How to edit PBIX (unzip → modify → rezip) without corruption?

[VigneshSami]

Hi all,

I’m trying to update a PBIX file’s display name outside of Power BI Desktop by unzipping, editing, and rezipping the file.

What I did:

1. Renamed MyReport.pbix → MyReport.zip and extracted it.

2. Found Report/Layout (sometimes plain JSON, sometimes looks compressed).

3. Changed the "name" property:

   Before:

   { "name": "Sales Report" }

   After:

   { "name": "Sales Report - Updated" }

4. Zipped the contents back and renamed to .pbix.

Problem:

• Power BI says the file is corrupted after modification.

• I suspect it’s either due to the Layout file’s encoding/compression (UTF-8, UTF-16, gzip) or the zipping structure.

Questions:

1. Is the display name stored only in Report/Layout or also in Metadata?

2. What encoding/compression should Layout use so PBIX stays valid?

3. Has anyone successfully unzipped → edited → rezipped a PBIX? What’s the exact process?

My goal is to later automate this, but even the manual process breaks. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated

[VigneshSami]

Hi @Poojara_D12, @Thomaslleblanc and @v-agajavelly
Thank you for all your replies,

Yesterday I asked about unzipping a .pbix, modifying its contents, and rezipping it — but I learned this often leads to corruption because of encoding, compression, or integrity checks.

For my understanding, could you please clarify:

1. What are the supported or safer options (besides raw unzip/rezip) for modifying or automating edits in Power BI files such as .pbix, .pbit, or .pbir?

2. How do tools like pbi-tools work compared to manual unzip/rezip?

3. Is the PBIP (Developer Mode) project format the recommended approach for version control or scripted modifications?

4. I’ve also heard that some Power BI CLIs might stop working in the upcoming days — is that true, and if so, what are the alternative ways to automate or script modifications going forward?

5. For simple edits (e.g., changing theme colors, JSON layout tweaks), is there any reliable workflow that avoids file corruption?

6. Are there any official APIs or Microsoft-recommended methods to programmatically modify report definitions or layouts instead of touching the zip structure directly?

Thanks in advance for shedding light on which approaches are practical and how they work

[v-agajavelly]

Hi @VigneshSami ,

Thanks to both @Thomaslleblanc  and @Poojara_D12  for jumping in here.

@VigneshSami did you get a chance to look at what the super users suggested? As they’ve pointed out, a PBIX isn’t designed to be manually unzipped/edited/rezipped, and even tiny changes (file order in the zip, compression type, encoding differences) will make the file unreadable. The “name” is also not just in Report/Layout but referenced in multiple places including Metadata, and parts of Layout can be compressed in proprietary ways, so changing it directly almost always breaks the package.

If your end goal is automation, the supported options today are:

• Change the display name in Power BI Desktop before saving.
• Use the Power BI REST API or XMLA endpoints to rename/update reports once they’re published.
• Look into the new PBIR/PBIP formats (preview) which are Git-friendly and more suitable for automated manipulation. Create a Power BI report in enhanced report format - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Direct “PBIX surgery” will stay fragile and unsupported, so automation through the API or PBIP format is really the way forward.

Regards,
Akhil.

[Poojara_D12 · Accepted solution]

Hi @VigneshSami 

A PBIX file is essentially a structured package with strict internal formatting, so manually unzipping, editing, and rezipping it almost always leads to corruption if the structure or encoding is even slightly altered. The display name you see in Power BI is not stored only in Report/Layout but also referenced in Metadata and other internal JSON parts, and Layout itself can sometimes be compressed in a proprietary way rather than plain UTF-8 JSON. If you edit only the Layout file and rezip, Power BI won’t be able to parse it because the package structure, file order, or compression flags no longer match what the engine expects. The zip must be recreated exactly (store vs. deflate compression, folder hierarchy preserved), and the JSON must maintain its original encoding. In practice, Microsoft does not support PBIX manipulation by editing internal files; the only reliable way to change the report name is either in Power BI Desktop before saving, or through the Power BI REST API or XMLA endpoints once the file is published. If your goal is automation, scripting against the REST API is the supported and safe method, while direct PBIX surgery is fragile and not recommended because the format is undocumented and can change between versions.

[Thomaslleblanc]

This is not supported by Microsoft. You can start using the pbip or pbir formats for saving previous pbix file, but this is still in preview. - https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/power-bi-enhanced-report-format-pbir-in-power-bi-desktop-de...