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PowerBI Web - when PowerBI Desktop is clicked, MS Store opens instead of the desktop app

Simon Wong 0 Reputation points
2025-11-20T00:40:28.62+00:00

Clicking on the circled button used to open the desktop apppowerbi

PowerBI Web - when PowerBI Desktop is clicked, MS Store opens instead of the desktop app
It always open the PowerBI desktop app before yesterday.

Tried

  1. Windows Update - done
  2. App settings - default apps - Microsoft PowerBI have been set as default for pbix files
Microsoft 365 and Office | Other
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  1. Simon Wong 0 Reputation points
    2025-11-20T03:22:35.62+00:00

    Issue resolved - thanks Kimberley and AI.

    The PowerBI Desktop button is supposed for downloading the app from MS Store, instead of opening links from the web version.
    Since I do not use PowerBI myself, will never know if the user was confused.

    The user is now happy to use the Export - Download This File option.Screenshot 2025-11-20 081022

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  1. Kimberly Olaño 23,530 Reputation points
    2025-11-20T02:31:58.4666667+00:00

    PBIDESKTOP, then set it to Power BI Desktop, not the URL.

  2. Kimberly Olaño 23,530 Reputation points
    2025-11-20T02:17:57.17+00:00

    Open Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Choose default apps by protocol.

    Scroll to PBIDesktop and ensure it’s set to Power BI Desktop.

  3. Kimberly Olaño 23,530 Reputation points
    2025-11-20T01:35:11.3333333+00:00

    Thanks for sharing the details, Simon! Try this more advance method of fixing it. This will re-register power bi desktop.

    Press Win + X then Windows Terminal (Admin).

    Run:

    Get-AppxPackage -allusers *MicrosoftPowerBIDesktop* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

    Restart your PC and try opening the .pbix file.

    See if this helps. If you need further assistance just let me know.

    Best regards,

    Kimberly

  4. Q&A Assist
    2025-11-20T00:40:39.4566667+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    It seems that your Power BI Desktop is not launching as expected when you click on it from Power BI Web. This issue may arise if the file association for .pbix files is not correctly set or if there is a conflict with the Microsoft Store version of Power BI Desktop.

    Here are a few steps you can try to resolve this issue:

    1. Check File Association: Ensure that the file association for .pbix files is set to the correct version of Power BI Desktop. You mentioned that you have already set Microsoft Power BI as the default for .pbix files, but it might be worth double-checking.
    2. Reinstall Power BI Desktop: If the issue persists, consider reinstalling Power BI Desktop from the Microsoft Store. This can help reset any configurations that might be causing the problem.
    3. Open from Power BI Desktop: As a workaround, you can open Power BI Desktop first and then open the .pbix file from within the application.
    4. WebView2 Issues: If you encounter any errors related to WebView2 when trying to launch Power BI Desktop, you may need to reinstall WebView2 as it can affect the startup of Power BI Desktop.

    If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to submit a support incident to Power BI support for further assistance.

    References:

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