How To Update Bookmarks In Power Bi

In the world of Power BI, Bookmarks offer a dynamic way to enhance reports by saving report states—including filters, slicers, visuals, and settings—so users can navigate through insights with just a few buttons. Whether you’re a report designer, report owner, or a Power BI service for business users subscriber, understanding how to update and use Bookmarks can significantly improve your report’s navigation and user experience.

What Are Bookmarks in Power BI?

Bookmarks in Power BI allow a report creator or report owner to save a specific visual set, filters, slicer type, canvas view, and Selection Pane visibility to create a tailored exploration experience for the user. These bookmarks can include:

• Visual selection
• Filters and cross – filters
• Slicers, including Region filter and Drill location
• Settings
• Bookmark title bar and bookmark icon
• Bookmark active and previous bookmark state

This snapshot can then be accessed from the Bookmarks pane, added to a dashboard, shared via apps or workspace, and even linked to buttons or custom visuals to guide users through a series of insights.

How to Update a Bookmark in Power BI

Updating a bookmark is simple, but knowing the tricks can ensure your bookmark navigation experience is seamless and error-free.

1. Select the elements you want included—like fields, slicers, or visuals.
2. Open the Bookmarks pane from the View tab.
3. Click the ellipsis (…) next to the bookmark and select Update.

This will capture the current state of your report, including any filters, dropdown choices, canvas settings, and Visual selection.

Tip: Use the Selection Pane to manage visibility of visuals or layers that appear when a bookmark is activated.

You can also use sync-slicers for consistent slicer behavior across multiple pages in a single report. This makes for cleaner navigation and helps avoid cross-highlight filters mismatching.

Using Buttons to Navigate Bookmarks

Integrating buttons with Bookmarks enables interactive navigation. To do this:

• Insert a button from the ribbon.
• Set the action type to Bookmark.
• Choose a bookmark from the dropdown menu.

You can also use arrows or icons in the corner or upper-right corner of visuals to simulate forward/backward navigation (like a bookmark slide experience).

Pair this with selection cross and cross – filters for more powerful storytelling. Want to revert? Use a previous bookmark action.

Personal Bookmarks vs Shared Bookmarks

Power BI offers Personal bookmarks for users to create their own views. These:

• Can be saved per person
• Work within the Power BI service for business users
• Support access via menu or bookmark icon
• Allow for bookmark active states during sessions

Shared bookmarks, on the other hand, are created by report owners and published to apps, workspaces, or shared channels.

Considerations and Limitations

There are a few considerations to keep in mind:

• There’s a limit to the number of bookmarks per report based on capacity and Power BI service tier (such as Premium vs non-premium).
• Mobile devices like tablets and phones may display Bookmarks differently.
• Bookmark navigation experience may be inconsistent across custom visuals.
• Some error messages can appear if bookmark menu elements or synced filters aren’t properly configured.
• You must have reshare permissions to share a report with bookmarks to other recipients.

Power BI Monthly Update & Bookmark Enhancements

Every Power BI Monthly Update often includes report designer updates to improve Bookmarks. Recent release notes highlighted:

• Improved dropdown responsiveness
• Streamlined exit behavior on bookmark slide navigation
• Better syncing of slicers and filters for Power BI service for designers & users
• Bookmark support for custom visual states and synced Region filters

Stay on top of these updates via Power BI update blogs, tutorials, and article announcements on the Power BI channel.

Final Thoughts

Using Bookmarks effectively in PowerBI allows for powerful storytelling, faster navigation, and enhanced user interaction. From cross – filters to syncing dropdowns across pages, the right bookmark setup ensures a professional, intuitive experience.

Explore further with tutorials, apply what you’ve learned, and don’t forget to check for updates in the Power BI Monthly Update to take advantage of new features.

Need help designing or troubleshooting your bookmark navigation experience? Contact our team at Enabla for hands-on consulting and Power BI excellence.