Viewing PDFs in Power BI Without Exposing URL Links

[KomalNagre]

Hello everyone,

I am trying to view a PDF using its URL link directly in Power BI without opening it in a browser, as I do not want to expose the URL link. I have attempted to use the HTML Viewer visual, but I'm encountering issues with rendering the PDF.

I have explored the following methods:
1. HTML Viewer
2. Power Apps**

Has anyone successfully embedded a PDF in Power BI while keeping the URL hidden? Any suggestions or solutions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

@PowerBI  @Anonymous 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply from @rajendraongole1 , please allow me to provide another insight.
Hi @KomalNagre ,

I may have encountered similar issues to yours in my testing.

Neither in Power BI Desktop nor in Power BI Service is it possible to render a PDF of the target URL through HTML content visual.

The same problem occurs in Power Apps.

When you use the Iframe tag to embed content from another site in your HTML content visual, the content will not be displayed if that site prohibits requests from a different source.
CORS & Other Known Limitations | HTML Content - Custom Visual for Power BI (html-content.com)
The same reasoning applies to the PDF Viewer in Power Apps not being able to display the problem.

PDF viewer control (experimental) in Power Apps - Power Apps | Microsoft Learn

It is recommended that you contact the administrator of this website to allow requests from powerbi.com and powerapps.com.

Best Regards,
Dengliang Li

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

[rajendraongole1]

Hi @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.

[KomalNagre]

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

[KomalNagre]

@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

PowerApps Document Viewer: View Word, Excel, PDF & PowerPoint Files In Power Apps | Power Apps (devo...

How to Work With Power Apps PDF Viewer Control [With Examples] - SharePoint & Microsoft Power Platfo...

PDF viewer control (experimental) in Power Apps - Power Apps | Microsoft Learn

Hope the above resources helps.