Clear row selection by clicking on empty space

Ideas & Features
1

Hi Fibery Team!

I have a small but impactful UI suggestion for Table Views.

Current behavior: When multiple rows are selected, deselecting them feels a clunky. Currently, you have to either use the batch action menu, select a different row, or manually uncheck the boxes one by one.

Proposal: Allow users to clear the current selection by clicking on any “empty space” (white space) outside the rows.

Specifically, clicking on:

  • The empty area above or below the table;

  • The margins/empty space in the View header;

  • Any “neutral” area that isn’t a specific button or cell.

This is a standard pattern in many productivity tools and OS file managers. It would make the workflow much smoother when you’ve finished a batch action and want to quickly return to normal browsing without navigating menus to “Deselect all”.

(See attached screenshot for the areas [orange areas for example] I mean).

image
image3536×1268 198 KB

2

You can untick the checkbox in the header row to deselect all currently selected rows

3

Thanks for the suggestion!:slightly_smiling_face: I’m aware of the master checkbox, but I’d like to explain why it doesn’t quite solve the issue and why a “Click on empty space” shortcut is much more efficient:

  1. The “Two-Click” Problem: If I have only some rows selected, clicking the master checkbox doesn’t deselect them immediately. Instead, the first click selects all records in the table, and only the second click clears the selection. This extra step is a constant friction point during fast-paced work.

  2. Non-Native Behavior: In almost every professional tool (Airtable, Notion, Google Sheets) and even operating systems (macOS/Windows), clicking on neutral “white space” is the standard, intuitive way to drop a selection. It’s what our muscle memory expects.

  3. Efficiency vs. Precision: Precisely aiming for a tiny checkbox every time you want to clear a selection is much slower than just clicking anywhere in the “dead” area of the screen. Since that empty space currently has no function, using it to deselect would make the interface feel much more responsive and “roomy.”

    image
    image1626×1045 44.1 KB

2 Likes