Last checked and updated on 01 Jun 2026
What Is New in Grafana 11.0
| Category | Highlights |
|---|---|
| New Features | Explore Metrics (query-less), Explore Logs (experimental), Scenes-powered dashboards, Subfolders GA, AI-generated titles & descriptions, Canvas infinite-panning preview |
| Improvements | Enhanced canvas flowcharting, colored table rows, configurable threshold colors in "Config from query" transformer, substring matcher in "Filter by value", PDF export performance boost |
| Breaking Changes | See the "Breaking changes in Grafana v11.0" guide for migration steps; includes folder-name handling for alerts and other API adjustments |
| Deprecations | Removal of the old Tempo Search editor and the Loki Search tab in Tempo; queries are auto-migrated to the TraceQL editor |
How can I explore Prometheus metrics and Loki logs without writing queries in Grafana 11?
Explore Metrics and Explore Logs provide a query-less, point-and-click experience for Prometheus and Loki data.
- Search or filter metrics/logs by name, label, or field without learning PromQL or LogQL.
- Automatic visualisation selection based on metric type (gauge, counter, etc.).
- Related telemetry (logs, traces) appears in a side drawer, preserving context.
- History of navigation steps lets you backtrack or share a discovery path.
In practice, this means a new team member can start investigating spikes in a counter metric within minutes, while power users can still drop into the classic Explore view for advanced queries.
What are the major changes to dashboard editing and organization in Grafana 11?
Grafana 11 introduces Scenes-based dashboards, an edit mode, fixed variable & time-picker positioning, subfolders, and AI-generated titles.
- Scenes library: dashboards are now built on a dynamic scene model, improving stability and enabling future features.
- Edit mode: a cleaner UI for panel configuration, variable management, and layout tweaks.
- Fixed UI elements: template variables and the time picker stick to the top of the canvas while scrolling.
- Subfolders: nested folder hierarchies for better organization and permission scoping.
- AI titles & descriptions: generate meaningful panel and dashboard names with the LLM app plugin.
Most teams will notice a smoother editing workflow and a clearer folder structure, while existing dashboards are automatically migrated to the new scene format.
Which visualizations got new capabilities in Grafana 11?
Canvas, Table, and transformation visualizations received several enhancements.
- Canvas flowcharting: new shapes (cloud, parallelogram, triangle), midpoint controls, dashed connectors, corner radius, rotation, and snapping.
- Infinite panning: navigate massive canvases without losing context. Enable with the feature toggle
canvasPanelPanZoom. - Colored table rows: apply background color of a cell to the entire row for quick status scanning.
- Threshold colors in "Config from query": assign distinct colors to each threshold instead of the default red.
- Substring matcher in "Filter by value": use "Contains substring" or "Does not contain substring" for partial string filtering.
# Enable infinite panning for canvas panels
[feature_toggles]
canvasPanelPanZoom = true
This matters if you build large architectural diagrams or need to highlight status rows in operational tables.
How has alerting been redesigned in Grafana 11?
The alerting UI and API now provide richer context, state handling, and role-based access.
- Alert detail view redesign: breadcrumb navigation, tabs for query, instances, history, and metadata.
- Keep Last State: preserve the previous state when an alert returns "No Data" or "Error".
- RBAC for provisioning APIs: Editors can use the Alerting Provisioning API in OSS; Enterprise adds Rules Writer role for finer control.
Watch out for the subfolder-related alert routing issue; if a folder name contains a slash, you may need to rewrite notification policy matchers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Explore Metrics replace PromQL for all use cases?
Explore Metrics covers most ad-hoc browsing but complex aggregations and custom calculations still require PromQL.
How do I enable the infinite panning feature for the canvas panel?
Set grafana_feature_toggles.canvasPanelPanZoom=true in the Grafana configuration file or environment variable.
Will existing dashboards automatically use the Scenes library after upgrade?
Yes, dashboards are migrated to Scenes, but the new edit mode only appears for users with edit permissions.
Are there any breaking changes that affect alert routing when enabling subfolders?
If a folder name contains a slash and an alert rule matches that folder, notifications may fall back to the default receiver; you need to rewrite the matchers.
Is the new strong password policy enabled by default?
No, it is a public preview that must be turned on manually in the authentication settings.
Can I still use anonymous access in Grafana Enterprise after upgrading to v11?
Anonymous access is now billed as an active user and is disabled by default in Grafana Cloud.