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What is Power BI Desktop?
Power BI Desktop is Microsoft's free application for creating Business Intelligence reports and dashboards. It is the design tool: you connect your data sources, build your data model, and create your visuals within it, before publishing the result to the Power BI Service to share it with your teams.
Unlike Power BI Service (which is accessible via a browser), Power BI Desktop is installed on a Windows workstation.
How to Download Power BI Desktop
Microsoft offers two download options:
- The Microsoft Store: Recommended for personal use; updates are installed automatically.
- The direct installation file (.exe or .msi) from the Microsoft website: recommended for businesses, as it allows you to control the version deployed on all workstations rather than having to deal with automatic updates that aren't synchronized across employees.
Downloading does not require a Microsoft account. However, an account is required to publish reports to the Power BI Service.
System Requirements
Power BI Desktop runs on Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016 and later versions. The basic hardware requirements are modest (a few GB of available RAM), but a large data model or complex visuals will benefit from a more powerful machine than the minimum requirements.
Step-by-Step Installation
Once the file has been downloaded:
- Run the installation file and follow the wizard, accepting the terms of use.
- When you launch the app for the first time, sign in with your personal Microsoft account or your work account (Microsoft Entra ID), depending on your usage context.
- Verify that the application is updating correctly by going to the Help > About menu, which displays the installed version.
Is Power BI Desktop available on Mac?
No, Microsoft has not released a native version of Power BI Desktop for macOS. Mac users must use a Windows virtual machine (Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or Boot Camp on Intel-based Macs) or access the Power BI Service directly through a browser to view reports that have already been published; however, they cannot create new reports from Desktop.
Getting Started with Power BI Desktop: Create Your First Dashboard
The easiest way to get started with the tool is to build a basic dashboard from an Excel file (such as a sales export). Here are the steps:
- Connect a data source: On the Home tab, click "Get Data," then select your source (Excel, CSV file, SQL database, etc.).
- Clean up the data in Power Query: Before loading the data, open the Power Query editor to rename the columns, delete unnecessary rows, and verify that the data types (date, number, text) are correct.
- Load the data into the model: Click "Close and Apply" to incorporate the cleaned data into your Power BI model.
- Check the relationships between tables: If you have multiple tables (for example, a sales table and a products table), switch to Model view to verify that the relationships between them are correctly detected.
- Create your first visualization: On the report canvas, select a visualization type (for example, a bar chart), then drag and drop your fields (one dimension on the axis, one measure as the value).
- Add an interactive segment: Insert a "Segment" (slicer) visual to allow users to filter the report by time period or category, then save your file in .pbix format.
This basic foundation is sufficient to understand how the tool works in general. The next step is to enhance the model with DAX measures, additional pages, and formatting tailored to your users. To help you learn more quickly, the Power BI training course for IT Systèmes users walks you through the report creation process step by step.
Power BI Desktop vs. Power BI Service: Comparison Chart
| Criterion | Power BI Desktop | Power BI Service |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Use | Report Creation and Design | Sharing, Viewing, and Updating Reports |
| Access | Application to install (Windows only) | Web browser, from any device |
| Cost | Free | A Professional License or Premium/Fabric subscription is required to share |
| Report Generation | Yes, main feature | Limited edits; full creation not available |
| Automatic Data Refresh | Manual, every time it is opened | Scheduled automatically (up to several times a day, depending on the license) |
| Share with the teams | No (local file) | Yes, through workspaces and role-based access |
Frequently asked questions
Is Power BI Desktop a paid service?
No, Power BI Desktop is free and allows for unlimited local report creation. A paid license is only required to publish and share these reports through the Power BI Service.
Do you need a business account to use Power BI Desktop?
Not for local use: a free personal Microsoft account is sufficient. A work account (Microsoft Entra ID linked to a Microsoft 365 tenant) is required only for publishing to Power BI Service in an enterprise environment.
How can I tell if my version of Power BI Desktop is up to date?
On the Help ribbon, select "About" to check the version number of the installed software. Microsoft updates Power BI Desktop monthly; using the latest version ensures the best compatibility with the Power BI Service.
IT Systèmes supports the deployment of Power BI in small and medium-sized businesses, from defining key performance indicators to training teams, with two training tracks: user training and administrator training. Learn more about our Power BI support services.
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