# Filtering your panel to find the right people

Source: https://participantkit.com/help/courses/how-to/filtering-your-panel

Use this when you want to narrow a list of people down to the ones who fit your research. For example, people under 30 who are students or unemployed, or people who haven't been contacted in the last three months.

You'll find the same filters in several places:

- your panel's people table
- **Add from panel** and **Add to shortlist**, when you add people to a study
- choosing who gets a broadcast
- the **Candidates** tab of a study, where you can also filter by screener answers

## 1. Add a filter

Click **Filter**, above the table. Then click **Add filter**.

![The Filters panel open above the table, with Add filter and Add filter group](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/filters/add-filter.png)

Click **Select a property to filter by** and choose what to filter on, such as a date, a source or one of your panel's own fields. Start typing to search the list.

Choose how to compare it, then enter a value if it needs one. What you can pick depends on the property:

- text: is, is not, contains, doesn't contain, has no value, has any value
- numbers: is, is not, is less than, is greater than, has no value, has any value
- dates: is, is not, is before, is on or before, is after, is on or after, has no value, has any value
- a question with one answer: is, is not, has no value, has any value
- a question with several answers: contains, doesn't contain, has no value, has any value

![A filter row reading Where, Last contacted, is before, and a date](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/filters/filter-row.png)

## 2. Apply your filters

Click **Apply filters**. The list doesn't change until you do.

**Filter** shows how many filters are applied. To start again, click **Clear all filters**.

## 3. Combine filters with "and" or "or"

Click **Add filter** again to add another row. The word between rows decides how they combine:

- **and**: people must match every filter
- **or**: people only need to match one

Click the word to switch it. This changes every **and** or **or** outside a group, so those filters all combine the same way. A group has its own, which you switch separately.

![Two filters, Age is less than 30 and Employment status is Unemployed, with Filter showing 2](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/filters/combine.png)

## 4. Group filters

Use a group when you need "and" and "or" together. For example, people under 30 who are students **or** unemployed.

1. Add a filter for "Age is less than 30".
2. Click **Add filter group**. The group starts as **All of the following are true…**
3. Inside the group, add "Employment status is Full time student", then a second filter for "Unemployed".
4. Click the word between them to change it to **or**. The group now reads **Any of the following are true…**

![A filter for Age is less than 30, and a group reading Any of the following are true, with Employment status is Full time student or Employment status is Unemployed](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/filters/filter-group.png)

To remove a group and everything in it, click **Remove filter group**.

## Watch out for people with no date

A date filter like **is before** only matches people who have a date. Anyone with no date is left out.

So "Last contacted is before 1 June" doesn't include people who have never been contacted. To include them, add a second filter, "Last contacted has no value", and switch the word between them to **or**.

![Two filters, Last contacted is before a date or Last contacted has no value](https://participantkit.com/assets/images/help/filters/no-date.png)

## Key takeaways

💡 **Remember:** Nothing changes until you click **Apply filters**.

🧪 **Try:** Use a group to mix "and" with "or", like under 30 **and** (students **or** unemployed).

⚠️ **Watch for:** Date filters leave out people with no date. Add "has no value" with **or** to include them.

⚡ **Quick tip:** Looking for one person on your panel? Use **Search people**, above the table. It finds people by name or email address.