Protect PBIX File from editing

[AnassEss]

Hi Community

Im new to Power BI and yet I found some really useful and good advice here to almost all the problems I had. The thing is, when I finished my PBIX file with all the info needed I wanted to protect my file from getting edited, Any user can open and freely interact with the file, use the segmentations... but CAN'T edit the file, change information and save it... I wanted to do it locally and the version im using is: 2.124.2028.0 64-bit (diciembre de 2023), so it is a Desktop file (I already know that if I publish it I can protect it with roles). 

I would like some advice on this matter.

Thank you so much.

[v-jialongy-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @AnassEss 

Unfortunately, there is no built-in way to password protect or lock a Power BI Desktop file (PBIX) from editing. Anyone who has access to the file can open it and make changes to it. This is because Power BI Desktop is designed as a development tool, not a distribution tool.

Best Regards,

Jayleny

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[AnassEss]

Thank you for the answer. I will try to find an alternative way to protect it but I will stop searching inside my PBIX file.

[lbendlin]

Remember that you are not in the business of preventing access to insights.  You are in the business of making it easier for your users/fellow developers to utilize your work and find insights.  Rethink your priorities.

[AnassEss]

Im aware of the priorities, I want to make it easier for my fellows I just don't want things to get edited since if they do so(even if it is not on purpose) then all the information would be modified and we will lose track of the more than 34k rows of information that we got. It is not like I don't want to share my work, I jus don't want it to get modified and by the way it's my boss's orders 

[lbendlin]

Read about CI/CD, git integration, and versioning. Putting your PBIX in a SharePoint document library is a simple way to be able to recover prior versions.

[AnassEss]

That was one of the options we were talking about yesterday, we will probably do so, Thanks once again and I apologyze if my previous reply was a bit rude.

[lbendlin]

no need to apologize - didn't see anything rude.