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

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.