Power Query Problems

How to Fix Power Query Privacy-Level Prompts Keeping Appearing in Excel

Tauseeq Magsi Sep 27, 2026 870 views

Question details

Users need to stop the Power Query privacy-level prompt from appearing repeatedly when refreshing an Excel workbook connected to external data.

How to Fix Power Query Privacy-Level Prompts in Excel

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Refreshing an Excel workbook that contains Power Query connections to multiple data sources, such as a SharePoint list, often shared among multiple users.
Observed behavior: The Power Query Privacy Levels prompt repeatedly interrupts the data refresh process for multiple users, asking them to specify data privacy settings.

Before you start

Before modifying your privacy settings, ensure you understand the sensitivity of the data sources involved, as ignoring privacy levels could potentially expose sensitive data when merging queries.

Solution 1Recommended

Configure Query Privacy Options and Data Source Settings

Set compatible privacy levels for your data sources to prevent Excel from repeatedly prompting users during a data refresh.

Power Query requires privacy levels to be set when combining data from multiple sources to prevent unauthorized data exposure. By properly configuring these settings globally and at the data source level, you can suppress the repetitive prompts.

Open Query Options

Open your Excel workbook, navigate to the 'Data' tab on the ribbon, click on 'Get Data', and select 'Query Options'.

Adjust Privacy Settings

Under the 'Current Workbook' section, click on 'Privacy'. Choose either 'Combine data according to your Privacy Level settings for each source' or select to ignore the Privacy Levels if the data is not sensitive.

Open Data Source Settings

Go back to the 'Data' tab, click 'Get Data', and then click 'Data Source Settings'.

Assign Privacy Levels

Select your specific data source (such as the SharePoint list) from the list, click 'Edit Permissions', and assign a compatible privacy level, such as 'Organizational', to all related sources. Click 'OK' and save the workbook.

Configure Query Privacy Options and Data Source Settings

Security Consideration: Only choose to ignore privacy levels globally if all your data sources are internal and do not contain highly confidential information that shouldn't be combined.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Power Query privacy-level prompt mean?

It is a security feature in Excel's Power Query that prevents unauthorized data sharing between different sources by asking you to define the isolation level (e.g., Public, Organizational, or Private) for each data connection.

Can I disable the privacy level warnings permanently for all workbooks?

Yes, you can choose to ignore privacy levels globally by going to Data > Get Data > Query Options > Global > Privacy, and selecting 'Always ignore Privacy Level settings'. However, this is not recommended if you regularly work with sensitive or public data.

Why does the privacy prompt appear for multiple users on the same shared file?

Privacy levels and data source credentials are often stored locally in the individual user's Excel settings rather than within the workbook itself. When a new user refreshes the query, Excel requires them to define the privacy levels on their specific machine.

What is the difference between Organizational and Private privacy levels?

'Organizational' allows data to be shared and merged with other sources that are also set to Organizational or Public. 'Private' ensures the data is completely isolated and cannot be combined or evaluated against data from any other external source.

Excel & Data Problems