Skip to main content
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

July 7 - July 17 | Round 2 of the Power BI Dataviz World Championships. Don't miss your chance! Learn more

Reply
systemdisco
New Member

Refresh data doesn't do anything

So I am using Power BI desktop. There is only one data source, an xlsx file stored on OneDrive. When I click "refresh", it thinks and makes it look like it is refreshing, but it doesn't update the data. I am a beginner. What am I doing wrong?

3 REPLIES 3
Stachu
Community Champion
Community Champion

few questions

1) are you sure the file has changed?

2) are you sure the file location is correct?

3) are there any filters that you applied that may filter out new data? E.g. you filtered Aug 2019, but now are missing Sep 2019 rows

4) are you refreshing in the Desktop or in the Service?



Did I answer your question? Mark my post as a solution!
Thank you for the kudos 🙂

Hi

 

Thanks for your reply! Yes the data is definitely changing. How do I check that it is pointing at the right excel file? I haven't changed anything, like locations of excel files, since I created it so I don't see why it would not be pointing at the right place any more.

 

By filters do you mean in excel or Power BI? I haven't filtered either. All I'm trying to do is show a card with a number from the excel but when I update the excel it is not updated in Power BI, not in the dashboard I made nor in the data query thing where you see your table imported (the second icon down on the left in the main screen). 

 

As for am I updating in the service or the desktop... I don't know what the service is! i just click "refresh" in the normal power bi screen....

 

Thanks heaps for getting back to me! I am totally lost. I was loving making the dashboard but now this... if I can't figure this out there's no point me using the product. 

 

Cheers

Ben

Hi @systemdisco ,

You could check if the file is from OneDrive in data source settings.

File > options and settings > Data source settings

5.PNG

You could try to connect to a local file to check if the feature of refresh work fine.

 

Best Regards,

Xue Ding

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

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

Helpful resources

Announcements
FabCon and SQLCon Barcelona 2026

FabCon & SQLCon – Barcelona 2026

Join us in Barcelona for FabCon and SQLCon, the Fabric, Power BI, SQL, and AI community event. Save €200 with code FABCMTY200.

60 days of Data Days Carousel

Data Days 2026

Join Data Days 2026: 60 days of free live/on-demand sessions, challenges, study groups, and certification opportunities.

Power BI DataViz World Championships carousel

Power BI DataViz World Championships - June 2026

A new Power BI DataViz World Championship is coming this June! Don't miss out on submitting your entry.

Top Solution Authors