How to Reset All Filters in Tableau

Having a dozen different filters on a Tableau dashboard is great for deep analysis, but it can quickly become frustrating for end-users who have to manually deselect every single one to start a new line of questioning. A simple "Reset Filters" button is one of the most requested features for any interactive dashboard. This article will show you exactly how to build one using a few different methods, from the easy built-in option to a fully custom-built button using dashboard actions.

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Why a 'Reset Filters' Button is a Dashboard Must-Have

Before diving into the "how," let's talk about the "why." Adding a one-click reset option is more than just a convenience, it fundamentally improves your dashboard's usability. Viewers, especially those less familiar with Tableau, can feel confident exploring the data, knowing they can always get back to a clean, default state with a single click.

Here’s what a good reset button provides:

• A Smoother User Experience: Instead of hunting down every dropdown and checkbox, users can instantly clear their selections. This encourages free exploration of the data without fear of "breaking" the view.
• Reduced User Frustration: Complex dashboards can be intimidating. A reset button acts as a safety net, making the dashboard more approachable for a wider audience.
• A Consistent Starting Point: It ensures that every analysis starts from the same unfiltered view, which helps in making more reliable comparisons.

Method 1: The Quick and Easy 'Revert All' Button

Tableau has a built-in solution that serves as a universal reset button: the 'Revert All' command. Many users might not even know it's there. You can find it in the toolbar at the top of a published dashboard or within Tableau Desktop.

Its functionality is straightforward - it reverts the entire workbook to its last saved state. This means it clears all filters, sorts, and other modifications made during the viewing session.

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The Big Caveat

While this is the fastest way to get a "reset" function, it's also a sledgehammer when you might only need a small tap. The 'Revert All' button resets everything, not just the filters. This includes:

• All Filter Selections: This is what we want.
• Sorting Changes: Any custom sorting applied by the user will be lost.
• Drill-Downs/Drill-Ups: If a user has expanded a hierarchy, it will be collapsed back to its original state.
• Parameter Changes: Any parameter selections will revert to their default values.

If you've built your dashboard to allow for these kinds of interactions, using 'Revert All' can be disruptive. For a more targeted solution that only affects filters, you need to build a custom button, which we'll cover next.

Method 2: Building a Custom Reset Button with Dashboard Actions

This is the most common and flexible method for creating a dedicated button that only clears your dashboard filters. It involves creating a separate worksheet for the button and then using a "Filter Action" to control the other sheets. It might sound complex, but once you do it once, it becomes second nature.

Step 1: Create a 'Reset' Calculated Field

First, you need a field to use for the button. A simple calculated field works best.

1. In any data source pane, right-click and select "Create Calculated Field."
2. Name the field something like "Reset Button Label."
3. In the formula box, simply enter a string like "Reset Filters".
4. Click "OK."

This gives us a static value to work with that won't be affected by any other data.

"Reset Filters"

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Step 2: Design the Button Worksheet

Now, let's create a new, dedicated worksheet that will serve as our button.

1. Create a new worksheet and name it something intuitive, like "Reset Button."
2. Drag your newly created Reset Button Label calculated field onto the Text card in the Marks pane.
3. In the Marks pane dropdown menu, change the Mark type from "Automatic" to Shape. You'll see the "Reset Filters" text is now next to a default shape.
4. To make it look more like a button, you can now drag the Reset Button Label from the Data pane onto the Detail card as well. Then click the Text card again, delete the text that's in there, and you'll have only the shape left.
5. Click the Shape card. You can choose any shape you like. Many people use a circle, a rounded square, or upload a custom shape like a refresh icon.
6. Finally, clean up the sheet by right-clicking and hiding the Title, disabling the Tooltip (by clicking the Tooltip card and unchecking "Show tooltips"), and removing any default lines or borders (right-click on the view > Format > Borders/Lines and set them to 'None'). You should be left with just your shape on a clean white background.

Step 3: Add the Button to Your Dashboard

With your button sheet ready, navigate to your dashboard and drag the "Reset Button" worksheet onto your canvas. Position it where it makes the most sense - typically near the other filters at the top of the dashboard. You may need to adjust its fit from "Entire View" to "Fit Width/Height" for better sizing, or change it from Tiled to Floating to place it precisely.

Step 4: Configure the Dashboard Action

This is where the magic happens. We'll tell Tableau what to do when someone clicks our new button.

1. From the top menu, go to Dashboard > Actions...
2. In the pop-up window, click Add Action > Filter...
3. Now, configure the filter action with the following settings. This is the most crucial part, so follow carefully.
4. Click OK twice to close the action windows.

Now, test it out! Select a few filters on your dashboard to narrow down the data. Then, click your "Reset Filters" button. All the visualizations should snap back to showing all their data. When you click off the reset button, they remain unfiltered. You have successfully created a custom clear filters button.

Advanced Method: Resetting Parameters and Specific Filters

Sometimes you might not want to reset all filters. For instance, perhaps a date range filter should remain in place while category and regional filters are reset. While the above method can be adapted for this, an even more powerful way to control a reset is by using a combination of Parameters and Parameter Actions.

Here’s the high-level concept:

1. Create a parameter that controls the values in a worksheet (e.g., a "Select Category" parameter).
2. Create your "Reset Category" button worksheet (similar to Method 2).
3. Instead of a Filter Action, you will create a Parameter Action.
4. This action will be configured so that when you click the "Reset Category" button, it sets the "Select Category" parameter back to a default value, like "All" or a null value, which in turn resets the view it controls.

This approach gives you surgical control over exactly which elements of your dashboard are reset, making it perfect for highly complex, multi-layered dashboards.

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Final Thoughts

Creating a reset button is a small amount of up-front development work that pays huge dividends in user experience. Whether you use the simple 'Revert' function or build a customized button with dashboard actions, you're empowering your users to explore data freely and confidently. These techniques are fundamental to creating analytical tools that are not just powerful, but also intuitive and engaging to use.

We know that building truly frictionless, interactive analytics often involves a lot of these manual tweaks and understanding the inner workings of BI tools. It's why we created Graphed. We wanted to eliminate this complexity entirely by bringing dashboard creation into plain English. Instead of learning to configure actions and calculated fields, you can connect your marketing and sales sources like Google Analytics, Shopify, or Salesforce and simply ask: "Show me a dashboard of sales by region and product category." Graphed instantly builds the interactive dashboard for you, keeping everything in sync with live data and saving you hours of setup.