County-level data not segregating properly in Map visual on Power BI Desktop, but works on Power BI

[SehulRanbhor]

Hi everyone,

I'm facing a strange issue with the Map visual in Power BI Desktop. When I load my dataset and use the Map visual to display county-level data, the data doesn't appear to be properly segregated — the counties either overlap or don't show correctly.

However, after I publish the same report to Power BI Service, the map visual shows the data accurately, with proper county-level segregation.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? Is this a known glitch in Power BI Desktop?

Thanks in advance!
DESKTOP VIEW :

PBI SERVICES VIEW:

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @SehulRanbhor ,
Just checking in - as we discussed have you tried downloading PBI Desktop from Microsoft store to get the latest version and succeed there. If still facing issue have you had a chance to raise support ticket with Microsoft and got the resolution. If so, could you please confirm and share the resolution steps for the benefit of the community.

If any further assistnace is needed, please reach out.
Thank you.

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @SehulRanbhor ,
Just following up on your query - were the additional suggestions helpful? If you still need assistance, feel free to reach out. It would be helpful if you could share a sample PBIX file, a portion of your dataset (with any sensitive information removed), or a screenshot of the fields used in the map visual.
Thank you.

[SehulRanbhor]

Hi @v-veshwara-msft  I implement all the things logics you shared still its not working.

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @SehulRanbhor ,

Thanks for confirming you've tried all the suggestions.

At this point, to help investigate further, could you please share .pbix file or sample of your dataset (without any sensitive information) and a screenshot of how the map visual fields are currently configured.

This will help me reproduce the exact setup on my side and check if there’s anything related to the data structure that's affecting the map behavior in Power BI Desktop.

How to provide sample data in the Power BI Forum - Microsoft Fabric Community

Thank you.

[SehulRanbhor]

Thanks for your response.

I’ve prepared the sample dataset and the .pbix file after removing all sensitive information. Could you please share your  so that I can send the files directly for your review?

Looking forward to your reply.

[v-veshwara-msft]

Thanks for getting back.
You can upload your file to a cloud storage (like OneDrive or Google Drive) and paste the link to that storage location here. Or you could also send the .pbix via private message.

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @SehulRanbhor ,

Just checking in to see if your issue is resolved and if any responses were helpful.

If further assiatance is needed, please reach out. If possible, please share a sample pbix file without sensitive data to assist you better.

Thank you.

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @SehulRanbhor ,

Thanks for posting in Microsoft Fabric Community and sharing the screenshots. Apologies for the delayed response.

I tried to reproduce the issue using sample data for Alabama (AL) counties and ZIP codes. In Power BI Desktop, if you're only using County or ZIP in the map visual, sometimes the points can appear in wrong places like Europe or South America.

To fix this:

1. Add a new column like this:

   County_State = [County] & ", " & [State]

2. Go to the Modeling tab --> Select County_State column --> Set Data Category to Place

3. In the map visual, use County_State as the Location and your forecast value in the Size field.

4. If the issue still happens, try clearing the cache: File --> Options --> Data Load --> Clear Cache, then restart Power BI Desktop.

This should help the map show points correctly within Alabama.

Here is the screenshot of the repro:

Please find attached .pbix file for reference.

Similar discussion: Solved: Re: Filled Map Issues - Microsoft Fabric Community

Hope this helps. Please reach out for further assistance.
If this post helps, then please consider to give a kudos and Accept as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

Thank you.

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @SehulRanbhor ,
Just wanted to check if the solution provided has met your needs. If yes, Please consider marking it as "Accepted Solution" to assist others with similar queries. If further assistance is needed, please reach out.
Thank you.

[SehulRanbhor]

Hi @v-veshwara-msft  Thanks for response .
None of this approach work still finding the solution.

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @SehulRanbhor ,

Thanks for confirming. Since the issue still persists even after trying the above steps, here are a couple of additional suggestions to help narrow it down:

Could you please confirm whether you're using only County or ZIP in the Location field of the map visual? If so, try removing them and use only the combined County_State column.

Also, just to rule out any cached behavior - after updating the field and setting the data category, try saving the file, closing Power BI Desktop, reopening it, and checking again.

Additionally, based on similar reported cases, you can try creating another column that includes the country for better accuracy:

County_State_Country = [County] & ", " & [State] & ", United States"
Then set the data category of this column to Place and use it as the Location in your map visual. This gives Bing Maps more context and often resolves unexpected placements.

Similar thread: MAP showing wrong locations when using counties - Microsoft Fabric Community

Please refer to this link for Tips regarding Map visuals: Tips and Tricks for maps (including Bing Maps integration) - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

If possible, please share a sample pbix file, or a sample of your dataset (with any sensitive info removed), or a screenshot of the fields used in the map visual. I’ll try to reproduce the exact setup and check further.

Hope this helps. Please reach out for further assistance.

If this post helps, then please consider to Accept as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

Thank you.

[burakkaragoz]

Hi @SehulRanbhor ,

This is a great observation, and you’re definitely not alone—there have been occasional issues where Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service handle map visuals (especially county-level data) differently.

A few things you can try/check:

1. Data Category Settings:
   In Power BI Desktop, double-check that the data field used for counties is explicitly set to the correct Data Category (e.g., "County" or "County/Region"). Right-click the field in Fields pane > Column tools > Data Category.

2. Location Ambiguity:
   Sometimes, Power BI Desktop’s geocoding is more sensitive to ambiguous names or missing country/state context. Try concatenating the county with the state or country (e.g., “County, State, Country”) to improve accuracy in Desktop.

3. Regional Settings:
   Differences in locale/regional settings between your Desktop environment and the Power BI Service can cause map visuals to render differently. Make sure your Desktop options (File > Options > Regional Settings) match your Power BI Service settings.

4. Update Power BI Desktop:
   Make sure you’re using the latest version of Power BI Desktop—map bugs are occasionally fixed with updates.

5. Clear Cache:
   Try clearing the cache in Power BI Desktop (File > Options and settings > Options > Data Load > Clear cache).

6. Known Bug:
   There have been similar reports in the Power BI community. Sometimes, an issue only affects a specific Desktop build. If everything works as expected in the Service, it’s likely a Desktop-side rendering or geocoding bug.

Summary:

• Double-check Data Category and field formatting in Desktop.
• Try adding more context (state/country) to your county field.
• Make sure your regional settings and Power BI Desktop version are up to date.

If none of these help, it may be worth raising a bug with Microsoft or checking the Power BI release notes for map visual fixes.

Let us know if any of these steps resolve the issue or if you need more help!
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