# Filters and refinement

BetterBoard's filter bar lets you narrow the board to exactly the work items you care about. Filters are composable and support 25+ operators across all field types.

## Opening the filter bar

Click the **Filter** button in the board toolbar. The filter bar expands below the toolbar, showing any active filters and an **Add filter** button.

## Adding a filter

1. Click the **Filter** button in the toolbar to open the filter bar
2. Choose a field from the dropdown (e.g. Assignee, Sprint, Priority, Labels)
3. Choose an operator (e.g. is, is not, contains, is empty)
4. Select or enter a value — the board updates immediately
5. Click the blue **Save** button in the toolbar to persist the filter with the board

Multiple filters are combined with AND logic: an work item must match all active filters to appear on the board.

> **Note**
>
> You can apply filters without saving them — useful for a temporary view. Unsaved filters are visible only to you in your current session and are not shared with others viewing the board.

## Filter operators

Operators available depend on the field type:

### Option fields

For **option fields** (Priority, Status, Labels, single/multi-select):

- `is` — exact match (one value)
- `is any of` — matches one or more values
- `is not` — excludes a value
- `is none of` — excludes multiple values
- `is empty` / `is not empty`

### User fields

For **user fields** (Assignee, Reporter):

- `is` — assigned to a specific person
- `is any of` — assigned to any of several people
- `is not` / `is none of`
- `is empty` (unassigned) / `is not empty`
- `is current user` — dynamic: filters to whoever is viewing the board

### Date fields

For **date fields** (Due Date, Created, Updated):

- `is before` / `is after` — absolute date
- `is on` — exact date
- `is within` — relative range (e.g. "the last 7 days")
- `is empty` / `is not empty`

### Text fields

- `contains` / `does not contain`
- `is` / `is not`

### Number fields

- `=`, `≠`, `>`, `≥`, `<`, `≤`

### Multi-value selection fields

Labels, multi-select fields, Sprint, and Jira Assets fields can use `is any
of`, `is none of`, `contains all`, `is empty`, and `is not empty`. Assets
filters compare object identity rather than object attributes; see
[Assets fields](/betterboard/shape-the-board/field-types/#assets) for its
display and editing limits.

For the complete operator reference, see [Filter operators](/betterboard/work-faster/filter-operators/).

## Sprint filter

The Sprint filter has dedicated options:

- `is active sprint` — shows work items in any currently active sprint
- `is` — pick a specific named sprint
- `is any of` — pick multiple sprints
- `is backlog` — work items not in any sprint

## Blockers filter

The synthetic Blockers field lets you filter by blocking relationships:

- `has blockers` — shows work items with at least one "is blocked by" link
- `is blocking` — shows work items that are blocking other work items

## Current user filter

The `is current user` operator on the Assignee filter is dynamic — it resolves to whoever is currently viewing the board. On a shared board, setting Assignee `is current user` means each person sees only their own work items without needing separate boards.