Board view in Notion is a powerful way to visualize tasks and projects by their status. When you have many cards across multiple columns, finding specific items or focusing on certain statuses can become time-consuming. This article explains how to toggle card visibility in Board view based on status using Notion’s built-in filter and collapse features. You will learn the exact steps to show only the cards you need and hide the rest.
Key Takeaways: Toggle Cards by Status in Board View
- Board view filter by a Status property: Show only cards that match a specific status value, hiding all others across columns.
- Collapse all columns except one: Click the column header arrow to hide all cards in other columns, focusing on one status group.
- Group by a different property and filter: Change the grouping property to a custom status field, then apply a filter to toggle visibility of that group.
Understanding Board View and Status Grouping
Board view in Notion organizes database items into columns based on a selected property, typically a Status property. Each column represents a status value such as ‘Not Started’, ‘In Progress’, or ‘Done’. By default, all cards are visible in their respective columns. Toggling cards by status means you want to show only a subset of those columns or hide certain cards within columns. The two main methods are using filters to hide entire columns or collapsing columns to focus on one status group. No special prerequisites are needed beyond a database with a Status property and at least one Board view.
Steps to Toggle Cards by Status Using Filters
The filter method lets you hide all cards that do not match a chosen status value. This is useful when you want to see only cards in a specific status, such as ‘In Progress’, while temporarily hiding all others. Follow these steps:
- Open the Board view
Navigate to your Notion database and select the Board view from the view tabs at the top of the page. Ensure the view is grouped by a Status property. If not, click the view name and choose ‘Group by’ then select your Status property. - Open the filter menu
Click the ‘Filter’ button located in the top-right area of the view, next to the ‘Sort’ and ‘Search’ buttons. A filter panel appears. - Add a filter condition
Click ‘Add a filter’. In the dropdown that appears, select your Status property from the list of database properties. - Set the filter to match a specific status
After selecting the Status property, a second dropdown appears with condition options. Choose ‘is’ or ‘equals’. Then in the value field, type or select the exact status value you want to show. For example, select ‘In Progress’. - Apply the filter
Click anywhere outside the filter panel to apply it. The Board view now shows only cards whose Status property matches ‘In Progress’. All other columns and cards are hidden. - Remove the filter to restore all cards
To show all statuses again, click the ‘Filter’ button and click the ‘X’ next to the filter condition. The view returns to showing all cards grouped by status.
Steps to Toggle Cards by Status Using Column Collapse
The collapse method does not hide cards permanently; it temporarily reduces a column to just its header. This is useful when you want to focus on one status column without losing sight of other statuses. Follow these steps:
- Open the Board view
Ensure your Board view is grouped by a Status property as described in the previous section. - Locate the column header arrow
Each column has a small downward-pointing arrow icon at the right end of the column header. Hover over the header to see it. - Click the arrow to collapse the column
Click the arrow icon. The column collapses, showing only the header with the status name and the card count. All cards inside that column are hidden. Repeat for any other columns you want to collapse. - Expand a collapsed column
To see the cards in a collapsed column again, click the same arrow icon (now pointing right) on the collapsed column header. The column expands and all its cards reappear. - Collapse all columns except one
To focus on a single status, collapse all other columns one by one. Only the expanded column shows its cards. To restore all columns, expand each collapsed column individually.
Using a Custom Filter to Show Multiple Statuses
Sometimes you want to toggle between showing two or three specific statuses while hiding the rest. The filter method supports multiple conditions. For example, show cards that are ‘In Progress’ OR ‘Review’. Here is how:
- Open the filter panel
Click the ‘Filter’ button in the Board view. - Add the first condition
Click ‘Add a filter’, select your Status property, set condition to ‘is’, and choose the first status value. - Add a second condition with OR logic
Click ‘Add a filter’ again. Notion automatically applies AND logic between filters. To change to OR, click the ‘AND’ dropdown next to the second filter and select ‘OR’. Then set the second condition to your second status value. For example, select ‘Review’. - Apply the filter
The view now shows cards with either ‘In Progress’ or ‘Review’ status. All other status columns are hidden.
Common Mistakes and Limitations When Toggling by Status
Filter hides the column but not the cards inside it
When you apply a filter, Notion hides entire columns that do not match the filter condition. You cannot show a column header while hiding its cards using a filter alone. Use column collapse instead if you want to keep the column visible but hide the cards temporarily.
Collapse state resets when you reload the page
Collapsed columns are a temporary view state. If you refresh the page or navigate away and back, all columns expand again. Filters persist until you remove them. Use filters for a permanent toggle and collapse for quick temporary focus.
Filter by status does not affect other views
Filters applied to a Board view only affect that specific view. If you have multiple views of the same database, each view maintains its own filter settings. You must set the filter again in each view where you want to toggle cards by status.
Grouping property must be the same as the filter property
For the filter to work logically, the property you filter by should be the same property used for grouping. If you group by a ‘Status’ property but filter by a different property, the columns shown may not match the status labels. Always group by the same property you intend to filter.
| Toggle Method | Filter | Column Collapse |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility effect | Hides entire columns not matching the filter | Hides cards inside a column but keeps the header visible |
| Persistence | Persists across page reloads and navigation | Resets after page reload or navigation away |
| Multiple statuses | Supports multiple conditions with OR logic | Only one column can be expanded at a time without manual work |
| Best use case | Permanent focus on one or a few statuses | Quick temporary focus on a single status |
The filter method gives you persistent control over which status columns appear in your Board view. Column collapse offers a fast temporary way to focus on one status without losing the overall structure. Use the filter when you need a permanent toggle across sessions, and use collapse when you want a quick peek at one column. To speed up the process, consider saving a filtered view as a new named view so you can switch between status focuses with one click.