Installation Power BI Desktop
Power BI Desktop is a free Windows tool from Microsoft used to build reports and dashboards by connecting, transforming, and visualizing data.⚠️Power BI Desktop cannot be installed directly on macOS or Linux, but you can use it indirectly through a Windows VM, Remote Desktop, or by accessing reports in Power BI Service.
This guide explains how to download and install Power BI Desktop quickly.
System Requirements
Before installing Power BI Desktop, ensure your system meets these requirements:- Operating System: Windows 10 / Windows 11 (64-bit recommended)
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster, x64 processor
- Memory (RAM): Minimum 4 GB (8 GB or more recommended)
- Disk Space: At least 1 GB free
- Display: 1440 x 900 or higher
- Internet: Required for download and publishing
Ways to Download Power BI Desktop (Windows)
There are two official ways to install Power BI Desktop:- Microsoft Store (Recommended)
- Direct download from Microsoft website
Method 1: Install from Microsoft Store (Recommended)
This is the easiest and most stable method.Steps:
- Open Microsoft Store in Windows
- Search for “Power BI Desktop.”
- Click Get/Install.
- Wait for installation to complete
- Launch Power BI Desktop from Start Menu
Advantages:
- Automatic updates
- Easy installation
- No manual version management
Method 2: Install from Microsoft Website
Useful if Store is disabled in your organization.
Steps:
Steps:
- Go to Microsoft Power BI official site
- Click Download Power BI Desktop
- PBIDesktopSetup_x86.exe (32-bit)
- PBIDesktopSetup_x64.exe (64-bit – recommended)
- Run the downloaded installer
- Accept license agreement
- Click Install
- Finish setup and launch Power BI Desktop
- First Time Launch
After installation:
Open Power BI DesktopYou will see the start screen with options:
- Get data
- Recent files
- Blank report
The image below shows the screen displayed after clicking Blank Report in Power BI.
