How to Install Power BI? - A Beginner's Guide

In today’s world, organisations need to contextualise data to obtain valuable and usable information from it. This can be achieved using tools such as Power BI. As we know, Power BI is a business intelligence tool developed by Microsoft. It is used for a variety of purposes, such as data visualisation, data mining, and creating visual reports, such as graphs and charts, from the available data. Power BI also provides advanced data warehousing features, such as data cleaning, data preparation, and data discovery. This blog will guide you through a step-by-step process on How to Install Power BI.  

Table of Contents 

1) What do you require to install Power BI? 

2) How to download Power BI? 

3) How to Install Power BI? 

   a) Steps to install Power BI Desktop 

   b) Steps to use Power BI Web-based Client 

4) Conclusion 

What do you require to install Power BI? 

You should be aware of the specifications required before proceeding with downloading and installing Power BI. The following are the minimum requirements for installing Power BI on your Desktop or running its Web-based Client:  

1) Operating System: Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, or Windows Server 2019. 

2) Platform: Both 64-bit (x64) and 32-bit (x86) platforms support Power BI Desktop. 

3) Web Browser: Internet Explorer 10 or a newer version is needed to run Power BI web-based client. 

4) .NET Framework: Power BI Desktop requires .NET Framework 4.5 or higher. 

5) CPU: A CPU with at least 1 Gigahertz (GHz) speed is recommended for smooth performance of Power BI Desktop. 

Become a Power BI Data Analyst by signing up for our Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst PL300 Course. 

How to download Power BI? 

To download Power BI Desktop on your computer, you need to follow a set of simple steps as discussed below: 

1) To download the Power BI Desktop application, first go to the official Power BI website.  

2) Once on the official Power BI website, click the “Download or Language Options” button. You will see a dropdown box after clicking on the “Download or Language Options” button. From the dropdown box, you can select the language of your preference.  

3) The content of the Power BI package you are about to download will change once you have selected the language of your choice. After that, click on the “Download” button. 

4) After you have clicked on the “Download button”, you will be asked to choose a downloadable file – either 32-bit or 64-bit. Make the appropriate choice depending on your system architecture. 

5) Select the file name that is compatible with your system to enable the “Next” button. Click on the “Next” button to start downloading the file to your desktop. 
 

How to Install Power BI? 

Once you have downloaded the file to your device, you will need to follow a process to install it on your Desktop. This section of the blog will guide you on how to install the tool on your desktop, as well as how to use the Power BI Web-based Client on your browser. 

Steps to install Power BI Desktop 

The following steps will guide you on how to install Power BI Desktop on your device:  

1) Once you open the downloaded file on your system, you will notice a Microsoft Power BI Desktop (x32 or x64) Setup Wizard. 

2) On the Setup Wizard, select the language of your preference and then click the “Next” button to proceed. Upon doing that, you will be asked to click the “Next” button to continue or the “Cancel” button to exit the Setup Wizard. 

3) The license agreement dialog box will pop up after you click the “Next” button to proceed. Once you have read the license terms, click the checkbox to enable the “Next” button and proceed. 

4) Clicking on the “Next” button will open the Destination Folder dialog box, where you can choose the destination for the application to be saved. You can either save it in its default location in the C Drive or use the “Change” button to select a location of your choice. 

5) After selecting the destination folder, a dialog box will confirm that the file is now ready for installation. The dialog box will ask you for confirmation to begin the installation, and you can start the process by clicking on “Install.” If you want to make changes to the installation settings, click on the “Back” button.  

6) Wait until the installation process is completed, and when done, click the “Finish” button to successfully complete the installation. Wait for a few seconds to start Power BI Desktop.  

Steps to use Power BI Web-based Client 

The following steps will help you use Power BI in a browser of your choice: 

1) Open your preferred browser and visit Microsoft’s “Power BI – How to Get Started” page. 

2) You will be asked to sign up on the website by providing your email address. Upon doing so, you will either create a new account or continue with your existing Power BI account. 

3) Once you have logged in, you should be able to see the Power BI Web-based Client. You can now begin to use Power BI for your purpose.  

a) However, you may encounter an error message saying “We can’t finish signing you up.” To avoid this, ensure that you are logging in with your Office 365 ProPlus eligible account.  

b) Make sure that you have an active Office 365 account by changing your NetID password on the NetID Self-Service Page. Doing this will activate your account for Power BI usage, and your account will be active when you attempt to log in the next time.  
 

Conclusion 

You can install Power BI on your desktop by following the steps given above. Simply download the software from the official website and follow the installation process. Enjoy the benefits that this powerful tool has to offer. Best of luck and have fun using Power BI Desktop or Power BI Web-based Client! 

Grasp a broad understanding of how to build dashboards and share reports using Power BI by signing up for our Microsoft Power BI For End Users 55400AC Course.