Test if entity is hidden: is_hidden_entity

The is_hidden_entity template function checks whether an entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] has been marked as hidden in the entity registry. It returns true if the entity exists and is hidden, and false otherwise.

Hidden entities are ones you have chosen to hide from the default user interface. They still exist and still track state, but they are not shown on dashboards by default. This function is useful when you are looping over entities in an areaAn area in Home Assistant is a logical grouping of devices and entities that are meant to match areas (or rooms) in the physical world: your home. For example, the living room area groups devices and entities in your living room. [Learn more] or domainEach integration in Home Assistant has a unique identifier: The domain. It is often shown as the first part (before the dot) of entity IDs. and want to skip the ones that have been hidden. For example, you might want to count how many visible sensors are in a room, or build a dynamic dashboard card that only lists entities you have not hidden.

Usage

Here’s how to use this template function. Copy any example and adjust it to your setup.

{{ is_hidden_entity("sensor.internal_diagnostics") }}

true

{% if "sensor.internal_diagnostics" is is_hidden_entity %}
  This entity is hidden
{% endif %}

This entity is hidden

Function signature

The signature is a technical summary of this template function. It shows the name of the function, the values (called parameters) it accepts, and what type of data each parameter expects (for example, a piece of text or a number).

Function parameters that have a = with a value after them are optional. If you leave them out, the default value shown is used automatically. Function parameters without a default are required.

is_hidden_entity(
    entity_id: str,
) -> bool

Function parameters

The following parameters can be provided to this function.

Good to know

• Returns false for entities that do not exist in the registry, not just for visible ones.
• This checks the registry “hidden” flag only. It does not detect entities filtered out by dashboard cards or custom visibility.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Template, paste the example into the Template editor, and watch the result update on the right. Edit the values to see how the function adapts to your own entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more].

More examples

Real scenarios where this function comes up in automations and templates. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Count visible entities in an area

Count the number of entities in an areaAn area in Home Assistant is a logical grouping of devices and entities that are meant to match areas (or rooms) in the physical world: your home. For example, the living room area groups devices and entities in your living room. [Learn more] that are not hidden, so you know how many are actually shown on the dashboard.

{{
  area_entities("Living Room")
  | reject("is_hidden_entity")
  | list
  | count
}}

8

Filter out hidden entities from a list

Build a list of only the visible sensor entities in the kitchen.

{% for entity_id in area_entities("Kitchen")
  | select("match", "sensor.")
  | reject("is_hidden_entity") %}
  {{ entity_id }}
{% endfor %}

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with your template and expected result, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related template functions

These functions work well alongside this one:

• Check if entity has a value: has_value - Tests if an entity exists and has a valid state (not unavailable or unknown).

• Test entity state: is_state - Tests if an entity is in a specific state.

• Get entity name: entity_name - Gets the friendly name of an entity from its entity ID.

• Get entities in an area: area_entities - Returns a list of entity IDs associated with a given area.