Resources · n8n integration

n8n Filter nodeConfigure Filter in n8n.

The n8n Filter node keeps only the items that match a condition and drops the rest. It takes 2 parameters: the conditions themselves, and an options collection that decides how strictly values get compared. Put it after any trigger, before the step you want to run on fewer items.

Try the Filter node on n8nSee the 2 parameters

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Why automate

What does the n8n Filter node actually do?

Filter is a core node that sits in the middle of a workflow and shortens the stream. Every incoming item gets tested against the conditions you set, and only the ones that pass come out the other side. Items that fail are omitted from the output, so each node placed after Filter runs on a smaller list. There is no resource to pick and no account behind it, just 2 parameters to fill in.

First scenario, a clean export. A Schedule Trigger pulls a batch of rows and only the ones carrying a real value belong in the sheet. Set a single condition on the incoming field with {{ $json.status }}, and the Google Sheets node that follows only ever sees the rows you kept. Nothing downstream has to test anything again.

Second scenario, a shorter notification. A webhook, meaning a URL an external tool calls when something happens, drops every event of the day into the workflow. Filter keeps the ones that matter, using the data type dropdown to pick both the type and the comparison, and the rest disappear. Put Edit Fields (Set) right after to shape the short list that survived.

Third scenario, cleaning up a join. Two branches come back together through Merge and half the combined items carry an empty field. One condition on that field is enough to throw them out before anything expensive runs. Same trick for a date window: select the date and time type, then is after, and older items never reach the next step.

When to reach for something else. Filter has one way out. What matches continues, what does not is gone for the rest of the run. If the items that fail still need a path of their own, the If node is what you open instead. Filter is the right pick when the rejected items have no job left to do.

Known limits. Conditions combine with AND or OR, never a mix of the two inside the same node, so a rule shaped like A and B, or C takes a second Filter. The node tests each incoming item on its own, it never aggregates them. And comparisons are typed, so a number stored as text stays out of a numeric condition until you allow the conversion. More on how the platform behaves day to day in the n8n review.

Parameters

Which parameters does Filter give you?

The Filter node has 2 parameters. For each one: the node as you configure it in n8n, what the parameter changes, and our field notes.

01

Conditions

conditions

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

This is where the filter itself lives. Each condition tests a field of the incoming item, and an item only leaves the node once the conditions are satisfied. Two conditions or more get combined with AND, meaning all of them, or with OR, meaning at least one.

Key parameters

  • Conditions: built with Add Condition, where the data type dropdown sets the type and the comparison, and the value usually comes from the previous node with {{ $json.created_at }}.
Use cases
keep only the records created since the last run, so the node that writes them never duplicates a line.
02

Options

options

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

Nothing in here is required, and that is the point. The collection stays closed until a filter starts behaving oddly. Open it with Add option and each option you pick becomes one more field in the panel.

Key parameters

  • Ignore Case: ignores letter case while conditions are evaluated, so a value typed in capitals still matches.
  • Convert types where required: when the type of an expression does not match the type of the comparison, n8n tries to cast it, so "false" or 0 becomes false.
Use cases
a form sends every value as text and a numeric condition never matches, so the conversion option puts the run back on track without editing the data upstream.
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FAQ

Filter in n8n, the questions that come next

01Is the Filter node included with n8n, on Cloud and self-hosted?
Yes. Filter is a core node shipped with n8n, so there is nothing to install and no extra cost on the n8n side. It behaves the same on n8n Cloud, the hosted offer run by n8n, and on an instance you host yourself with Docker or npm under the Community Edition and its Sustainable Use license. A workflow built in one place runs the same in the other, so a filter written on Cloud keeps its conditions and its options when the same workflow moves to your own server. The only thing that can differ is the node version: an old workflow may still show an earlier one, with fewer options available.
02What do you need to set up before the n8n Filter node works?
Nothing at all. There is no credential, no Authentication dropdown and no account to connect, because Filter never leaves your instance: it reads the items already flowing through the workflow and decides which ones continue. That makes it one of the fastest nodes to put in place. What it does need is something in front of it, since Filter does not open a workflow. A Schedule Trigger, a Webhook or the trigger of any tool has to run first and hand over the items. The only other thing to prepare is the field names you plan to test, because a condition pointing at a field that does not exist will not match anything.
03What are the limits of the Filter node?
Three worth knowing. Conditions inside one node combine with AND or with OR, and you cannot mix the two, so a compound rule needs a second Filter further down the workflow. The node also works item by item: it decides whether each one continues, and it never groups, counts or summarizes them, which is a different job for a different node. Finally, comparisons are typed. A value that looks right but is stored in another type stays out until Convert types where required is switched on, or until the data gets fixed before the node. The page describes version 2 of the node, the maximum version in the catalog.
04When should you use Filter instead of If?
Use Filter when the items that fail the test have nothing left to do. Filter has a single output, so what matches moves on and what does not is dropped for the remainder of the run, which keeps the canvas short and readable. Open the If node instead when the rejected items still need handling somewhere, because discarding them would lose work. A simple test: say out loud what happens to the items that fail. If the answer is nothing, Filter is the node. If the answer includes a verb, you want branching. Both accept the same style of conditions, so switching later costs little.
05n8n or Make for filtering items?
It depends on where you want the data to live and how you want to pay. Make, formerly Integromat, is a hosted automation platform with no self-hosting option and a bill calculated per operation, so a workflow that processes many items has a cost that follows its volume. n8n runs on n8n Cloud or on your own server with Docker or npm, which means the items being filtered can stay inside your infrastructure. The visual logic also differs between the two, and that shows up quickly on a workflow full of conditions. Neither one filters better than the other; the choice sits on hosting, data control and cost model.
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