How to force data label to display without being able to resize a visual

[shiex1]

Hello All,

In the below column chart, i need all data label to be visible but currently, the Feb dark brown column label doesn't display. I have tried a lot of proposed soltuion from online, options are gone or not working in this current (June 2025) version of PBI (e.g. overflow, label density, creating a label measure.....). Without changing the size of the visual or changing the font style, is there any other way to force the label to display?

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Hi shiex1,

We have not received a response from you regarding the query and were following up to check if you have found a resolution. If you have identified a solution, we kindly request you to share it with the community, as it may be helpful to others facing a similar issue.

If you find the response helpful, please mark it as the accepted solution, as this will help other members with similar queries.

Thank you.

[v-pnaroju-msft]

Thankyou, @Nasif_Azam, @danextian, for your response.

Hi shiex1,

We appreciate your inquiry through the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

Based on my understanding, Power BI automatically hides data labels to prevent overlap and does not guarantee full visibility unless there is sufficient space. The Label Density and Overflow Options have been deprecated/removed from certain visuals. At present, there is no official toggle to “always show all labels.”

To address the issue of data labels being hidden in Power BI without resizing the visual, we recommend a workaround using the card overlay with tooltip technique. This approach enables labels to always be displayed via hover tooltips linked to a separate report page. It works dynamically for all months and categories and does not require resizing or hardcoding. This method is fully supported by Power BI’s built-in functionality.

Kindly follow the steps below to help resolve the issue:

1. Create the input dataset and load it into Power BI.
2. Build a main clustered column chart comparing values (for example, Sales and Forecast) per month.
3. Create a tooltip page and add a Card visual to it.
4. Link the tooltip page to the main chart.

Now, when you hover over a column, the tooltip page will appear displaying the card label.

Please find attached the screenshot and PBIX file which may help you resolve the issue:

If permitted by your organisation, you may also consider using custom visuals such as Deneb or Charticulator for complete control over label rendering and positioning.

If you find our response helpful, kindly mark it as the accepted solution and provide kudos. This will assist other community members facing similar queries.

Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Microsoft Fabric Community.

Thank you.

[danextian]

Hi @shiex1 

Power BI does not currently support 100% label density if the x-axis is set to categorical. You can add a calculated column to your dates table that returns the end of month and use that instead so you can set the  axis to continuous

End of Month = 
EOMONTH ( 'Date'[Date], 0 )

Note: if the labels are deemed to be too crowded by Power BI, some will stil be auto-hidden.

[Nasif_Azam]

Hey @shiex1 ,

Workaround-1: Use a Transparent Line Series with Labels

Add a second measure (dummy or real) as a line series just to display the label. For example:

Label Measure = 
IF(MAX('Table'[Month]) = "Feb", MAX('Table'[Value]), BLANK())

• Add this measure as a line.

• Enable data labels only for the line series.

• Set the line color to transparent (or as close as possible).

• Keep columns and lines both visible (dual axis).

This forces labels to appear even when column labels are omitted by Power BI's engine.

Workaround-2: Turn Off Concatenate Labels

In X-axis formatting, disable "Concatenate Labels" and ensure there's enough category width for each label. This doesn’t directly affect data labels, but helps when Power BI optimizes visual space and cuts off some labels internally due to congestion.

Workaround-3: Leverage Tooltip as a Hack for Static Display

Use a tooltip report page that mimics the data label and pins it always visible by:

• Creating a tooltip page with dynamic content.

• Using a small image or shape or smart narrative visual with DAX logic to reflect the missing value.

While not native labeling, this can simulate label appearance even when labels are suppressed.

Workaround-4: Rearrange Series (if multiple)

If you're using multiple series in the column chart:

• Reorder the series so the missing label series comes last.

• Power BI sometimes prioritizes the label of the last stacked or clustered column when there’s overlap.

Workaround-5: Use Unicode Text in Axis

Inject Unicode characters (e.g., invisible spaces) in the category name to force width adjustment and better spacing:

Category Adj = 
IF('Table'[Month] = "Feb", UNICHAR(8203) & 'Table'[Month], 'Table'[Month])

This can subtly shift rendering to allow label rendering room.

For Detailed Information:

Label Density Missing in Recent Power BI Versions

Transparent Line Series Trick

Invisible Line / Marker Hack on Line & Column Chart

If you found this solution helpful, please consider accepting it and giving it a kudos (Like) it’s greatly appreciated and helps others find the solution more easily.

Best Regards,
Nasif Azam

[shiex1]

Thanks for your response.

1. The visual already has a line and dual axis so workaround 1 can't be used.

2. This is already off.

3. i will experiment

4. business doesn't want the series to be swapped. and even i swapped the series, there are still data label being supressed.

5. Current data has Feb data label surpressed but there might be more columns having this issue going forward so i'd rather not to hardcode which month i need to extend the spacing.

[Nasif_Azam]

Thanks for the details. Given the limitations (dual axis already in use, no series swapping, dynamic future labels at risk).

Workaround 6: Use a Separate Label Measure with Smart Positioning

Create a separate DAX measure for labels and overlay them using a line + marker visual or a scatter plot on a second layer:

Label_Measure = 
VAR _val = MAX('Table'[Value])
RETURN
IF(_val <> BLANK(), _val, BLANK())

Then:

• Add this measure to a new line visual using the same axis.

• Set markers ON, line transparent, and data label ON only for this measure.

• This bypasses the default label rendering priority Power BI uses for columns.

This lets you fine-tune label placement independent of columns, acting like a pseudo-label layer.

Workaround 7: Custom Visual (e.g., Deneb)

If your org allows, consider using Deneb (Vega-Lite powered custom visual). It offers full control over label placement, density, and layering. You can:

• Force all labels to show

• Position labels with dx and dy offsets

• Dynamically handle crowded visuals better than native visuals

If you found this solution helpful, please consider accepting it and giving it a kudos (Like) it’s greatly appreciated and helps others find the solution more easily.

Best Regards,
Nasif Azam