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Power BI Licensing Guide for Publishing and Sharing Reports
Question details
The user needs to understand the licensing requirements for publishing Power BI Desktop reports to the Power BI service and sharing them with team members.
- Product
- Microsoft Power BI
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Creating reports in Power BI Desktop and sharing a report link with team members who only require viewing access.
- Observed behavior
- The user is unsure if a Microsoft 365 Business Basic subscription covers publishing and sharing, and needs to determine the correct number and type of licenses required for both the creator and the viewers.
Before purchasing new licenses, verify your current Microsoft 365 subscription in the admin center and check if your organization already utilizes Power BI Premium or Microsoft Fabric capacities.
Purchase Power BI Pro Licenses for the Creator and Viewers
The standard and most cost-effective approach for small teams to share reports in the Power BI service without a Premium capacity.
While Microsoft 365 Business Basic allows you to download and use Power BI Desktop for free, publishing and collaborating in the Power BI service requires additional paid licenses. In a standard workspace environment, both the person sharing the report and the people viewing it must have a Pro license.
Purchase and assign a Power BI Pro or Premium Per User (PPU) license to the report creator. This grants the ability to publish reports from Power BI Desktop to a shared workspace in the Power BI service.
Purchase and assign Power BI Pro licenses to the four team members who need viewing access. A standard free license does not permit users to view shared content in standard workspaces.
Open your report in Power BI Desktop, click 'Publish' on the Home ribbon, select your shared workspace, and then use the 'Share' feature in the Power BI service online to send the access link to your team.
Utilize Power BI Premium or Fabric Capacity
Best for larger organizations that want to share reports with a massive number of users who only have free licenses.
Handle Daily Data and Reporting with WPS Office
While Power BI requires specific paid per-user licenses for basic sharing and collaboration, WPS Office offers a completely free, lightweight, and easy-to-use alternative for your general data analysis and reporting needs. Enjoy seamless compatibility with Microsoft Excel formats and easily share your spreadsheet reports with your team without worrying about viewer license restrictions.
- 1. Download and install: Get WPS Office for free from the official website and install it on your device.
- 2. Create your data reports: Open WPS Spreadsheet to import your raw data, create pivot tables, and design charts.
- 3. Save and share: Save your file in standard .xlsx format and share it directly via email or collaborate in real-time using WPS Cloud.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Power BI Desktop for free with Microsoft 365 Business Basic?
Yes, Power BI Desktop is a free application that you can download and use to create local data models and reports, regardless of your Microsoft 365 subscription tier.
Do viewers need a Power BI license just to look at a shared report?
Yes. Unless the shared report is hosted in a workspace backed by Power BI Premium or Microsoft Fabric capacity, every single viewer must have their own active Power BI Pro or Premium Per User (PPU) license to open the shared link.
Can I share reports for free using Microsoft Fabric Free?
No. Microsoft Fabric Free allows you to publish reports to your personal workspace ('My Workspace') for individual viewing, but it does not grant sharing capabilities or the right to view reports shared by others in standard workspaces.
Is there any way to share Power BI data without buying licenses?
If you do not want to purchase Pro licenses or Premium capacity, your only alternative is to export the Power BI Desktop report to a static format like PDF or PowerPoint. However, doing this removes all interactivity, filters, and automatic data refreshes.
