Filter and Filter View in Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a powerful and versatile spreadsheet application that allows you to store, manipulate, and analyze data. One of the features that makes Google Sheets stand out from other spreadsheet programs is the ability to create and use filter views. Filter views are a way of applying filters to your data without affecting the original data or the view of other collaborators. Filter views can help you review and analyze data in different ways, such as sorting, filtering by condition, filtering by value, or filtering by color. In this article, we will explain how to create and use filter views in Google Sheets, and what are the benefits and limitations of this feature.

What Are Filter Views?

Filter views are a type of filter that you can create and save on your Google Sheets document. Unlike regular filters, filter views do not change the original data or the view of other people who have access to the document. Filter views are only visible to you, unless you share them with others by sending them a link. Filter views allow you to apply multiple filters to your data and switch between them easily. You can also name your filter views and adjust the range of data that they apply to.

How to Create a Filter View?

To create a filter view, you need to have a dataset that you want to filter. For example, let’s say you have a sales data for various grocery items for different states in the United States, as shown below:

To create a filter view, follow these steps:

Select any cell from the dataset, or select the entire range of data that you want to filter. If you don’t select the full range now, don’t worry, because you can adjust it later.
Click on the Data menu, then select Filter views and Create new filter view. You can also click on the arrow next to the filter icon in the toolbar and select Create new filter view.
A new filter view will be created, with a green border around the selected data and a toolbar at the top. You can rename your filter view by clicking on the name field and typing a new name. You can also adjust the range of data that the filter view applies to by clicking on the range field and changing the values.
To apply filters to your data, click on the filter icon at the top of each column. You will see different options to filter your data, such as:
- Filter by condition: This allows you to filter your data based on a logical condition, such as greater than, less than, equal to, contains, etc. For example, if you want to filter your data by sales amount greater than $5000, you can select Filter by condition, then choose Greater than and enter 5000 in the value field.
- Filter by values: This allows you to filter your data based on specific values that appear in the column. For example, if you want to filter your data by grocery item type, you can select Filter by values, then check or uncheck the boxes next to each item type. Only the checked values will be displayed in the filtered view.
- Filter by color: This allows you to filter your data based on the background or text color of the cells in the column. For example, if you want to filter your data by cells that have a green background color, you can select Filter by color, then choose Fill color and select green from the color palette.
After applying filters to your data, click on OK to see the filtered view. You can apply multiple filters to different columns within the same filter view. You can also sort your data by clicking on the sort icon next to each column header.

How to Use a Filter View?

Once you have created a filter view, you can use it anytime you want to see your data in a different way. To use a filter view, follow these steps:

Click on the Data menu, then select Filter views and choose the name of the filter view that you want to use. You can also click on the arrow next to the filter icon in the toolbar and select the name of the filter view from there.
The selected filter view will be applied to your data, with a green border around it and a toolbar at the top. You can modify or remove any filters that you have applied by clicking on the filter icon at the top of each column.
To close your filter view, click on the X button at the top right corner of the toolbar. The original view of your data will be restored.

How to Share a Filter View?

One of the advantages of using filter views is that you can share them with other people who have access to your Google Sheets document. This way, you can show them different perspectives of your data without changing their view or affecting their filters. To share a filter view, follow these steps:

Open the filter view that you want to share, by following the steps in the previous section.
Click on the Settings icon at the top right corner of the toolbar, then select Get link to this filter view.
A link will be generated, which you can copy and paste to share with others. Anyone who clicks on the link will see your data with the filter view applied, even if they don’t have edit access to the document.

What Are the Benefits and Limitations of Filter Views?

Filter views are a useful feature that can help you analyze your data in different ways, without affecting the original data or the view of other collaborators. Some of the benefits of using filter views are:

You can create and save multiple filter views for different purposes, such as comparing, summarizing, or highlighting your data.
You can switch between filter views easily, by selecting them from the menu or the toolbar.
You can share filter views with others, by sending them a link that shows your data with the filter view applied.
You can use filter views with other features of Google Sheets, such as charts, pivot tables, formulas, etc.

However, filter views also have some limitations that you should be aware of, such as:

Filter views are not supported on mobile devices. You can only create and use filter views on a computer.
Filter views do not work with protected ranges or sheets. If you have protected any part of your data, you will not be able to create or use filter views on it.
Filter views do not update automatically when your data changes. If you add, delete, or modify any data in your dataset, you will need to refresh your filter view to see the changes reflected.

Conclusion

Filter views are a powerful and flexible feature that can help you work with your data in Google Sheets. By creating and using filter views, you can apply filters to your data without affecting the original data or the view of other collaborators. You can also share filter views with others, by sending them a link that shows your data with the filter view applied. Filter views can help you review and analyze data in different ways, such as sorting, filtering by condition, filtering by value, or filtering by color.

We hope this article has helped you understand how to create and use filter views in Google Sheets. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading!

Filter and Filter View in Google Sheets