Power BI export to PDF: steps, settings and known limits
Export to PDF in Power BI creates a document in which each report page becomes one PDF page. It works in the Power BI service and in Power BI Desktop, so authors and readers can both produce a copy for a meeting or a file. However, several visuals and settings do not survive the trip. The steps and the limits follow.
- One PDF page per page
- Service and Desktop
- Current or default values
Last updated
What does Power BI export to PDF produce?
The result is a static snapshot. Each page in the report becomes a single page in the file. Nothing in it responds to clicks, so slicers and tooltips stop working.
Security settings travel along. If the report carries a sensitivity label, Microsoft says the label and its encryption carry over to the PDF. That helps, because a file is far easier to forward than a report link.
A PDF also ages at once. The numbers are those of the moment you exported. Therefore a team that needs regular copies should look at subscriptions, which deliver a report by email on a schedule.
How to run Power BI export to PDF in the service
Open the report itself and not a dashboard, because dashboards have no such option.
Open the Export menu
First, select Export in the menu bar above the report and choose PDF. A dialog with a few options appears.
Pick the values to export
Then choose Current values to keep your filters and slicers, or Default values to use the report as its author saved it.
Set the page options
Next, decide whether the file should leave out hidden pages. You can also limit the export to the current page.
Wait for the download
Finally, select Export. A notification shows progress, and after that the browser downloads the file.
Visuals and settings that change in a PDF copy
Microsoft lists these behaviors, so check each one on pages you plan to send out.
| Item | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Custom fonts | The export swaps them for a default font | Check spacing in the file |
| Wallpaper | The export leaves it out | Avoid light text on dark wallpaper |
| Background images | They may crop or distort | Set the image to Fit |
| Scrolling visuals | Only the default view appears | Shorten tables or split them |
| Drilled-down visuals | They return to the default level | Build a page at the level you need |
| URL filters | A Current values export ignores them | Apply filters in the report instead |
| ArcGIS, Visio and Power Apps visuals | The export does not render them | Use standard visuals on export pages |
How is Power BI export to PDF different in Desktop?
In the desktop app the path is File, Export, Export to PDF. Desktop then works through the pages, and you cannot interact with the report until it finishes.
Two kinds of page stay out of the file. Hidden pages do not export from Desktop, and neither do tooltip pages. So unhide a page first if readers need it.
Results may also differ from the service. Microsoft does not promise identical output between the two. Therefore test the route your readers will use, and judge the file rather than the screen.
Why is the PDF option missing or the file incomplete?
A missing option has two usual causes. You may be viewing a dashboard, which has no PDF export. Otherwise, an administrator may have turned off the tenant setting that allows exports to PowerPoint and PDF.
Size is the next suspect. Microsoft documents a page limit and a file size limit for exports, and a report beyond them does not export in full. Also, reports that another tenant owns cannot export at all.
Blank boxes usually point to an unsupported visual. For example, custom visuals that have not passed Microsoft's certification do not render. So keep export pages simple, with standard visuals and no scrolling tables. For slides instead of pages, see Power BI export to PowerPoint, and for documents that must paginate long tables, see Power BI paginated reports.
Power BI PDF copies: questions from report readers
Does Power BI export to PDF keep my filters?
It can. In the service, choose Current values in the export dialog. The file then reflects the filters, slicers and selections on your screen. Default values ignores your changes and uses the state the author saved. One exception applies: Microsoft notes that filters passed in the URL do not carry into a Current values export. So set those filters inside the report instead.
Why does a Power BI PDF show blank visuals?
The visual is probably on Microsoft's unsupported list. That list includes ArcGIS maps, Power Apps and Power Automate visuals, the paginated report visual, Visio visuals and custom visuals without Microsoft's certification. Replace them with standard visuals on pages meant for export. Also check for tables with scrollbars, because only the rows in the default view appear in the file.
Can hidden pages appear in the PDF?
In the service, yes, if you wish. The export dialog has a check box that controls whether hidden pages go into the file. Desktop behaves differently, since it never exports hidden pages or tooltip pages. So decide which route you will use, and then unhide any page that readers must see before exporting from Desktop.
Who can turn the export option off?
A Power BI administrator can. One tenant setting covers exporting reports as PowerPoint presentations or PDF documents, and it can apply to everyone or to chosen groups. Some organizations disable it to keep data inside governed reports. If your Export menu lacks PDF, ask the administrator before you assume a fault in the report.
Can you design reports that print well?
Yes. Power BI Agency builds export-ready pages and, where a document must paginate properly, paginated reports. Our consultants do the work online in your own tenant, under a written fixed scope. The agency is a division of Sataware Technologies, a Microsoft Solutions Partner, and is not part of Microsoft. Call (480) 485-7373 or request the free 30-minute assessment.
Let's build your first dashboard together.
Tell us what you report on today. A consultant replies within 2 hours with next steps.
Trusted partners
Microsoft Solutions Partner · AWS Partner
Cloud & AI Platforms
Azure SQL, Microsoft Fabric and the data pipelines behind your reports.
AI Business Solutions
Power BI reporting on your Dynamics 365, Business Central and Power Platform data.
Security
Row-level security and Entra ID sign-in on every report and workspace.
Amazon Web Services
Power BI on your AWS data, with connectors for Redshift, Athena and S3.