After selecting a category in one Power BI visual, another bar may become partly bright and partly faded. The faded region is meaningful context, not proof that those records were removed from the chart. Read the interaction before reporting the apparent total.

Use a report whose source and intended filters you understand, preferably a local practice copy. Pick a bar with a known total of 100 units, of which 30 belong to a category selectable in another visual. Keep a small supporting breakdown so you can identify the selected contribution independently.

Separate the whole bar from the selected contribution

Power BI cross-highlighting keeps unrelated data visible but dimmed. Cross-filtering instead removes unrelated data from the affected visual's displayed result. Visuals do not all behave identically, and the report author can configure their interactions. A selection's effect therefore needs to be checked on each visual you intend to quote.

Select the category associated with the known 30 units. In a cross-highlighted bar, inspect the highlighted contribution against the full bar and read the available value labels or tooltip carefully. The 100-unit total and 30-unit selected part answer different questions. Do not assign the same meaning to both merely because they share a chart position.

In the practice report, compare a related visual configured to cross-filter. Its displayed subset should describe the selected records, rather than retaining the unselected portion as a faded background. Reconcile that subset with the supporting breakdown before treating its value as confirmation.

Preserve the selection context in the explanation

Try a second category with a different known contribution. Confirm which marks change and which remain as context. If an unrelated visual stays unchanged, inspect its interaction or filter setup instead of assuming it also describes the selected category.

To remove a highlight, select the chosen value again or select empty space within that same visual. Check that the initial context returns. Other report, page or visual filters may still be in force; clearing one visual selection is not a claim that the whole report is unfiltered.

When sharing a static image, explain both the selected category and whether the chart retains the overall context. A recipient cannot click the selection to discover what the fading means. The useful outcome is a value tied to an explicit population, with the selected contribution and retained total distinguished wherever both remain visible.

Sources: Microsoft: cross-highlighting.