Power BI Desktop on ARM (Snapdragon) – “Error Fetching Data for This Visual” + Compatibility Concern

[DSavill]

Hi all,

I’m currently running Power BI Desktop on a Windows 11 device using a Snapdragon processor (ARM architecture) and running into consistent issues. Most visuals are failing to render with the message when a date slicer is applied:

“Error fetching data for this visual”

Clicking See Details doesn’t give any helpful insight beyond a generic data-fetch error.

Here’s some context:

I’ve installed the PBIDesktopSetup_x64.exe version as the ARM-native version doesn’t exist.

I’m using a dynamic Date table and some DAX measures that work fine on other x64 machines.

The model is relatively light and works well on Intel devices.

I’ve checked relationships, filters, and DAX syntax — everything appears fine.

I'm aware it's running in x64 emulation mode, and performance is generally acceptable — but these errors make the desktop unusable.

I have created the same visuals with the same data on the online service and it works fine. 

Has anyone else experienced this on ARM devices, especially with Snapdragon chips?

Would appreciate any insight on:

Workarounds for running Power BI Desktop reliably on ARM.

Whether certain slicers/visuals or DAX functions are known to be unstable under emulation.

Please note that this worked fine until about two weeks ago?

Thanks in advance — keen to get clarity on whether this is a software issue, emulation limitation, or if I need to avoid development on ARM altogether.

Daniel
(Using Power BI Desktop June 2025 release)

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @DSavill ,
Just checking in again - if the issue is still unresolved, please let us know the current status. Also, please consider upvoting the idea for ARM64 support to help gain visibility and encourage prioritization by the product team: Make power BI desktop fully compatible with ARM CP... - Microsoft Fabric Community

Should you need further assistance in the future, please feel free to create a new post in the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum. We’ll be glad to support you.

We may consider closing this thread if we dont hear back.

Thank you for being a part of the Microsoft Fabric Community.

[picander]

The issue is still unresolved, similar configuration as in the original post (Windows 11 - Yoga Slim 7x Gen 9 14" Snapdragon). It is related to Date Table (tested both generated with Power Query and DAX, same results).

It is very easy to reproduce, create a simple date table related to any other Fact_table, create a slicer from the date table, and add a visual with any column of your Fact_Table, you will get a “Error fetching data for this visual”. 
Any work-around, beside downgrading? Some other features from the Februar 2025 version stopped working properly, so we are stucked and Power BI becomes absolutely unusable.

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @DSavill ,

Thanks for posting in Microsoft Fabric Community.

The error message “Error fetching data for this visual” has recently been observed across various setups, including both ARM-based and standard x64 environments. It has been noted that this issue started appearing after recent updates to Power BI Desktop, and it may not be related to hardware or emulation alone.

In some cases, reverting to the February 2025 version of Power BI Desktop resolved the issue. If you’re currently using a newer version, consider downgrading and check if the error persists.

Here are some related threads where similar behavior has been documented:

Solved: Re: Error fetching data for this visual - Microsoft Fabric Community
Solved: Error fetching data for this visual - A connection... - Microsoft Fabric Community
Error fetching data for this visual - Microsoft Fabric Community

Power BI Desktop is not officially supported on ARM64 architecture. The application currently runs under x64 emulation, which may cause performance or compatibility issues in some scenarios. For reference, the request for full ARM64 support is being tracked at the following link:
Make power BI desktop fully compatible with ARM CP... - Microsoft Fabric Community

Thnaks to @Stinkys for highlighting this here.
Consider upvoting this idea to help prioritize it.

To assist further, please share the complete message displayed when selecting “See details” on the visual, whether the dataset is using import or DirectQuery, and whether the issue also occurs in the Power BI Service after publishing. This will help in narrowing down the cause.

Hope this helps. Please reach out for further assistance.
If this post helps, then please consider to give a kudos and Accept as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

Thank you.

[v-veshwara-msft]

Hi @DSavill ,
Just checking in to see if have you had a chance to review the response provided and check whether downgrading to an earlier version of Power BI Desktop has resolved the issue.

If you need any further assistance, feel free to reach out.

Thank you.

[Poojara_D12]

Hi @DSavill 

Running Power BI Desktop on a Windows 11 device with a Snapdragon ARM processor through x64 emulation can introduce unique challenges, as you’ve experienced with visuals failing to render, especially when using date slicers. Although the ARM-native version of Power BI Desktop is not available, the x64 version runs under emulation, which generally works but can sometimes lead to instability or subtle bugs, particularly with certain visuals or DAX functions that rely heavily on native processing optimizations. Your issue, where applying a date slicer causes an “Error fetching data for this visual,” is consistent with known but sporadic problems reported by users on ARM devices running Power BI Desktop via emulation. This behavior might stem from differences in how the emulated environment handles memory, data querying, or rendering processes, which do not occur on native x64 hardware or in the online Power BI Service where the backend is consistent and optimized for the cloud. Workarounds include simplifying or modifying your DAX measures, avoiding complex date slicers or visuals that trigger errors, or using alternative filtering methods. Many users recommend using Power BI Service for report development on ARM devices or switching to a native x64 machine for heavy desktop development until Microsoft releases an ARM-optimized version of Power BI Desktop. Since this issue appeared recently, it could also be linked to updates in the June 2025 Power BI Desktop release affecting emulation stability. Overall, it’s a mix of software maturity and emulation limitations, and for reliable development, avoiding ARM emulation or using the online service for testing might be the most practical short-term approach.

[Stinkys · Accepted solution]

Come join the gang, Daniel. 

Are you using ARM64 in either Windows (Snapdragon) or Mac/VM? If so please see this thread which includes instructions to downgrade to the Feb Power BI Desktop release - https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Issues/March-2025-Update-Error-fetching-data-for-this-visu... And then hop on over to this thread to upvote ARM64 official support, because at present Microsoft have said ARM64 is officially not supported. https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Fabric-Ideas/Make-power-BI-desktop-fully-compatible-with-A...

[burakkaragoz]

Hi @DSavill ,

Thank you for sharing all the details regarding running Power BI Desktop on ARM (Snapdragon) devices. This is a relatively new scenario, and your findings will be valuable for others as well.

Here are some insights and suggestions:

1. ARM (Snapdragon) Compatibility:
   Currently, there is no native ARM build for Power BI Desktop. Running the x64 version in emulation mode on Windows 11 ARM devices (like those with Snapdragon processors) can lead to compatibility issues, especially with more complex visuals, DAX, or dynamic date tables. These issues are not uncommon as emulation is not always 100% reliable for all features.

2. Your troubleshooting steps are spot on:

• Verifying relationships, DAX, and model on x64 Intel (where it works) confirms the root cause is likely platform-specific.
• The fact that everything works in the Power BI Service and broke recently suggests a backend change or an update that the emulator struggles with.

1. Workarounds & Recommendations:

• Unfortunately, at the moment, there is no official or community-supported workaround for these errors except running Power BI Desktop on x64 (Intel/AMD) hardware or using the Power BI Service for report authoring and testing.
• You might try rolling back to an older version of Power BI Desktop to see if the issue is version-specific, though this is not always practical or recommended.
• For lighter editing, you can use Power BI Service (Web) as you’ve noted, but advanced modeling features are still limited there.

1. Community Feedback:

• You are not alone; other users with ARM devices (especially Snapdragon) have reported similar issues, mostly related to visuals not rendering or random data-fetch errors.
• Currently, Microsoft has not announced native ARM support for Power BI Desktop, but feedback like yours is crucial. I recommend submitting this scenario to the Power BI Ideas forum and upvoting any related suggestions.

1. Summary:

• Power BI Desktop in x64 emulation on ARM is not fully reliable, especially with dynamic or complex features.
• For mission-critical work, x64 hardware or the Power BI Service are recommended until a native ARM version is available.
• Stay tuned to release notes and the Ideas forum for progress on ARM support.

If you have further questions, want to troubleshoot a specific error log, or need help finding alternative workflows, let me know!

Best regards,
Burak