Skip to main content
Dashboards are collections of questions (charts and tables) arranged on a page. They provide at-a-glance views of your key metrics and allow you to share insights with your team.

​
What is a dashboard?

A dashboard groups related questions into a visual report. You can think of dashboards as:
  • Monitoring tools: Track KPIs and important metrics
  • Reports: Share regular updates with stakeholders
  • Exploratory views: Provide interactive ways to investigate data
  • Decision-making aids: Surface insights for data-driven decisions
Dashboards can be shared via email, Slack, public links, or embedded in your applications. You can set up automatic delivery schedules to keep everyone informed.

​
Creating your first dashboard

1

Create a new dashboard

Click + New in the main navigation and select Dashboard.
2

Name and describe your dashboard

  • Name: Choose a clear, descriptive name like “Sales Performance” or “Customer Metrics”
  • Description: Add context about what the dashboard shows and who should use it
  • Collection: Select where to save the dashboard
3

Click Create

Metabase takes you to your new, empty dashboard in edit mode.
4

Add questions

Click the + icon to add questions from collections or create new ones.

​
Adding content to dashboards

Dashboards can contain several types of cards:
Add saved questions or create new ones:From existing questions:
  1. Click the + icon in edit mode
  2. Select Add a saved question
  3. Browse or search for the question
  4. Click to add it to your dashboard
Create new questions:
  1. Click the + icon
  2. Select Add a question or Add a SQL query
  3. Build your question
  4. It will be automatically added to the dashboard
Questions saved directly to dashboards can only be used in that specific dashboard. To reuse questions across multiple dashboards, save them to a collection instead.

​
Arranging dashboard cards

Enter edit mode (click the pencil icon) to arrange your dashboard:

Move cards

Click and drag cards to reposition them. Other cards automatically adjust to make room.

Resize cards

Drag the handle in the bottom-right corner to change card size. Nearby cards shift accordingly.

Duplicate cards

Hover over a card and click the duplicate icon to create a copy.

Move between tabs

Hover over a card, click the move icon, and select the destination tab.

Replace cards

Hover over a card and click replace to swap the question with another.

Remove cards

Hover over a card and click the X to remove it from the dashboard.
Cards snap to a grid to keep your dashboard organized. Metabase automatically adjusts visualizations to look great at any size.

​
Using dashboard sections

Dashboard sections are pre-designed templates that speed up dashboard creation:
Perfect for displaying multiple metrics in a clean grid layout. Great for executive dashboards showing key performance indicators.KPI Grid layout
To add a section:
  1. Enter edit mode
  2. Click Add section
  3. Choose your layout
  4. Select questions for each card in the section
Sections are just starting points. Once added, you can rearrange, resize, or modify cards as needed.

​
Dashboard tabs

Organize related content across multiple tabs:

​
Creating and managing tabs

1

Add a new tab

Click the + next to existing tabs while in edit mode.
2

Name your tab

Give it a clear name that describes the content, like “Overview,” “Details,” or “Regional Breakdown.”
3

Move cards between tabs

Hover over a card, click the move icon, and select the destination tab.
4

Duplicate a tab

Click the down arrow next to a tab name to duplicate it along with all its cards.
Use tabs to organize dashboards by:
  • Detail level (overview → details)
  • Time period (monthly → weekly → daily)
  • Department or team
  • Question type (metrics → trends → details)

​
Dashboard width settings

Control how your dashboard uses screen space:
Default settingRestricts the layout to a fixed width in the center of the screen. This maintains consistent appearance across different screen sizes.Best for:
  • Dashboards viewed on varying screen sizes
  • Presentations on large monitors
  • Consistent, predictable layouts
Change the width setting from the three-dot menu (…) in the top right of the dashboard.

​
Customizing card visualization settings

You can modify how questions appear on dashboards without changing the original question:
1

Enter edit mode

Click the pencil icon to edit the dashboard.
2

Open visualization settings

Hover over a card and click the palette icon or pencil icon.
3

Adjust settings

Modify:
  • Chart colors and styling
  • Axis labels and ranges
  • Goal lines
  • Data labels
  • Legend position
4

Save changes

Click Done on the card, then Save on the dashboard.
Changes to visualization settings on a dashboard card only affect that specific card, not the original question. This lets you customize the same question differently across multiple dashboards.

​
Hiding empty cards

Hide cards that don’t return results:
  1. Open visualization settings for the card
  2. Find Hide this card if there are no results
  3. Toggle it on
The query still runs in the background. If it returns results, the card appears. If not, it stays hidden and other cards adjust to fill the space.

​
Resetting visualization settings

To revert a card to the original question’s settings:
  1. Enter dashboard edit mode
  2. Click the palette icon on the card
  3. Click Reset to defaults (bottom right)
  4. Save the dashboard

​
Adding text with variables

Text cards can include dynamic content that updates based on dashboard filters: 
# {{region}} sales performance

Showing results [[for {{time_period}}]]
When you connect these variables to dashboard filters:
  • {{region}} displays the selected region
  • Text in double brackets [[ ]] only appears if the filter has a value
This creates dynamic headings and descriptions that reflect the current filter state.

​
Duplicating dashboards

Create copies of existing dashboards:
1

Open the dashboard

Navigate to the dashboard you want to duplicate.
2

Access the menu

Click the … menu in the top right.
3

Select Duplicate

Choose Duplicate from the menu.
4

Configure duplication

  • Choose the destination collection
  • Decide whether to duplicate questions or reference originals
  • Set the new dashboard name
Duplication copies the dashboard structure and cards but NOT:
  • Dashboard subscriptions
  • Public links or embedding settings
  • Actions
  • Sharing configurations

​
Fullscreen mode and auto-refresh

​
Fullscreen dashboards

Perfect for TV displays or monitoring screens:
  1. Click the fullscreen icon (arrows pointing outward) in the top right
  2. The dashboard fills the entire screen
  3. Press Esc to exit fullscreen

​
Auto-refresh

Keep dashboards current with automatic refreshing:
  1. Click the clock icon in the top right
  2. Choose refresh interval:
    • 1 minute
    • 5 minutes
    • 10 minutes
    • 15 minutes
    • 30 minutes
    • 60 minutes
Combine fullscreen mode and auto-refresh for always-current monitoring dashboards on dedicated displays.
Auto-refresh re-runs all queries on the dashboard at the selected interval. Consider:
  • Number of cards on the dashboard
  • Query complexity and execution time
  • Database load and costs
  • Freshness requirements

​
Configuring dashboards via URL

Customize dashboard behavior by adding parameters to the URL: 
https://your-metabase.com/dashboard/123#fullscreen&night&refresh=60
Available parameters:
  • #fullscreen: Enable fullscreen mode
  • &night: Enable night mode (requires fullscreen)
  • &refresh=60: Auto-refresh every 60 seconds
This is useful for scripted displays, kiosk modes, or bookmarkable dashboard configurations.

​
Dashboard version history

Metabase automatically tracks dashboard changes:
  • Last 15 versions are saved automatically
  • View changes: See what was added, removed, or modified
  • Revert: Restore previous versions if needed
  • Track authors: See who made each change and when
Access version history from the info panel (click the i icon in the top right).

​
Best practices for dashboard design

Start with key metrics

Place the most important information at the top. People scan top-to-bottom, left-to-right.

Keep it focused

Each dashboard should tell one story. If you exceed 10 cards, consider splitting into multiple dashboards.

Add context

Use text cards to explain what metrics mean, what actions to take, or why certain trends matter.

Use consistent sizing

Similar metrics should have similar card sizes. This creates visual rhythm and makes scanning easier.

Group related content

Use headings and sections to organize cards by topic, department, or metric category.

Add filters

Make dashboards interactive with filters. One flexible dashboard beats many static variations.

Test on different screens

View your dashboard on laptops, desktops, and tablets to ensure it works everywhere.

Optimize performance

Use dashboard caching, limit the number of cards, and optimize underlying queries for faster load times.

​
Dashboard permissions

Your ability to create and edit dashboards depends on your permissions:
  • View access: See the dashboard and its cards
  • Curate access: Edit, move, and delete dashboards in a collection
To create a dashboard in a collection, you need curate access to that collection. To add questions to a dashboard, you need access to those questions.

​
Next steps

Dashboard filters

Make your dashboards interactive with filters that update multiple cards

Subscriptions

Send dashboard results via email or Slack on a schedule

Alerts

Get notified when your metrics reach important thresholds

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us