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Visual exploration

The visual exploration menu lets you change certain visualization properties, without making selections or editing the sheet. For example, you can change data, sort data, color by dimension or measure, and change how labels are displayed.

Information noteThe visual exploration menu is available for the following visualizations: bar chart, line chart, pie chart, scatter plot, treemap, box plot, distribution plot, and combo chart.
Example of visual exploration menu for a scatter plot visualization.

Visual exploration menu with Presentation tab open.

Using the visual exploration menu to change properties

Do the following:

  1. When analyzing, hover over the visualization you want to change.
  2. Click Controls at the top right of the visualization or right-click on the visualization and select Open exploration menu.
  3. Update the properties you want to change.
  4. To close the menu and save your changes, click Controls. The changes are saved during this session.

    To save your changes for future sessions (and have them updated in the properties panel), click Apply. This button is only available for unpublished sheets, visualizations that are not master items or linked to master items, and for users with rights to edit the sheet.

    Information noteIf you do not click Apply to save the changes or Discard to discard the changes and later click Edit to edit the sheet, you will be prompted to select whether to apply or discard the changes you made when analyzing the sheet.

Using the visual exploration menu to change data

The visual exploration menu can change visualization data, if you have alternative dimensions or measures. Simply click on the dimension or measure you want the visualization to display. The selection is marked with a m.

Information noteAlternative dimensions and measures are dimensions and measures that are added to a visualization, but are not displayed until a user chooses to switch which dimensions and measures are being displayed during visual exploration.
Example of visual exploration menu when changing data.

Visual exploration menu with data tab open.

Using the visual exploration menu on mobile devices

When you are using Qlik Sense on a very small screen (640 pixels wide or smaller), you access the visual exploration menu by doing the following:

  1. Tap the visualization you want to change to open it in full screen.
  2. Tap Controls at the top of the visualization or long-touch on the visualization and select Open exploration menu.
  3. Update the properties you want to change.
  4. To get a preview of what the changes will look like, long-touch outside of the menu on the visualization, and the menu will slide to the side. Release to open the menu again and continue doing your changes.
  5. To close the menu and save your changes, tap Controls at the top of the visualization, or long-touch and select Close exploration menu.

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