Microsoft Power BI Desktop · Release Reference
Updates
2025 → 2026
A curated timeline of every major release from January 2025 through May 2026 — new features,
GA announcements, AI upgrades, deprecations, and developer APIs.
May 2026 — Current
17 Monthly Updates
Microsoft Learn
Jan 2025 – May 2026
Copilot
Reporting
Modeling
Connectivity
Visuals
Dev API
📐Visual Calculations & Custom TotalsGA — Running sums, moving averages, percent-of-parent, min/max/average totals — all built directly inside visuals without adding DAX measures to the semantic model. "None" and "Average" custom total options now GA.
🔭Explore improvements — Set an Exploration Perspective to give report consumers a focused field list. Auto-expand adjusts to show newly added fields. Show/hide totals from toolbar. Matrix formatting carries over when launching from a formatted visual.
✨Copilot summary shortcuts — New Summarize button on the report ribbon opens Copilot and generates a report-wide summary. Also available per-visual from the visual header menu.
🧩Copilot Narrative visual in EmbedPreview — The AI Narrative/Copilot visual can now be embedded in customer applications, bringing AI-generated text summaries into ISV and custom app scenarios.
🏠Set as Landing PageGA — Report authors can designate any page as the default landing page for consumers.
📅Default format string locale for dates & numbersGA — Report-level locale setting for consistent date and number formatting across all visuals.
🕰️Version History in Power BI Desktop — Desktop now exposes a version history panel so you can browse and restore earlier saves of your PBIP reports without leaving the app.
🔌New Get Data experiencePreview — A redesigned, unified connector discovery UI spanning Power BI Desktop, Microsoft Fabric, and Excel.
🌐Faster Web Modeling access — New shortcut in Desktop lets semantic model authors jump directly to the web modeling surface for browser-based edits.
📊New certified visuals — Card with States (OKVIZ), Financial Reporting Matrix by Profitbase, Lollipop Chart by Powerviz, TMap 3.1, Drill Down Timeline PRO, and Multiple Sparklines added.
⚡
A new public REST endpoint — /datasets/{id}/executeDaxQueries — lets you run DAX against any Power BI semantic model and stream results back as Apache Arrow IPC (columnar binary). No row limits, multiple EVALUATE statements per request, native data-type fidelity. Requires Power BI Premium or Fabric capacity.
# ── 1. Acquire token (Fabric notebook — no app registration needed) ──────
import notebookutils
PBI_RESOURCE = "https://analysis.windows.net/powerbi/api"
access_token = notebookutils.credentials.getToken(PBI_RESOURCE)
# ── 2. Helper: POST DAX → return pandas DataFrame via Arrow IPC ──────────
import io, requests, pandas as pd, pyarrow as pa
def execute_dax(workspace_id: str, dataset_id: str, query: str) -> pd.DataFrame:
url = (
f"https://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/groups/{workspace_id}"
f"/datasets/{dataset_id}/executeDaxQueries"
)
resp = requests.post(url, headers={
"Authorization": f"Bearer {access_token}",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
}, json={
"query": query,
"resultsetRowcountLimit": 500000
}, timeout=180)
resp.raise_for_status()
reader = pa.ipc.open_stream(io.BytesIO(resp.content))
return reader.read_all().to_pandas()
# ── 3. Run DAX query against your semantic model ─────────────────────────
WORKSPACE_ID = "your-workspace-guid"
DATASET_ID = "your-semantic-model-guid"
df = execute_dax(WORKSPACE_ID, DATASET_ID, """
EVALUATE
SUMMARIZECOLUMNS(
'Date'[Year],
'Sales Territory'[Region],
"Total Sales", [Total Sales Amount],
"YoY Growth", [YoY Sales Growth %]
)
ORDER BY 'Date'[Year] DESC
""")
# ── 4. Persist as V-Ordered Delta table for Direct Lake consumption ───────
import re
from delta.tables import DeltaTable
spark_df = spark.createDataFrame(df)
spark_df = spark_df.toDF(*[re.sub(r"[ ,;{}()\n\t=]", "_", c) for c in spark_df.columns])
spark_df.write.format("delta") \
.mode("overwrite") \
.option("overwriteSchema", "true") \
.option("delta.parquet.vorder.enabled", "true") \
.saveAsTable("semantic_extract_sales_delta")
print(f"✓ Exported {len(df):,} rows to Delta table")
spark.sql("SELECT * FROM semantic_extract_sales_delta LIMIT 5").show()
💡 Why this matters for your stack: You can query your stocks_mart-backed semantic model programmatically from any Python script — no XMLA endpoint complexity, no row-limit workarounds. Results land as an Arrow stream, convert to pandas in one line, and can be piped directly into PostgreSQL or a Delta table.
CopilotReportingModelingVisualsDeprecations
📱Copilot in Power BI Mobile — conversational chat — In-report Copilot on iOS and Android now supports full back-and-forth conversation grounded in the open report. Ask questions, drill deeper, get AI-generated visualizations, and follow up — all with citations to source visuals. Voice dictation available on iPhone and iPad.
🧮Direct Lake calculated columns & tablesPreview — Unmaterialized calculated columns on Direct Lake OneLake tables are now available, along with calculated tables referencing Direct Lake columns.
👤User-context-aware calculated columnsPreview — Calculated columns can now respond dynamically to UserCulture(), UserPrincipalName(), and CustomData() via Expression Context property.
🎨Modern visual defaults + base theme switcherPreview — Customize Theme dialog includes a base theme switcher. Banded rows on by default in tables/matrices; Orchid and Innovate theme axis color corrections.
📐Fixed size layout for card, button slicer & list slicer — Define exact pixel dimensions per item. Autogrid renamed to Fit to space. Hierarchical list slicers maintain consistent spacing on expand/collapse.
🔣NAMEOF DAX enhancementsPreview — NAMEOF(<object>, <component>, <escaped>) now supports optional parameters to choose which part of a name to return. Backwards compatible.
⚠️Deprecations: Old file picker experience removed (new one is default from Apr 2026); built-in Netezza ODBC driver deprecated in favor of IBM-provided driver.
ReportingModelingCopilotDataVisuals
⚡Translytical Task FlowsGA — Users can now write data back to Fabric SQL, Warehouses, and Lakehouses directly from reports — edit records, add annotations, call external APIs like Azure OpenAI — without leaving Power BI.
🎨Modern Visual DefaultsPreview — Fluent 2-aligned base theme with subtitles, uniform padding, style presets, smooth line charts, dropdown slicers, and a 1080×1920px gray canvas by default.
🔢Custom TotalsPreview — Tables and matrices now let you override total row values with sum, min, max, count, or distinct count of displayed rows via right-click or Build pane.
📈Series Label Leader Lines — Line charts now draw smart connector lines from series labels to their data points, with collision avoidance and formatting controls for style, width, and transparency.
🌊Direct Lake in OneLakeGA — Delta Lake / Parquet-native storage mode now works from Desktop with OneLake security, more modeling features, and faster queries.
🖥️TMDL View on the WebPreview — Code-first semantic modeling directly in the browser using Tabular Model Definition Language, enabling bulk edits and automation without switching to Desktop.
🧩DAX User-Defined Functions (expanded)Preview — New INFO.USERDEFINEDFUNCTIONS(), auto-renaming on dependency tracking, new type hints, JSDoc support, and up to 256 parameters (up from 12).
CopilotReportingModelingDeprecations
💬Input SlicerGA — Renamed from "Text Slicer," now GA. Filter with free-form text using exact match, contains, or starts-with. Supports paste-from-clipboard for multi-value filtering.
📝Copilot prompt limit → 10,000 chars — Up from 500 characters across all Copilot surfaces (Standalone, Report pane, Apps, Mobile, Embed). Enables far richer analytical queries.
🃏Card visual updates — Default callout count raised from 5 to 10; clicking a category name now cross-filters other visuals on the page.
🔣TABLEOF & NAMEOF DAX functions — Two new functions for safer, more maintainable DAX: TABLEOF returns a table reference from a column/measure/calendar; NAMEOF returns its name as text.
🗺️Azure Maps updates — Performance boost for pie-chart overlays; new endpoint regions for Korea and Brazil added.
🔠Cross-platform fonts fixed — Segoe UI and other Windows-default fonts now render correctly on macOS, iOS, and Android browsers in published reports.
⚠️Deprecations announced: Hierarchies in Scorecards (Apr 15 2026), SCOM Management Packs for SSRS/PBIRS/SSAS (Jan 2027), Legacy Excel/CSV import (May 31 2026), Simba Vertica ODBC driver.
ModelingCopilotReporting
📁PBIR becomes default format — Starting March 2026 (phased), PBIR is the default for both PBIX and PBIP. Full GA planned Q3 2026. Enables Git versioning, Azure DevOps CI/CD, and collaborative development.
📎Copilot grounded references — Attach a specific Report or Semantic Model to Copilot chat (tap + or type /) to ground its answers on your chosen data source, reducing hallucinations.
🔄Incremental-refresh models editable in serviceGA — Models with incremental refresh can now be opened and edited directly in the Power BI web service.
📊Field parameters hierarchy persistence setting — New report-level toggle to restore pre-July 2025 collapse behavior for users who prefer matrices to reset on field parameter changes.
✅"Approved for Copilot" setting — Semantic models can be marked as approved (formerly "prepped for AI"), unlocking richer Copilot responses without friction treatment.
CopilotVisualsConnectivityDeprecation
🃏Card visualGA — The redesigned Card visual reaches general availability with multi-callout support and improved cross-filtering behavior.
📱Standalone Copilot in Power BI MobilePreview — A dedicated Copilot experience in the mobile apps for AI-driven Q&A without needing to open a specific dataset first.
🔍Verified Answers improvements — Copilot now surfaces Verified Answers more prominently and applies them with higher confidence, reducing incorrect or generic responses.
⬜Auto-expanding matrix columns — Matrices can now automatically expand columns based on content, reducing manual column-width adjustments in dense reports.
🤖Copilot pane UX refresh — Updated look matching the standalone Copilot experience: cleaner prompt flow, copy actions relocated, diagnostics attachable to feedback submissions.
🔌IBM Netezza ODBC DriverGA — Replaces the embedded Simba driver. QuickBooks Online connector retired.
✨AI Narrative Auto-Refresh — New toggle updates AI Narrative summaries automatically on every slicer change, eliminating manual refreshes.
CopilotDataPerformanceDeprecation
🤖Copilot DAX generation — Copilot can now generate and explain DAX queries directly, streamlining measure creation for analysts unfamiliar with DAX syntax.
🗺️Azure Maps replaces Bing Maps — The legacy Bing Maps visual begins migration to Azure Maps. New map visuals default to Azure Maps with richer configuration and modern tile layers.
🌊Dataflows Gen2 integration — Power BI Desktop can export cleaned Power Query data directly into Dataflows Gen2 or Fabric Lakehouses, enabling governed, reusable data products.
💻Power BI Desktop for ARM — Native ARM64 build for Windows on ARM devices (Surface Pro X, Snapdragon laptops), delivering faster launches and longer battery life.
⚠️Metric Sets creation ends Oct 25, 2025 — Full removal scheduled for early 2026. Users should migrate to Scorecards and alternative KPI tools.
ModelingConnectivityPerformance
🖊️Edit semantic models in the Power BI ServiceGA — Change calculated columns, rename tables, adjust hierarchies without opening Desktop. Deploy quickly from browser.
🔗Oracle Managed ODP Provider for Import Mode — Bundled Oracle driver enabled by default; brings more stable Oracle connectivity without separate driver installs.
🐞Key bug fixes — Resolved DirectQuery refresh error; fixed LiveConnect-to-composite-model save failures; restored missing Queries section in Power Query Editor (dark/light mode).
❄️Snowflake connector fixes — Addressed TaskCanceledException crashes in Snowflake workflows and resolved empty Load dialog issues in the Windows client.
ReportingModelingCopilot
🔢Field ParametersGA — Generally available. Matrices now remember expanded/collapsed state when field parameter selections change, eliminating confusing full-collapse behavior.
🏠Copilot Home Screen entry point — A dedicated Copilot button on the Desktop home screen lets users start AI chat sessions immediately, without opening a dataset first.
🔧VS Code & GitHub integration improved — Power BI projects integrate more seamlessly with VS Code and GitHub for collaborative development and shared data model versioning.
CopilotModeling
✅"Prepped for AI" semantic model setting launched — (later renamed "Approved for Copilot" in Jan 2026) Enables model owners to signal Copilot readiness, unlocking higher-quality AI responses without friction filters.
🔒GB18030-2022 character set support — China national standard for Unicode 11.0 compatibility, including minority scripts and modern emoji, added for 21Vianet (China) deployments.
ConnectivityPerformanceReporting
❄️Snowflake connector stability fixes — Multiple connector-level regressions patched; improved authentication reliability for large enterprise Snowflake deployments.
⚡Enhanced query folding & caching — Optimized query folding across major connectors reduces refresh times and improves real-time dashboard performance at scale.
🐞PBIP save fix — Resolved inability to save PBIP files when TMDL View preview feature was enabled; fixed broken custom visual dialogs and download API confirmation regression.
🏪Microsoft Store Desktop fix — Addressed "Edit in Desktop" failures for Store-installed versions of Power BI Desktop, restoring full edit-in-place workflows.
ReportingCopilotConnectivity
🗂️Updated file picker experience — A new, more intuitive file and folder navigator introduced in Power BI Desktop (becomes the default in April 2026).
📊Copilot cross-surface consistency — Copilot experiences aligned across Desktop, web, and mobile for a consistent question-and-answer interface regardless of entry point.
🔗Salesforce & enterprise connector improvements — Strengthened connectivity for Salesforce with improved authentication and better support for large object queries.
🪄Funnel chart visual added — Certified Powerviz funnel chart visual added to the AppSource marketplace, expanding out-of-the-box visualization options.