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Live filters

Explore a layer interactively — drag a range slider or tick values and the map, table and charts update as you go.

Filters let you explore a layer without writing an expression. Add a filter on any field, then drag a slider or tick values. The map, the attribute table and charts all follow straight away, and the panel shows how many features are left.

Filter census areas by children per km² with a range slider, then tick two school catchments. The map and table follow.

Open the Filters panel

Open it from any of these:

  • The Filters button in the side nav.
  • Filter… in a layer’s ⋯ menu.
  • The filter badge on a layer that already has filters.

On a computer the panel is a floating card. Drag it by its header to move it, double-click the header (or use the arrow) to Minimise it, and Close it when you’re done; filters stay on after it closes. On a phone it opens as a sheet from the bottom.

Add a filter

  1. Choose a layer to filter… (or Filter another layer… to add a second layer).
  2. Select Add filter and Choose a field…. Each field shows whether it’s a number, a date, or how many distinct values it has.

The layer’s header shows how many features are shown of its total, e.g. 1,204 of 3,876.

Filters work on data layers: files you’ve dropped in, layers you’ve drawn, and features copied from web services or saved from Open data. Live tile layers use a layer filter instead (see Styling layers).

Range filters (numbers and dates)

A number or date field gets a histogram with a two-handle slider. Drag either handle to set the range, drag the shaded band to slide the whole range along, or type the from and to values. Dates work the same way. Features outside the range disappear from the map as you drag.

Value filters (categories)

A text field gets a list of its values with a count beside each. Tick values to keep only those; with nothing ticked, everything shows. Search values finds one in a long list; rarer values beyond the first few are found by searching.

When a layer has several filters, each list’s counts reflect the other filters, so you can see what is left before you tick.

Manage filters

  • Each filter has an on/off switch (turning it off keeps its values) and a delete button to remove it.
  • Clear resets one layer’s filters; Clear all in the panel header resets every filter.
  • A number or date filter can switch between a range slider and a list of individual values.

The filters you add are saved with the map, so they’re waiting next time. The values you pick are for this session only and reset when you reload.

Make it permanent

Save as layer filter turns the current filters into the layer’s saved filter (its definition query). It then applies everywhere the layer is shown, including for collaborators and share links. Edit or remove it later in the layer’s settings.

Next steps