Power UI for Power BI Desktop

Overview

Power UI Desktop is a small Windows companion app that adds a Power UI button to Power BI Desktop's External toolsribbon. Clicking it opens the full Power UI Studio connected to the report you have open. When you're happy with your theme, one click on Apply theme to Power BI writes it into your project and reloads the report in place — the theme shows up in about a second.

It works with Power BI projects (.pbip): the theme is saved into the project's files, so it travels with the report through Git and deployment pipelines like any other change.

Requirements

• Windows 10/11 with Power BI Desktop
• Power BI Desktop June 2026 (2.155) or laterfor instant apply. The instant reload uses Power BI's local API (the Desktop Bridge preview feature), which first shipped in that release. On older versions Power UI still saves the theme into your project — you just reopen the report to see it.
• Your report saved as a Power BI project (.pbip) with the Power BI project (.pbip) save option — in Power BI Desktop choose File > Save as and pick the project format. Classic .pbix files can't be modified from outside Power BI, so the app will ask you to save as a project first.

Install

1. Download and run the Power UI Desktop installer (Windows).
2. Restart Power BI Desktop. Power BI reads its External tools list once at startup, so the button appears after a restart.
3. Open a report and look for Power UI in the External tools ribbon tab.

The installer registers exactly one entry in Power BI's External tools folder and removes it again on uninstall (the button disappears after the next Power BI restart).

Using it

1. Open your .pbip report in Power BI Desktop and click Power UI in the External tools ribbon.
2. The Power UI Studio opens in its own window, signed in to your account, with a status bar showing the report it's connected to. Edit your theme as usual — colors, typography, visual styles, presets, the AI assistant, everything works exactly like the web Studio.
3. Click Apply theme to Power BI. The theme is written into your project and the open report reloads with it applied.

If you have several Power BI Desktop windows open, the status bar shows a picker so you can choose which report to apply to.

Save your Power BI work first

Applying a theme reloads the report from disk. Power BI Desktop discards unsaved report edits when that happens — the same as closing without saving. Save your work in Power BI Desktop (Ctrl+S) before applying a theme. Your saved visuals, pages, and data are never touched: Power UI only writes the theme file and the single line in the report definition that points at it.

Troubleshooting

"Theme saved, but Power BI Desktop could not reload the report"

Reports created in much older Power BI versions can fail Power BI's reload validation even though they open normally. Your theme is saved in the project — close and reopen the report to see it. Re-saving the report with a current Power BI Desktop usually fixes reloads for good.

The report is a .pbix

Classic .pbixfiles are sealed archives that external tools can't safely modify. In Power BI Desktop choose File > Save as and select the Power BI project format, then relaunch Power UI from the ribbon.

No Power UI button in the ribbon

Restart Power BI Desktop — it only reads the External tools list at startup. If it still doesn't appear, reinstall Power UI Desktop and check that your organization hasn't disabled External tools via group policy.

"Waiting for a report" with a report open

Instant connection needs Power BI Desktop 2.155+ with the "external tool access through secure local APIs" preview feature enabled (it's on by default in Options > Preview features). On older versions, use Pick .pbip folder to point Power UI at your project manually — themes then appear the next time you open the report.

Prefer working from an AI agent?

The Power UI MCP server offers the same theme-into-project workflow from Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP clients — no desktop app required.