How to load data from excel to Power BI which have checkbox or form controls instead of plain text?

[Sahilrai_7250]

[v-mdharahman]

Hi @Sahilrai_7250,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

You're encountering this issue because Power BI can only import actual cell values from Excel, but in your file, the country selections are made using checkbox form controls. These checkboxes are floating objects in Excel and not linked to the cell content, so Power BI is unable to recognize or load them. As @burakkaragoz and 

@FBergamaschi both responded to your query, kindly go throiugh their responses and check if the issue can be resolved.

I would also take a moment to thank @burakkaragoz and @FBergamaschi, for actively participating in the community forum and for the solutions you’ve been sharing in the community forum. Your contributions make a real difference.

If I misunderstand your needs or you still have problems on it, please feel free to let us know.  

Best Regards,
Hammad.

[v-mdharahman]

Hi @Sahilrai_7250,

As we haven’t heard back from you, so just following up to our previous message. I'd like to confirm if you've successfully resolved this issue or if you need further help.

If yes, you are welcome to share your workaround so that other users can benefit as well.  And if you're still looking for guidance, feel free to give us an update, we’re here for you.

Best Regards,

Hammad.

[burakkaragoz]

Hi @Sahilrai_7250 ,

Ah, the classic Excel checkbox problem! Power BI doesn't know what to do with those checkboxes because it only reads the actual cell values, not the fancy form controls.

What's happening: When you import that Excel file, Power BI basically ignores all the checkboxes and just sees empty cells or whatever text is there.

Easiest fix: Before bringing it into Power BI, you need to turn those checkbox states into actual values. Here's what I'd do:

1. Quick manual method: Just type "Yes" or "No" in cells next to your checkboxes based on what's selected
2. Link them properly: In Excel, you can link each checkbox to a cell so when it's checked, the cell shows TRUE/FALSE
3. Replace the whole thing: Delete the checkboxes entirely and just use regular text values

If you want to get fancy with VBA: You can run a quick macro to convert all checkbox states to text values, then delete the checkboxes. But honestly, the manual approach might be faster if you don't have tons of data.

Alternative approach: Skip the Excel checkboxes altogether and just create your selection logic in Power BI using slicers. Probably cleaner in the long run.

The bottom line is Power BI needs actual data values, not interactive controls. Once you convert those checkboxes to text/numbers, you'll be good to go.

Hope that helps!

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If my response resolved your query, kindly mark it as the Accepted Solution to assist others. Additionally, I would be grateful for a 'Kudos' if you found my response helpful.

This response was assisted by AI for translation and formatting purposes.

[FBergamaschi]

you cannot do this, do not waste your time

If this helped, please consider giving kudos and mark as a solution

@me in replies or I'll lose your thread

consider voting this Power BI idea

Francesco Bergamaschi

MBA, M.Eng, M.Econ, Professor of BI