One of the most common reader requests is also one of the easiest to satisfy: how do I see only finished fics? If you've been burned by an abandoned WIP, filtering for completed works is the single best habit to adopt on AO3.
It takes one checkbox.
The 'Complete only' filter
On any tag page, fandom page, or search result, the filters sidebar includes a Completion Status option. Check 'Complete only' and your results will exclude every work in progress, leaving only finished stories.
You can combine this with everything else — ship, word count, rating, additional tags — so 'completed slow burn over 50k in my ship, no major character death' is a single filter away.
Reading status at a glance
Even without filtering, you can spot a finished fic by its chapter count: a number over a number (like 24/24) is complete, while anything ending in '/?' is still ongoing. The completed checkbox just does this filtering for you automatically.
The Fanfict Reader app keeps a complete-only toggle alongside its other filters, so you can browse confidently knowing every result is a finished story.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I filter AO3 for finished fics only?
Tick the 'Complete only' box in the filters sidebar on any search or tag page. It removes all works in progress from your results.
Does complete-only also hide one-shots?
No — a one-shot is a complete work (1/1), so it stays in your results. The filter only removes works in progress.