Forum Discussion
Issue with Power BI Desktop serverside authentication
Hi Erkko ,
Thanks for reaching out to Forum Community.Recurring sign-in prompts in Power BI Desktop usually happen when accounts or tokens don’t match. Make sure your Windows login, Desktop sign-in, and installation account are the same. If needed, add your Power BI account via Windows Settings - Accounts - Access work or school, and clear old credentials in Desktop (File - Options - Data Source Settings - Clear Permissions) and Windows Credential Manager. Reinstalling Desktop under the correct profile and launching with the intended account also helps.
Also, check Integrated Windows Authentication in Internet Options and review organizational policies like Conditional Access, MFA, or Hybrid Azure AD Join. Signing in first via Edge - Office 365 - Power BI Service can help Desktop recognize your token and stop repeated prompts.
Hello Erkko
Try this
he issue happens because the VM login, the Power BI Desktop sign-in, and the installation account don’t match, which prevents tokens from being stored and forces reauthentication each time. To fix it, you should try to align the account you use to log into the VM with the one you use in Power BI, or at least add your organizational Power BI account in Windows settings under “Access work or school” so tokens can persist. Clearing and resetting credentials in Power BI Desktop and ensuring all data sources use the same account can also help. If Power BI was installed with a service account, reinstalling it under your own profile may resolve caching problems. It’s also worth checking whether Conditional Access or group policies from IT are blocking token persistence. Keeping everything under one consistent account identity is the most reliable solution