Forum Discussion
Column Width Changing with Direct Query despite turning off auto adjust
Hi Anonymous
The behavior you are experiencing is not a bug but rather a limitation of how Power BI handles visuals in DirectQuery mode. Each time the report is refreshed or reopened, the data is re-queried and visuals are re-rendered, which can cause manual formatting choices such as column widths or text wrapping to be lost. While the “fix width” option suggests that these settings should persist, in DirectQuery they are not always honored, unlike in Import mode where formatting is retained more consistently. This is expected behavior, as mentioned by collinq , but your point is valid that from a user perspective these settings should work reliably, similar to Excel. Microsoft highlights key differences between DirectQuery and Import mode in its documentation Direct Query. As a workaround, you may consider using Import mode where feasible or selecting visuals that better preserve formatting. If this remains a significant usability concern, it would be beneficial to submit feedback in the Power BI Ideas forum, where user input directly shapes future improvements.
Regards,
Karpurapu D,
Microsoft Fabric Community Support Team.
Hey Anonymous ,
This is not a bug, it is a feature! Actually, this is expected. When you use Direct Query, it re-retrieves the data which means that it re-renders the visual. Which means it mostly ignores text wrap, column width, and other manual settings.
There really isn't a great solution - you can switch to import mode, but I would be that Direct Query is being used for a reason. Or, you could switch the visual to one that persists the settings better - which is a highly experimental process.
If the setting to fix width doesn't work, then that's a bug. I don't mean that as argumentative, but I've used enough software to know that Power BI should be able to handle the settings on refresh, just like it does in excel.
Hi Anonymous
The behavior you are experiencing is not a bug but rather a limitation of how Power BI handles visuals in DirectQuery mode. Each time the report is refreshed or reopened, the data is re-queried and visuals are re-rendered, which can cause manual formatting choices such as column widths or text wrapping to be lost. While the “fix width” option suggests that these settings should persist, in DirectQuery they are not always honored, unlike in Import mode where formatting is retained more consistently. This is expected behavior, as mentioned by collinq , but your point is valid that from a user perspective these settings should work reliably, similar to Excel. Microsoft highlights key differences between DirectQuery and Import mode in its documentation Direct Query. As a workaround, you may consider using Import mode where feasible or selecting visuals that better preserve formatting. If this remains a significant usability concern, it would be beneficial to submit feedback in the Power BI Ideas forum, where user input directly shapes future improvements.
Regards,
Karpurapu D,
Microsoft Fabric Community Support Team.