the digit 1 but not the phrase Brand 1. Use the operator dropdown on the visual to change how the text matches. The next section lists all seven options.
Step 4: Allow Multiple Values Open the Format pane, expand Visual, then Slicer settings, and open Options. Turn on the setting that accepts multiple values. Each Enter now adds another pill, and the operator decides how the pills combine.
If You Cannot Find the Input Slicer Builds older than the February 2026 release list the visual as the text slicer under File, Options and settings, Options, Preview features. Updating Power BI Desktop is the cleaner fix. Reports on the February 2026 release describe new operators such as Starts with any, Does not start with any, and Contains all.
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Explore Power BI Report Services → Filter Operators in the Input Slicer, With Examples Seven operators control how typed text matches your data. Report creators set the starting operator from the dropdown on the visual. After publishing, readers can switch to another operator at any time.
Operator What it returns Example on the sample Brand column Contains all Records that contain every typed value Pills Brand and 1 return Brand 10, 11, 12, and 21 Contains any (default) Records that contain at least one typed value Pills 30 and 21 return Brand 30 and Brand 21 Does not contain any Excludes records that contain any typed value The value 1 returns Brand 2, 3, 30, and 4 Starts with any Records that start with any typed value Brand 1 returns Brand 10, 11, and 12 Does not start with any Excludes records that start with any typed value Brand 1 returns Brand 2, 21, 3, 30, and 4 Is any Records that match any typed value exactly Pills Brand 2 and Brand 4 return only those two brands Is not any Excludes records that match any typed value exactly Brand 2 returns the other seven brands, including Brand 21
Operator choice should follow the data. Is any suits IDs and codes where only an exact match is correct. Contains any suits names and descriptions that readers half remember.
Starts with any fits coded prefixes, such as a region or plant code. The exclusion operators suit requests like show everything except these vendors. They pair well with a short list of pills that readers can see at a glance.
Show the operator name on the visual. The Filter operator formatting card can show the icon alone or the icon with text. The text version tells readers which rule is active without a tooltip.
Does the Input Slicer Ignore Case? The input slicer guide says nothing about case. Microsoft’s DirectQuery guidance states that the engine behind Power BI is case insensitive. It warns that a case-sensitive source can return undefined results.
If you use DirectQuery against a case-sensitive source, normalize casing in the source query or in Power Query. Direct Lake models can use a different collation from Import models. Run a quick test with mixed-case values on the model you will ship, and write the result into your report standards.
Multiple Values, Filter Pills, and Numeric Filtering When you press Enter or select the apply button, the text you typed in the text slicer becomes a pill. Pills show the active filters at a glance. Double-click a pill to edit it, select the X to remove it, and select a cluster to expand many pills at once.
Pills give the operators their meaning. With Contains any, each extra pill widens the result. With Contains all, each extra pill narrows it.
Add the pills Brand and 1 under Contains all, and only brands that contain both appear. Here that means Brand 10, 11, 12, and 21.
Numeric Filtering Syntax The input slicer also accepts numeric columns. Add a numeric column, then type expressions instead of text. Microsoft documents a range such as 1-2, a greater than test such as >2, a less than test such as <2, and a single value.
Put the Sales column from the sample table into a second input slicer. Typing >300 returns the three items above that figure. Typing 100-200 returns the two items inside that range.
Pills combine across expressions. Microsoft’s own example mixes 1, 2, 4-5, and >600 to return several values and ranges at once.
Pasting Values Ctrl+V works while the input box is active, but the context menu paste option is not available. The slicers overview adds that the input slicer does not support the Paste feature that selects a whole list of values. You can still paste individual values into the box.
Real-World Scenarios for the Input Slicer The visual earns its place on fields where readers already know what to type. Four patterns suit it well.
Sales teams look up one account in a customer list of thousands. Contains any on the customer name finds partial matches, and Is any on a customer ID finds exact ones. Support teams search tickets by number or by a fragment of the requester name, with Is any for the first and Contains any for the second. Finance teams filter invoice lines by a vendor code prefix with Starts with any, then drop test vendors with Does not contain any. Operations teams type an SKU, or a range such as 1000-5000, into a numeric input slicer. Each scenario pairs one field with one operator. Write that pairing into your report standards, so readers get the same behavior on every page.
Power BI Text Filter Options: Input Slicer vs Slicer Search vs the Filters Pane The phrase text filter covers several features. They look alike on a report page but behave differently for readers and for authors.
Option Best for How readers match text Watch for Input slicer Typing or pasting values, partial and exact matching, numeric expressions Seven operators, with typed values shown as pills One data column per visual Slicer (Dropdown or Vertical list) with Search Picking from a list of known values A search box narrows the list, then readers select values. Turn it on under Slicer settings, or press Ctrl+F Readers must see the values to choose them List slicer (preview) Long lists that need hierarchies, search, and conditional formatting Search inside a vertical list Still a preview feature Filters pane (Basic or Advanced filtering) Author-controlled filters at visual, page, or report level Conditions set in the pane Hidden until opened, so it suits authors more than readers Text Search Slicer custom visual Searching one or more text fields from one box Case-insensitive contains search with wildcards, per the project page Third-party visual, no hierarchy fields, and not compatible with the Clear all slicers button
The slicers overview and the Slicer visual guide support the first four rows, and the Text Search Slicer project page describes the last. The Slicer visual guide also points readers who want a freeform experience with more operators to the input slicer.
Pick the input slicer when readers know what they want to type, such as an order number, a customer name fragment, or a product code. A dropdown or vertical list slicer fits readers who need to see the available values before choosing. The Filters pane suits filters that authors control.
A slicer is not a security control. It only narrows what a visual shows. Use row-level security when some users must never see certain rows.
Control What the Input Slicer Filters By default, a slicer filters every other visual on the page, including other slicers. That default helps with dependent slicers and hurts on pages with unrelated visuals.
Use Edit Interactions Select the input slicer. On the Format menu, choose Edit interactions. Icons appear above the other visuals, and None stops the slicer from filtering that visual.
Power BI saves the setting with the report, so readers get the same behavior. The visual interactions guide explains each interaction icon.
Build a Dependent Brand Slicer Add a second slicer in the Vertical list style and drop the Brand column into it. Leave interactions on. Type Brand 1 into the input slicer under Starts with any, and the list shrinks to Brand 10, Brand 11, and Brand 12.
Select Brand 11 in the list, and the table and charts update to that brand. This pattern suits long lists. Readers type a few characters to cut the list down, then pick the exact value.
Sync Slicers Across Pages Select Sync slicers on the View ribbon to carry a selection to other pages. In the pane, the Sync column picks the pages where the selection applies, and the Visible column picks where the slicer appears. A slicer that is synced to a page but hidden there still filters that page’s data.
Field parameters also run through slicers. Before you add an input slicer to a page that lets readers swap measures, review how field parameters in Power BI behave.
Pages with several slicers can add Apply all slicers and Clear all slicers buttons from Insert, then Buttons. Test them with your input slicer first.
Searching Several Columns With One Input Slicer The input slicer takes one data column. Microsoft’s walkthrough adds a single column to the visual, and practitioner write-ups report that it cannot search across several fields at once. SQLBI describes the same single-column limit for native slicers.
That matters when readers type a product name, a category, or a SKU and expect any of them to match. The visual works as a filter. It applies one of seven matching rules to one column and does not rank results by relevance.
A combined column solves the common case. Create a calculated column that joins the fields with a space, then put that column in the slicer.
Step 1: Create the Search Key Column Select the Items table, then choose New column in Table view or Report view. A calculated column is a DAX formula evaluated for every row, and Microsoft’s guide to calculated columns shows a concatenation with an ampersand. For a deeper look at the syntax, read our guide to DAX calculated columns .
Search Key = Items[Brand] & " " & Items[Category] & " " & Items[Item]COMBINEVALUES joins text with a constant delimiter and does the same job here. Microsoft built it mainly to support multi-column relationships in DirectQuery models, so the ampersand version is easier to read.
Step 2: Put the Search Key in the Slicer Drag Search Key into the input slicer in place of Brand. Set the operator to Contains all and allow multiple values. Type Footwear and press Enter, then type Brand 1 and press Enter.
The table returns Brand 10 and Brand 11. Those are the two footwear rows whose brand starts with Brand 1. Switch the operator to Contains any and the same two pills return every footwear row plus every Brand 1 row.
Know the Trade-Offs A calculated column costs something. In Import mode it is materialized, so it adds work at refresh. In DirectQuery mode it is not materialized, so the cost moves to query time.
The materialization table also lists standard calculated columns as unavailable on Direct Lake. For those models, build the key upstream in the lakehouse or warehouse. Our guides to composite models and Direct Lake semantic models cover how storage modes differ.
Keep the key short. A long description field makes the column large and slows every search. Join the three or four fields readers actually search.
Columns from related tables join in through RELATED, and a star schema keeps that join simple. Our notes on Power BI data modeling best practices explain why.
A custom visual can search several columns without a helper column. The open source Text Search Slicer searches one or more text fields and supports wildcards, but it skips hierarchy fields. Check your organization’s custom visual policy before you add any third-party visual.
Test Performance Before You Publish Open the Optimize ribbon, select Performance analyzer, and choose Start recording. Type into the slicer and read the log. The Performance analyzer guide explains that each interaction shows DAX query, Direct query, Visual display, and Other times for every visual.
A slow result tells you whether the search key, the visuals, or the source is the bottleneck. Run the test on production-sized data, since eight sample rows prove nothing about speed.
DirectQuery models need extra care. The DirectQuery guidance lists advanced text contains and begins filters and multi-select slicers among the features that can add queries or degrade performance.
It recommends query reduction options such as an Apply button for slicers, and it suggests aiming for common visual refresh times under 5 seconds. For known IDs, an exact match with Is any should give the source less work than a broad contains search.
Format the Input Slicer for Report Consumers Formatting decides whether readers understand the visual without help. In the Format pane, under Visual, the options group into five areas.
Slicer settings control whether the visual accepts single or multiple values. Filter operator controls whether the dropdown shows an icon or an icon with text. Apply button and the dismiss button on pills can be restyled, or hidden by setting their icon size to 0. Input box sets the colors, borders, and text of the typing area. Conditional formatting through Fx arrived in March 2026 for text colors, icon colors, borders, and accent bars. Give each input slicer a title that names the field, such as Search Brand. Place it above the visuals it filters. State the matching rule in the title when the operator is not the default.
Keep one input slicer per field per page. Our guides to data visualization best practices and Power BI dashboard development cover the wider layout rules.
Test the visual where readers use it. Check the phone layout, any embedded copy of the report, and keyboard-only entry. Microsoft’s input slicer guide does not document those scenarios, so verify them in your own environment.
Checklist
Power BI Best Practices Checklist
Check slicer formatting, report layout, and release standards against a practical Power BI checklist before the next report goes live.
Get the Power BI Best Practices Checklist → Input Mode and Translytical Task Flows Leave the data column empty and the input slicer stops filtering. It becomes an input control that passes what a reader types to something else. Microsoft documents this mode for translytical task flows , such as comments, annotations, writebacks, and approvals.
Translytical task flows run Fabric user data functions from a report button. Microsoft’s overview shows a report where the reader enters a new discount value in an input slicer and selects Submit discount. The function then updates the source records that match the report filters.
Two settings help here. Turn on Numeric input only under Format, Visual, Slicer settings, Options when the field must be a number. Plan for the documented limits as well, since data function buttons do not rebind across workspaces and functions must return a string.
Treat input mode as a write path. Decide who can submit, where the values land, and how you audit them before the report reaches readers. Release changes through a controlled path, such as Power BI deployment pipelines .
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Book a Working Session → Troubleshooting an Input Slicer That Returns Nothing Start with the cheapest checks. Most empty results come from a rule that is working exactly as configured.
Is any matches whole values only, so Brand 1 will not match Brand 10, which makes the operator the first suspect. With multiple values off, the slicer holds one value, so a second entry cannot combine with the first. A visual set to None under Edit interactions ignores the slicer. Another slicer upstream may already exclude your match, because slicers filter other slicers by default. A slicer synced from another page can filter this page even when it is hidden here. Context menu paste is unavailable, so use Ctrl+V in the active input box. Builds from before the February 2026 release show the visual as text slicer under Preview features. Typed values that do not match your data exactly return nothing, so test with exact values and then loosen the rule. In the Power BI service, filters and slicer values persist between sessions, and Reset to default returns readers to the state you saved. If results are right but slow, use Performance analyzer before you change the model.
How Kanerika Helps Teams Standardize Power BI Reporting A slicer feature is easy to demo and hard to standardize. Report quality drifts when every author picks different operators, interactions, and layouts. Kanerika builds Power BI reporting for enterprise clients, and its Chief Analytics Officer, Amit Chandak, is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP.
On a fund reporting engagement for a private equity fund administrator, the team mapped reporting requirements through structured workshops. It defined best-practice templates that standardized fund data formats. It then built interactive reports with filters and drill-downs, which gave limited partners and internal teams self-service access to capital activity and valuations.
The result was a 70% reduction in manual reporting hours per quarter, with 100% visibility across capital activity, valuations, and compliance. The Phoenix Recycling program also relied on filters, with a Daily Intake Dashboard built on advanced filters and auto-updating features. It reported 60% more efficient reporting and 50% quicker performance monitoring.
The pattern carries straight over to the input slicer. Standardize the operator for each field type, document the interaction map for each page, and test slicer response with Performance analyzer before release.
Our overview of self-service business intelligence shows where those standards pay off. Kanerika is a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Data and AI with the Analytics Specialization.
Case Study
70% Fewer Manual Hours in Fund Reporting with Power BI
A private equity fund administrator replaced Excel and email reporting with interactive Power BI reports. Filters and drill-downs gave limited partners and internal teams self-service access, cutting manual reporting hours per quarter by 70%.
See the Fund Reporting Case Study → Wrapping Up The text slicer is now the input slicer, and the change is more than a rename. Seven operators, filter pills, numeric expressions, and an input mode turn it into a practical lookup control for large reports.
Pick the operator that fits your data and control the interactions on each page. Build a search key when readers need to search several fields at once, then check the result with Performance analyzer. A little design work turns a typing box into the fastest route through a long list.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add a slicer to a Power BI visual? With nothing selected on the canvas, select the Slicer icon in the Visualizations pane. Pick a field in the Data pane, and the slicer lists that field’s unique values. Resize it, then select values to filter the other visuals on the page. Hold Ctrl for several values, or use the input slicer when readers should type.
What is the difference between a filter and a slicer in Power BI? A slicer sits on the report canvas, so readers see the current filter state at a glance. The Filters pane stays hidden until opened and works at visual, page, or report level. Microsoft’s comparison favors slicers for frequently used filters and the Filters pane for complex filtering and report authors.
How to link a slicer to a visual in Power BI? Slicers filter the other visuals on a page by default, so no link is needed. To limit the effect, select the slicer and choose Edit interactions on the Format menu. Filter controls appear above each visual, and None stops the slicer from filtering that visual. Power BI saves the setting with the report.
What is the input slicer visual (previously called text slicer)? The input slicer filters report data from free-form text or numeric input. Microsoft called it the text slicer during preview and released it as the input slicer in February 2026. Authors pick a data column and a filter operator, readers type values, and each value becomes a pill. Without a column, it collects input for translytical task flows.
How to add a text slicer in Power BI? Choose the input slicer in the Visualizations pane and drag one text or numeric column into it. Click the input box, type a value, and press Enter. Pick an operator from the dropdown, such as Contains any or Starts with any. Open Format, Visual, Slicer settings, Options to allow multiple values.
What is a text slicer? A text slicer is the earlier name of the input slicer, a visual that filters a report from typed text. It works like a search box on the canvas. Readers enter part of a name, code, or number. The other visuals then narrow to matching rows, so nobody scrolls a long list.
How to enable text search in Power BI slicer? For list-style slicers, select the Search option under Slicer settings for the Dropdown or Vertical list style. You can also select the ellipsis menu and choose Search, or press Ctrl+F. A search bar appears and filters the visible values as you type. For typed filtering with operators, use the input slicer instead.
How to customize a slicer in Power BI? Use the Format pane. The Slicer visual keeps most options under Slicer settings, Slicer header, and Values. They cover style, titles, colors, and selection controls such as Select all and Single select. The input slicer adds formatting for the operator dropdown, apply button, input box, and filter pills, plus conditional formatting through Fx.
Can a visual filter a slicer in Power BI? Not in the usual way. Slicers filter other visuals, and other slicers can filter a slicer by default, which is how dependent slicers work. Community answers report that clicking a chart does not change a slicer’s list. If you need that behavior, move the selection into a second slicer or redesign the page.
How to make slicers only affect certain visuals in Power BI? Select the slicer, then choose Edit interactions on the Format menu. Icons appear above every other visual on the page. Select None on each visual the slicer should ignore, and leave Filter on the rest. The settings are saved with the report, so every reader gets the same behavior on every visit.
What are the filter operators in the Power BI input slicer? The input slicer offers seven operators. Contains all, Contains any, and Starts with any keep matching records. Does not contain any and Does not start with any exclude them. Is any matches exact values and Is not any excludes exact values. Contains any is the default, and readers can change the operator after publishing.
Can the Power BI input slicer search multiple columns? Not natively. The visual takes one data column, and practitioner write-ups report that it cannot search several fields at once. Create a calculated column that joins the fields with spaces, then bind that column to the slicer. A custom visual such as the Text Search Slicer can search several text fields, but it needs governance approval.
What are the two types of slicers in Power BI? Power BI has more than two. The Slicer visual covers vertical list, dropdown, tile, between, before, after, relative date, relative time, and date picker styles. Beyond it sit the Button slicer, the List slicer in preview, and the Input slicer. Each one suits a different data type or filtering need on a report page.
Does the input slicer work in the Power BI service? Yes. Microsoft’s input slicer guide applies to both Power BI Desktop and the Power BI service. Readers can type values in a published report and change the operator from the dropdown at any time. Use a Desktop build from February 2026 or later to see the visual under its current name.
How do I filter an input slicer by multiple values? Open the Format pane, expand Visual, Slicer settings, and Options, then turn on the setting that accepts multiple values. Each entry becomes a pill. Under Contains any, extra pills widen the result. Under Contains all, they narrow it. Double-click a pill to edit it, or select the X to remove it.
Can the input slicer filter numeric columns? Yes. The input slicer supports text and numeric columns. For a numeric column, type a single value, a range such as 1-2, or a test such as >2 or <2. Pills can combine several expressions, such as 1, 2, 4-5, and >600. Microsoft's guide does not spell out boundary handling, so test edge values on your own data.
What is input mode in the input slicer? Input mode applies when you add no data column. Filtering turns off and the slicer becomes a parameter control that collects text or numbers. Microsoft documents it for translytical task flows, such as comments, annotations, writebacks, and approvals. A Numeric input only setting limits entry to numbers, and invalid input shows feedback to the reader.
Why is my input slicer not filtering? Check the operator first, because Is any needs a full exact value. Then check whether Edit interactions set the target visual to None, whether another slicer already excludes the match, and whether multiple values are enabled. Also confirm you pressed Enter or the apply button, since the text becomes a pill only after that.
What is the difference between a text slicer and a text filter? The text slicer, now the input slicer, is a visual on the canvas where readers type values. A text filter usually means a condition in the Filters pane, such as Advanced filtering on a text field. The slicer suits readers who change filters often. The Filters pane suits author-controlled filtering that stays out of sight.
Can I paste a list of values into an input slicer? You can paste an individual value with Ctrl+V while the input box is active, but context menu paste is not available. Microsoft’s slicers overview adds that the input slicer does not support the Paste feature that selects a whole list of values. Use the Slicer, List slicer, or Button slicer when readers paste long lists.
Is the Power BI input slicer case sensitive? Microsoft’s input slicer guide does not say. Microsoft does state that the Power BI engine is case insensitive and that a case-sensitive DirectQuery source can return undefined results. Normalize casing in the source query or Power Query for such sources. Direct Lake models can use a different collation, so test mixed-case values on your own model.
How do I hide the apply button on an input slicer? In the Format pane under Visual, expand Apply button, or expand Filters for the dismiss button on pills. Set the Icon size to 0 to hide the button. Hide the apply button only when readers know to press Enter. Keep the dismiss button visible if readers need an easy way to remove a value.
What are the disadvantages of slicers? Slicers use canvas space, and each change sends queries to the data model. A page with many slicers can feel slow, especially on DirectQuery models. By default a slicer also filters every other visual, including other slicers, so unplanned interactions confuse readers. Edit interactions and the Apply all slicers button reduce those problems.
When to use slicer vs filter? Use a slicer when readers need a visible, interactive control for filters they change often. Use the Filters pane for complex or author-controlled filtering, since it stays hidden until opened. Filters set in the pane at visual, page, or report level also apply without taking canvas space on the page.
How to change slicer type in Power BI? Select the slicer, open the Format pane, and expand Visual, then Slicer settings, then Options. Use the Style dropdown to choose Dropdown, Vertical list, Tile, Between, or another style that suits the data type. The input slicer is a separate visual in the Visualizations pane, so add it there instead of switching styles.
What is the purpose of a slicer? A slicer filters other visuals on the report page from a control that readers can see and use. It shows the current filter state without opening a pane. Report authors use slicers for the filters readers change most, such as date, region, or product, and they can control which visuals respond.
How do you preview text slicer in Power BI? You no longer need to. Microsoft renamed the text slicer to the input slicer and released it as generally available in February 2026. On a current build, pick the input slicer from the Visualizations pane. Older builds list it as the text slicer under File, Options and settings, Options, Preview features, and need a restart.
How to add a text filter in Power BI? Use the Filters pane for an author-controlled filter. Drag a text field into the visual, page, or report section, then pick Basic or Advanced filtering and set the conditions. For a filter that readers control on the canvas, add an input slicer, choose a text column, and let readers type values.
What is a slicer visual? A slicer is a visual that filters other visuals on the report page. It appears on the canvas as a list, dropdown, tiles, range, date picker, or typing box. Selections made in it narrow what the other visuals show, and the slicer displays the current filter state for anyone reading the page.
