Power BI drill down: move from a total to the detail behind it
Power BI drill down lets a reader move a visual from a summary level to the detail beneath it. A chart of yearly sales can become quarters, then months, without leaving the page. The feature depends on a hierarchy, which is data arranged in nested levels. This guide explains the drill icons, the three ways to go deeper and the settings that change the result.
- Four drill icons
- Down a level or expand
- Drill versus drillthrough
Last updated
How does Power BI drill down work?
Drill mode works on visuals that use a hierarchy. Microsoft gives two examples: year, quarter and month, or category, subcategory and product. Each level nests inside the one above it.
When a visual has such a hierarchy, drill icons appear in its header or footer. If you do not see them, hover over the visual first. They can sit at the top or at the bottom, depending on the space available.
The benefit is self-service. A reader who wonders what sits behind a spike can look for the answer alone. So the author does not need to build a separate view for every follow-up question.
Power BI drill down icons and what each one does
A visual that supports drill shows up to four icons together, and Microsoft names them as follows.
| Icon | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Drill up | Goes back to a higher level | After you have gone down at least once |
| Turn on drill down | Lets you select one data point to go into | To focus on a single quarter or product line |
| Go down one level (double arrow) | Moves the whole visual down one level | To see every month instead of every quarter |
| Expand all down one level | Adds the level below and keeps the current one | To compare detail inside each group |
| Right-click menu | Offers the same commands on a data point | When the header icons are hard to reach |
What is the difference between going down a level and expanding?
These two options sound alike, but they show different results. The double arrow icon replaces the current view. For example, a chart of quarters becomes a chart of months, and each month adds up all years unless a year filter applies.
Expand keeps the current grouping and adds the lower level under each item. So the reader sees each quarter and the months inside each one. That view suits comparisons, because the higher-level context stays visible.
Drilling into one data point is different again. First turn drill mode on, then select a column such as the first quarter. The visual then shows only the months of that quarter, and its title updates to show the current level.
Explore one data point in four steps
These steps follow Microsoft's walkthrough for the Power BI service, so any reader can repeat them.
Turn drill mode on
First select the icon that turns on drill down. A message then confirms that the mode is active.
Select a data point
Next select the bar or column you want to explore. The visual then moves to the level beneath that point only.
Go back up
Then select Drill up to return to the previous level. That icon stays dimmed until you have gone down once.
Turn the mode off
Finally select the same icon again. Otherwise your next click keeps drilling instead of cross-filtering the page.
Power BI drill down versus drillthrough: which is which?
The names cause confusion, but the features differ. Drill explores the levels of a hierarchy within the same visual. The report page and the other visuals stay as they were.
Drillthrough takes the reader to a different report page, filtered to the selection. Therefore it suits a full detail page about one customer or one product. Drill suits a quick look deeper inside one chart.
One default also deserves attention. When you drill in one visual, the other visuals on the page do not filter. However, the report designer can change that behavior, so that drilling filters the rest of the page as well.
Three reasons the drill icons may be missing
When a reader cannot find the icons, one of these documented causes usually explains it.
No hierarchy in the visual
Drill needs nested levels. A chart with a single field on its axis has nowhere deeper to go, so no icons appear.
Drill turned off by the designer
A visual can use a hierarchy while the designer has left drill off. Then the icons stay hidden for every reader.
Icons hidden until hover
The action bar may appear only when the pointer sits over the visual. So hover first before you report a problem.
Power BI drill down: frequent questions
Can I drill down in Power BI on a phone or tablet?
Microsoft documents a touch route for the right-click menu. On a touch device, press and hold a data point instead of right-clicking. The menu then offers the drill commands, which behave like the icons in the visual header. So the same exploration works without a mouse.
Why does a click filter the page instead of drilling?
Because drill mode is off. With the mode off, selecting a data point cross-filters the other visuals on the page. Turn on the drill down icon first, then select the point. After you finish, turn the mode off again so that normal cross-filtering returns.
Does Power BI drill down change the other visuals?
Not by default. Drilling one visual leaves the rest of the report page as it was. However, the report designer can change this setting, so that drilling also filters the other visuals. Ask the author which behavior a given report uses, since both are valid designs.
Can I expand only one data point?
Yes. Microsoft describes this route: make sure drill mode is off, select the data point and then select the expand icon. The visual then shows the detail one level down, with your selected point emphasized. So you keep the wider picture while you study one part.
Can Power BI Agency set up drill paths in our reports?
Yes. One of our consultants checks that the model holds clean hierarchies, then configures the visuals so readers can move between levels with confidence. We work remotely inside your own Microsoft tenant and agree the scope in a written quote. Power BI Agency is a division of Sataware Technologies, a Microsoft Solutions Partner, and is not part of Microsoft.
Let's build your first dashboard together.
Tell us what you report on today. A consultant replies within 2 hours with next steps.
Trusted partners
Microsoft Solutions Partner · AWS Partner
Cloud & AI Platforms
Azure SQL, Microsoft Fabric and the data pipelines behind your reports.
AI Business Solutions
Power BI reporting on your Dynamics 365, Business Central and Power Platform data.
Security
Row-level security and Entra ID sign-in on every report and workspace.
Amazon Web Services
Power BI on your AWS data, with connectors for Redshift, Athena and S3.