Contents

1 What the Input Slicer Is (And What It Replaced)
2 Two Modes: Filtering vs Input (This Matters)
3 How Filtering Works: Operators + Multiple Values
4 “Filter Pills” UX: Editing, Removing, and Clustering
5
6 Report Builder Best Practices
7 Real-World Scenarios
8 Formatting and Configuration Tips
9 Considerations and Limitations
10 Conclusion

Filtering large lists in Power BI should not feel like scrolling endlessly through hundreds of dropdown values.

The Power BI input slicer makes filtering faster and smarter by allowing users to type or paste values directly into a slicer.

Instead of searching through long lists of Order IDs, account numbers, or SKUs, users can enter what they know, including partial values, and instantly filter the report.

Whether you are building reports for business users or designing translytical workflows, the Power BI input slicer provides a cleaner and more efficient filtering experience.

What the Input Slicer Is (And What It Replaced)

The Power BI input slicer was previously released in preview as the Text slicer. It has now been renamed and made available for everyone.

How It Works

The interaction model is simple:

The user types a value
Presses Enter or selects Apply
The value becomes a filter pill
Matching records are filtered instantly

This eliminates dropdown searching and makes filtering large datasets significantly faster.

For report consumers, the experience feels far more natural with this approach. Instead of adapting to the report itself, they can start with the values they already have in front of them (like order numbers or names from a CRM).

Two Modes: Filtering vs Input (This Matters)

The Power BI input slicer operates in two distinct modes. Choosing the correct one depends on your report design goals.

1) With a Data Column (Filtering Mode)

When you assign a text column to the input slicer:

It functions as a filter
Typed values are matched against the selected column
An operator determines how matching is performed

This behaves like an advanced, text-driven slicer optimized for large datasets, and it’s the mode that we tend to teach first on our London Power BI workshops because it’s so approachable and convenient.

Instead of forcing your users to scroll through hundreds or even thousands of entries, the report lets them work directly from memory and pasted values.

2) Without a Data Column (Input Mode)

When no column is assigned:

Filtering is disabled
The visual becomes a pure input control

This configuration supports translytical task flows, including:

Comments
Approval notes
Writeback parameters
Operational workflows

In this mode, the slicer collects input instead of filtering visuals.

How Filtering Works: Operators + Multiple Values

One of the most powerful capabilities of the Power BI input slicer is operator-based filtering combined with multi-value input.

Each entered value becomes its own filter pill, impacting filter context and enabling compound filters.

Available Operators

Contains any
Contains all
Starts with any
Is any (exact match)
Negative variants:
- Does not contain
- Is not any

These operators allow partial matches, exact matches, prefix filtering and exclusion filtering.

Check out this table for a quick overview of what operator will work best for you!

If you want to…	Use this operator
Find records containing a word or phrase anywhere	Contains any
Filter to records that include all of several terms	Contains all
Match by the beginning of a value (e.g. surname “Sm…”)	Starts with any
Paste exact IDs, codes, or account numbers from Excel	Is any
Exclude specific values from results	Is not any / Does not contain

Note: Report creators set the default operator – but consumers can change it after you publish. If your users are changing it unexpectedly, lock the operator in the Format pane.

Once you have chosen your operator, enable multi-value input, so users can have more than one filter at a time.

Go to:
Format pane → Slicer settings → Options → Accept multiple values

“Filter Pills” UX: Editing, Removing, and Clustering

Filter pills make the Power BI input slicer visually distinct from traditional slicers.

Users can:

Double-click a pill to edit
Click X to remove
Expand clustered pills when many values exist

When multiple values are entered, pills automatically cluster to preserve layout space.

Report Builder Best Practices

Place the input slicer in a dedicated Filter Zone at the top of the page
Provide enough horizontal space
Avoid placing it in narrow side panels

This ensures optimal usability.

Real-World Scenarios

Sales

Filter specific Account IDs using Is any for exact matches. Ideal for campaign follow-ups.

This can work super well for account management teams who already have a list of accounts in Excel or a CRM export.

Instead of recreating filters manually, they can paste several knows values at once and move straight into their analysis.

Support

Search partial surnames like “John…” using Starts with any to narrow customer records.

Very useful when support teams don’t have a full reference numbers, but do have partial customer details – maybe from a phone call or a ticket.

In cases like this, fast narrowing is often the most valuable approach.

Translytical

When organisations explore writeback or operational reporting, the input slicer becomes very useful.

It helps support the idea that reports can sit closer to business processes, rather than being limited to passive dashboards.

You can collect:

Comments
Approval notes
Workflow input

All using Input mode in task flows.

Finance / Operations

Finance and operations users are often working with lists that already exist – just outside of Power BI.

The ability to paste directly into a slicer removes a lot of repetitive clicking.

Users can paste SKU codes or invoice numbers copied from Excel directly into the Power BI input slicer to instantly filter reports.

This is significantly faster than searching dropdown lists.

Formatting and Configuration Tips

You can customize:

Operator dropdown display (icon vs icon + text)
Apply button formatting
Input box styling
Dismiss button visibility

Clean UI Tip! To hide Apply or Dismiss buttons:

Set Icon size = 0

This creates a cleaner, minimalist interface.

Considerations and Limitations

Be aware of these constraints:

The Power BI input slicer supports text columns only
Right-click paste is not supported
Keyboard paste (Ctrl+V) works

Workaround for Numeric IDs

If filtering numeric IDs:

Create a calculated text column using FORMAT()
Use the new text column in the input slicer

Trainer Insight – From the Acuity Training Classroom
The most common confusion we see on our Power BI courses is when a tries to use the input slicer on a column of Order IDs or invoice numbers – and it simply doesn’t work.
The visual appears, they type a value, press Enter, and nothing filters. There’s no error message either!
The reason is almost always the same: the ID column is stored as a whole number, not text.
Power BI’s input slicer only works with text columns, and there’s no warning that tells you this is the problem.
The fix is a calculated column using the FORMAT() function:

Order ID Text = FORMAT([Order ID], "0")

Add this column to your data model, assign it to the input slicer instead, and it works immediately.
It’s a two-minute fix once you know it – but without knowing the root cause, delegates spend a long time wondering if the slicer is broken.

Conclusion

The Power BI input slicer is the best solution when:

Filtering large lists
Searching by partial memory
Pasting known values
Improving consumer-first UX

Compared to traditional dropdown slicers, it delivers faster, scalable filtering while also enabling input-driven translytical workflows.

For advanced report design, consider exploring:

Input slicer + field parameters
Designing filter zones vs input zones
Building translytical task flow patterns

The Power BI input slicer is more than a filtering tool; it’s a usability upgrade for modern Power BI reports.