Column Widths Bug (or feature)?

Hi! This definitely is frustrating! Even though you've selected "Fixed width" in the dropdown, Power BI has a known bug where the matrix re-applies auto-sizing to specific columns after certain interactions, particularly:

• Resizing the visual itself on the canvas — dragging the edges of the matrix container will often trigger a full column re-render and snap everything back to the default width.
• Switching pages and coming back — the visual re-renders on return and can lose the custom width.
• Any slicer or filter interaction that changes the number of rows or columns visible.

   

You can try the following:

• Lock the visual size — Right-click the matrix on the canvas → "Lock aspect ratio" or set an exact pixel size in the Format pane under General → Size & Position. This prevents accidental resize triggers.
• Set the width last, before saving — Make all your other formatting changes first, then set the 250px width as the very final step before saving the file.
• Check if "Auto-size behavior" is truly sticking — Click away from the matrix and click back onto it, then reopen the Column Width pane and confirm it still shows "Fixed width." Sometimes the dropdown itself reverts silently.
• Try setting it to a multiple of 70 — Anecdotally, some users report Power BI is more stable with widths that are multiples of the default (e.g., 140, 210) though this isn't confirmed by Microsoft.
• Update Power BI Desktop — This specific bug (fixed-width reverting to default on static columns) has had several patches. What version are you on?