Forum Discussion
Power BI Desktop logging out
Hello everyone
I have a problem with Power BI Desktop that, while not critical, is quite annoying.
I always work under one user account on my PC and one Power BI account. But a few weeks ago, I tried logging into the main Power BI account simultaneously on two users in Power BI Desktop. It logged in on the second one, but started throwing authentication requests on the first one.
And if it were just one request and that's it - no big deal. But it asks me to log in every time I open any pbix project, and twice at that.
With the second user everything is fine. I logged in with a different account on it and this problem doesn't occur there. But on the main one, it asks me to log in twice every single time.
Two-factor authentication is set up on the account, and now to open any project I need to perform the following steps:
- I open the project - a password entry window pops up
- I enter the password - an authentication code window pops up
- I enter the code - it loads for about 5 minutes
- Only after this does the project open in the background, but it throws up the password entry window again
- I enter the password, then the code, wait another 5 minutes, and only then can I work normally
But every time I need to publish a project or add a visualization from the store, I have to repeat these same steps. And sometimes it can pop up even while working in the project.
Hi yesoriginal ,
Since the issue persists only with your main Power BI account while another account works fine on the same device, it looks like the behavior is linked to that account’s authentication settings rather than the Power BI Desktop client.
You can try the following additional steps:
-
Clear Microsoft identity cache by sign out from Power BI Desktop and close all Microsoft apps.
Delete all files in the “Cache” folder, then restart Power BI Desktop and sign in again.
- If the “Remember MFA on trusted device” option is disabled, or if reauthentication is enforced frequently, this can cause repeated login prompts. You may want to confirm this with your IT or Azure AD (Entra ID) administrator.
- Try Power BI Desktop (Store version) : It uses a newer authentication flow and can help resolve persistent sign-in loops.
If the issue still continues, I’d recommend checking with your organization’s Entra ID admin to review your account’s token or session lifetime policies.
Thank you.
-
6 Replies
- Shahid12523
Community Champion
Clear credentials: Use Windows Credential Manager to remove Power BI entries.
Reset Power BI state: Delete %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Power BI Desktop\User.zip.
Avoid dual login: Use the account on only one Windows profile.
Disable preview features: They can trigger unstable auth behavior.
Update Power BI Desktop: Latest versions include login fixes.
Open Desktop before PBIX: Reduces mid-session auth issues.Thank you for your reply.
I followed all the steps described above, but nothing helped. I still have the same issue when logging in from my main account. Meanwhile, there’s no such issue with another account, and it doesn’t even ask for the two-factor authentication code (even though that account has it enabled).Hi yesoriginal ,
Since the issue persists only with your main Power BI account while another account works fine on the same device, it looks like the behavior is linked to that account’s authentication settings rather than the Power BI Desktop client.
You can try the following additional steps:
-
Clear Microsoft identity cache by sign out from Power BI Desktop and close all Microsoft apps.
Delete all files in the “Cache” folder, then restart Power BI Desktop and sign in again.
- If the “Remember MFA on trusted device” option is disabled, or if reauthentication is enforced frequently, this can cause repeated login prompts. You may want to confirm this with your IT or Azure AD (Entra ID) administrator.
- Try Power BI Desktop (Store version) : It uses a newer authentication flow and can help resolve persistent sign-in loops.
If the issue still continues, I’d recommend checking with your organization’s Entra ID admin to review your account’s token or session lifetime policies.
Thank you.
-
Hi yesoriginal ,
Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.
Could you please let us know if the issue has been resolved? I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided by Shahid12523 . If you still require support, please let us know, we are happy to assist you.
Thank you.
Hi yesoriginal ,
We haven’t received an update from you in some time. Could you please let us know if the issue has been resolved?
If you still require support, please let us know, we are happy to assist you.Thank you.
