Slicers vs Filters in Power BI

Slicers and filters both narrow the data shown in a report. Slicers are visuals on the canvas that users interact with; filters can be in the filter pane, on the visual, or at the report/page level.

When to use which

Use slicers when you want a visible, consistent control (e.g. region, date range) that’s easy to find and use. Use the filter pane when you have many fields and don’t want to clutter the report, or for “behind the scenes” filters.

Both apply filter context to the model. Slicers are often single-select or multi-select on one field; filters can be more complex (e.g. “Top N”). Consider accessibility and layout when choosing.