Forum Discussion
Viewing PDFs in Power BI Without Exposing URL Links
Super UserHi KomalNagre- Power BI itself does not natively support direct embedding or rendering of PDFs, especially from a URL, in a secure way without exposing the URL link.
Using Power Apps is one of the most secure ways to display PDFs within Power BI while hiding the URL. You can embed a Power App in Power BI that retrieves the PDF from a source like SharePoint or another cloud service and displays it inside the app without exposing the link. Here’s how:
Create Power Apps with PDF viewer: Power Apps includes a PDF viewer control. You can build an app that takes the URL from SharePoint or any other secure cloud storage.
Embed Power Apps in Power BI: Once your app is set up, embed it into your Power BI report using the Power Apps visual.
This method allows you to securely retrieve and view the PDF within Power BI.
The most secure way to embed and hide a PDF URL in Power BI is by using Power Apps or Power Automate. Both methods give you more control over how the PDF is accessed and prevent URL exposure. The HTML Viewer/iFrame method might work for simple use cases but lacks the security you might need.
Hi, I have created a PDF reader app in Power Apps, but it is not opening my PDF URL (which is a public URL). Instead, it is showing 'could not open pdf file ,open in browser'. Please help me resolve this issue.
- rajendraongole1
Hi KomalNagre - If dynamic PDF access is not critical, you can embed the PDF as an image within Power Apps. This approach removes the reliance on external URLs, but it requires manual updates if the PDF changes.
If you're still facing issues with the URL or the PDF not rendering, you can use Power Automate to create a flow that retrieves and passes the PDF content directly to Power Apps.you could store the PDF in OneDrive or SharePoint. These platforms allow embedding PDFs using direct access links that work well with Power Apps.
or Upload the PDF to OneDrive or SharePoint.Get the shared link and ensure it's set to "Anyone with the link can view".Use this link in the PDF Viewer control.
Follow the above approach and let know
rajendraongole1 I am only pdf urls not pdfs , So i need to upload pdf url as a in put from powerbi to powerapp to display pdf in powerbi itself but the link I am providing is not opening in powerapp
- rajendraongole1
Hi KomalNagre - can you please check the solution threads below:
Solved: PDF Viewer Help - Microsoft Fabric Community
PDF viewer control (experimental) in Power Apps - Power Apps | Microsoft Learn
Hope the above resources helps.