How to Install Power BI Desktop?

Introduction

Power BI is a freely available tool from Microsoft for business analytics. It helps you visualize data and seamlessly share the insights from it with stakeholders. Whether you’re a data scientist, an analyst, or a business user, Power BI is a must-know tool that can make your work a lot easier. It allows you to connect to various data sources, transform data, gain insights, and create impressive reports and dashboards. In this guide, we’ll show you how you can download, install, and start using Microsoft Power BI Desktop for data analysis.

Learn More: What is Power BI? Architecture, Features and Components

Overview

• Know what are the system requirements for downloading Microsoft’s Power BI Desktop.
• Understand how to download and install Power BI Desktop.
• Learn to automate the installation process using the command-line options.
• Learn how to use Power BI to create analysis reports after installation.

System Requirements

Before you start the installation, make sure your system meets these requirements:

• Operating System: Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016 or later.
• .NET Framework: Version 4.7.2 or later.
• Browser: Microsoft Edge
• Memory: At least 2 GB RAM, 4 GB or more recommended.
• Disk Space: At least 1 GB of free disk space.
• Display: Minimum resolution of 1440×900 or 1600×900 (16:9).
• CPU: 1 GHz 64-bit processor or better.
• WebView2: Required for certain functionalities​

How to Download Power BI Desktop

There are two primary ways to download Power BI Desktop:

1. Direct Download from Microsoft’s Website:
   • Visit the Power BI Desktop download page.
   • Select “Download Free” and choose your preferred language.
   • Download the appropriate version for your system architecture (x86 or x64)​ 
2. Download via Power BI Service:
   • Log in to the Power BI Service.
   • Click the download icon at the top right and select “Power BI Desktop” from the dropdown menu​.

How to Install Power BI Desktop

Using Command-Line Options

For those who prefer or need to automate the installation, Power BI Desktop can be installed using command-line options.

For this, first, open Command Prompt as an administrator. Then use the following syntax to run the installer with command-line options:

PBIDesktopSetup_x64.exe /quiet /norestart /log <path to log file>

In this, replace <path to log file> with your desired log file location.

If you are an advanced user or an administrator who manages multiple installations, here are a few switches you could use:

• -quiet or -silent: Perform a silent installation.
• -norestart: Prevent a restart after installation.
• -repair: Repair the installation if issues occur.
• ACCEPT_EULA=1: Automatically accept the End-User Licensing Agreement.

For example, to install Power BI Desktop silently and accept the EULA, you can use:

PBIDesktopSetup_x64.exe -quiet ACCEPT_EULA=1

This is particularly useful in organizational settings where installations need to be automated​.

How to Use Microsoft Power BI Desktop

1. Launch Power BI Desktop: After installation, you can launch Power BI Desktop from the Start menu or desktop shortcut.
2. Sign In: Create a Power BI account, or sign in to your existing account, to access additional features and save your work to the Power BI service.
3. Explore Sample Data: Power BI Desktop comes with sample data that you can use to practice on, and get familiar with the interface and features.
4. Connect to Your Data: Using the “Get Data” button on the Home tab you can connect to your own data sources, like Excel files, SQL databases, or cloud services.
5. Creating Reports: Use the “Report View” to create visualizations and reports. You can drag and drop fields from the “Fields” pane to create different types of charts and tables.
6. Customize Reports: Customize your visualizations using the options available in the “Visualizations” pane.
7. Publishing Reports: After creating your reports, you can save them as .pbix files. To share your reports, publish them to the Power BI Service by clicking the “Publish” button in the Home tab. Then follow the prompts to log in and select a workspace.

Conclusion

As explained in this guide, installing Power BI Desktop is a straightforward process. Downloading this tool will greatly simplify your data analysis and visualization processes. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to deepen your data insights, Power BI Desktop offers a comprehensive suite of tools to help you achieve your goals. By following this guide, you should have Power BI Desktop up and running on your system, ready to explore and analyze data.

Now that you know how to download Power BI, here’s a guide to get you started with doing data analysis using the tool: Getting Started with Data Analysis using Power BI

Frequently Asked Questions

K.C. Sabreena Basheer

Sabreena Basheer is an architect-turned-writer who's passionate about documenting anything that interests her. She's currently exploring the world of AI and Data Science as a Content Manager at Analytics Vidhya.