How to Remove Blank Values from a Slicer in Power BI (3 Easy Methods)

You’ve built a clean report, added a slicer, and there it is at the top of the list: (Blank). It looks unprofessional, it confuses report users, and clicking it usually shows nothing useful.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to remove blank values from a slicer in Power BI using three easy methods:

1. Use the Filters pane (no code, fastest)
2. Remove blanks in Power Query (cleanest, fixes the data at the source)
3. Use a DAX measure as a visual-level filter (most flexible)

I’ll also explain why the (Blank) item appears in the first place, because in many cases the blank isn’t in your data at all — it’s caused by your data model.

Quick answer: Select the slicer, open the Filters pane, and under Filters on this visual switch the field to Advanced filtering. Choose is not blank and select Apply filter. To fix blanks for the whole report, remove empty rows in Power Query instead, or use a DAX measure as a visual-level filter.

Why Does a Slicer Show (Blank) in Power BI?

Before fixing the problem, it helps to know where the blank comes from, especially if you’re still learning how slicers work in Power BI. There are three common reasons:

Cause	What’s happening	Best fix
Empty or null cells in the column	The source data (Excel, SharePoint list, SQL) has empty rows for that field.	Method 1 or Method 2
Referential integrity issue	Your fact table has a key (e.g., ProductID) that doesn’t exist in the dimension table. Power BI adds a virtual blank row to the dimension.	Fix the relationship / data, or Method 1
Empty strings or spaces	The cell looks empty but contains "" or a space, so it’s not truly blank.	Method 2 (Trim + replace)

Tip: The second cause catches many people out. Even if your dimension table has no empty rows, the slicer can still show (Blank) when the fact table contains values that don’t match. Power BI creates an “unknown member” row to hold those unmatched records.

Sample data used in this tutorial

I’m using a simple Sales table with columns: Order ID, Region, Product, Sales Amount, Order Date. A few rows have an empty Region, which is why the Region slicer shows (Blank).

If you want to follow along with a SharePoint list, see how to create a Power BI report from a SharePoint list and Excel.

Method 1: Remove Blank Values from a Slicer Using the Filters Pane

This is the quickest way and requires no formulas. If the Filters pane is new to you, see how to add a filter in Power BI. It works for most scenarios, including the referential integrity blank row.

Steps

1. Open your report in Power BI Desktop and select the slicer visual.
2. Open the Filters pane on the right. (If it’s hidden, go to View > Filters.)
3. Under Filters on this visual, you’ll see the field used in the slicer (e.g., Region).
4. Expand the field and set Filter type to Basic filtering.
5. Check Select all, then clear (Blank). Or switch to Advanced filtering, choose is not blank from the dropdown, and click Apply filter.
6. The (Blank) item disappears from the slicer immediately.

Basic vs Advanced filtering: which should you use?

• Basic filtering (clear Blank): Simple, but if new values arrive later and you used “Select all”, they will still appear. Safe choice.
• Advanced filtering (is not blank): More reliable for changing data because it’s a rule, not a fixed list of values. Recommended.

Note: “is not blank” removes true blanks only. If your column contains empty strings, also add “is not empty” (or use Method 2).

Hide the filter from report users

If you don’t want users to remove this filter:

• Click the eye icon on the filter card to hide it in Reading view, or
• Click the lock icon to lock it so users can see it but can’t change it.

Pros: No code, takes 30 seconds, only affects the slicer.
Cons: Needs to be repeated for each slicer (and on every page unless you sync slicers across pages).

Method 2: Remove Blank Values Using Power Query

If blank rows are useless across your whole report, remove them at the source. Not sure where Power Query fits? Read Power Query vs Power BI. This keeps your model smaller and fixes every visual at once, not just the slicer.

Steps

1. In Power BI Desktop, go to Home > Transform data to open Power Query Editor.
2. Select your table (e.g., Sales) in the Queries pane.
3. Click the dropdown arrow on the column header (e.g., Region).
4. Clear (null) and, if shown, (blank), then click OK. Alternatively, click the dropdown and choose Remove Empty.
5. Click Home > Close & Apply.

Power Query writes this M step for you:

= Table.SelectRows(#"Changed Type", each [Region] <> null and [Region] <> "")

Handle spaces and empty strings

If some cells contain only spaces, they won’t be removed by the step above. Clean them first:

1. Select the Region column.
2. Go to Transform > Format > Trim.
3. Then go to Transform > Replace Values, leave Value To Find empty, and set Replace With to null.
4. Now apply Remove Empty again.

Alternative: replace blanks instead of removing rows

Removing rows also removes their Sales Amount, which changes your totals. If those rows still matter, replace the blank with a meaningful label instead:

• Use Transform > Replace Values, find null, replace with “Unassigned” or “Not Specified”.

This way the slicer shows a clear label instead of (Blank), and your totals stay correct.

Pros: Fixes the data once for the whole report; best for performance.
Cons: Removing rows changes totals — make sure that’s what you want.

Important: If the (Blank) is caused by a referential integrity issue (fact table keys not found in the dimension), Power Query filtering on the dimension won’t help. Instead, add the missing keys to the dimension table or clean the fact table keys.

To learn more about building clean models, see how to create a date table in Power BI.

Method 3: Remove Blank Values from a Slicer Using DAX

Use DAX when you need more control — for example, to hide slicer items that have no data for the current selection, or when the slicer field comes from a dimension table with an unknown-member blank row.

Option A: Measure as a visual-level filter

1. Go to Home > New measure and create this measure:

Show Slicer Item =
IF (
    NOT ISBLANK ( SELECTEDVALUE ( Sales[Region] ) )
        && NOT ISBLANK ( [Total Sales] ),
    1,
    0
)

Where [Total Sales] is:

Total Sales = SUM ( Sales[Sales Amount] )

2. Select the slicer.
3. Drag the Show Slicer Item measure into Filters on this visual.
4. Set Show items when the value is → is → 1, then click Apply filter.

Now the slicer shows only non-blank values that actually have sales. As a bonus, this also makes the slicer dynamic — it hides items that have no data based on other slicers, the same idea behind making one slicer filter another.

New to measures? Read how to create a measure in Power BI.

Option B: Create a clean calculated table for the slicer

If you want a dedicated slicer table without blanks:

1. Go to Modeling > New table.
2. Enter:

Region List =
FILTER (
    DISTINCT ( Sales[Region] ),
    NOT ISBLANK ( Sales[Region] ) && Sales[Region] <> ""
)

3. Create a relationship from Region List[Region] to Sales[Region] (one-to-many).
4. Use Region List[Region] in the slicer.

Note: DISTINCT returns the virtual blank row caused by referential integrity issues, while VALUES can also include it. Filtering with NOT ISBLANK handles both cases.

Pros: Very flexible; can combine blank removal with business logic.
Cons: Requires DAX; calculated tables add a little to model size.

Which Method Should You Use?

Scenario	Recommended method
Quick fix for one slicer	Method 1 – Filters pane
Blank rows are junk data everywhere	Method 2 – Power Query
Blank rows hold real values (keep totals)	Method 2 – Replace with “Unassigned”
Blank comes from missing dimension keys	Fix the data, or Method 1 / Method 3
Hide blanks and items with no data	Method 3 – DAX measure filter

Troubleshooting: (Blank) Still Shows in the Slicer

If you followed the steps and (Blank) is still there, check the following:

• The filter was applied to the wrong visual. Make sure the slicer is selected when you add the filter under Filters on this visual.
• The slicer uses a different field. If the slicer uses Product[Category] but you cleaned Sales[Category], the blank remains.
• Referential integrity. Run this DAX query in DAX query view to find unmatched keys:

EVALUATE
EXCEPT (
    DISTINCT ( Sales[ProductID] ),
    DISTINCT ( Product[ProductID] )
)

• Empty strings. Use is not empty in Advanced filtering, or Trim + Replace in Power Query.
• Synced slicers. If the slicer is synced to other pages, add the filter to each page’s slicer or use Filters on all pages.
• You didn’t Close & Apply. Power Query changes only take effect after Close & Apply.

Conclusion

The (Blank) value in a Power BI slicer is a small issue, but fixing it makes your reports look cleaner and more trustworthy. To recap:

• Filters pane — fastest, no code, slicer only.
• Power Query — cleanest, fixes the data for the whole report.
• DAX — most flexible, lets you hide blanks and empty items dynamically.

And remember: if the blank appears even though your column has no empty cells, check your relationships first.

Want to keep learning? Explore more step-by-step guides in the Power BI tutorials on EnjoySharePoint, including how to create a dashboard in Power BI and how to set up row-level security in Power BI.

Here are a few more slicer tutorials that pair well with this one:

• Power BI Slicer Dropdown
• Set Default Value in Power BI Slicer
• Power BI Slicer Search Box
• Power BI Filter vs Slicer

Frequently Asked Questions