Permission & Access Issues

How to Hide Embedded Power BI Reports from Unauthorized SharePoint Users

Maira Mehtab Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to restrict access to embedded Power BI reports on SharePoint so that only project leaders can view them, completely hiding the report from other users.

Product: Microsoft SharePoint and Power BI
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing team visibility on a SharePoint site where a Power BI report is embedded, but access must be strictly limited to a specific group of project leaders.
Observed behavior: Row-level security limits the data users see within the report, but the embedded Power BI web part remains visible to unauthorized users on the SharePoint page.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or Full Control permissions in your SharePoint environment and administrative access in the Power BI workspace to modify group permissions and page access.

Solution 1Recommended

Restrict Access via SharePoint Page-Level Permissions

Place the report on a dedicated page and break permission inheritance to hide the web part completely from unauthorized members.

Row-level security (RLS) in Power BI restricts data access but leaves the embedded web part visible on SharePoint. To hide the report completely, you must modify the permissions of the specific SharePoint page hosting the report.

Ensure that unauthorized users are not configured as Site Owners or SharePoint Administrators, as administrative roles can bypass page-level permissions.

Create a separate SharePoint page

Navigate to your SharePoint site, create a new page dedicated solely to the Power BI report, and embed the report using the Power BI web part.

Access page permission settings

Go to 'Site Contents', select 'Site Pages', right-click the newly created page, and click 'Manage Access'.

Stop permission inheritance

In the Manage Access panel, navigate to 'Advanced settings' and click 'Stop Inheriting Permissions' in the top ribbon.

Grant exclusive access

Select and remove broad access groups (such as Site Members or Visitors), then click 'Grant Permissions' to explicitly add the project-leader Microsoft 365 or security group.

Access Restricted Successfully: Only members of the project-leader group will now be able to view the page and the embedded Power BI report web part.

Solution 2

Configure Power BI Security Group Access

Create a unified security group for project leaders to seamlessly manage access across both Power BI and SharePoint platforms.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Power BI row-level security (RLS) hide the SharePoint web part from unauthorized users?

No. Row-level security only limits the specific data rows that an authenticated user can see within the report. It does not hide the actual Power BI web part frame on the SharePoint page. You must adjust the SharePoint page-level permissions to hide the web part entirely.

Why can some users still view the SharePoint page after I stopped permission inheritance?

If unauthorized users are assigned as Site Owners or SharePoint Administrators, they have site-wide privileges that can bypass individual page-level permissions. Ensure that only designated personnel hold administrative roles on your SharePoint site.

Can I use the same Microsoft 365 group to manage both SharePoint and Power BI permissions?

Yes. Creating a centralized Microsoft 365 or security group is highly recommended. You can apply this single group to both the Power BI dataset/report and the specific SharePoint page to ensure synchronized and easy-to-manage access control.

Document & File Issues