Why my power BI desktop is not the latest one?

[lastnn30]

Hi

I had an old computer, and I had power BI (not sure how did I get it, from the store or installed the .exe file). I created some files and saved them. Now I got a new computer, I went to the MS store and installed Power BI desktop (from the store). Now when I try to open my Power BI files which were created by the old computer, I got message saying these files were created using a newer version of Power BI ! How can that possible?

1) Does that mean the Power BI from the store is not the latest one?

2) Is it possible that my old computer and Power BI where automatically updating (maybe I installed using .exe file)

3) Is there any difference between The Store and .exe file (I have feeling the Store version is not updating automatically)

4) Now I have the power BI (version, please see screenshot), how can I update it with you removing/re-installing it

Thank you so much.

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[MFelix · Accepted solution]

Hi @lastnn30 ,

There is a small difference in some days between the download exe and the store, but it's max a few days to my knowledge.

Have you checked in the store if there is an update pending to install on your computer? Store should be updated with December version.

[allenabraham]

You must have installed Power BI Desktop via both Microsoft Store and using the offline installer.

Retain the Microsoft Store version as the preferred version, where you don't need to update the latest version manually.

To remove the offline version of the Microsoft Power BI Desktop, go to "Add or Remove Programs", Search for "Desktop" & remove the one the Power BI Desktop version with "64" in its name or the older version. This would resolve your issue, and you would always have the Microsoft Store version, which gets automatically updated for you.

[adrnhern]

Thank you! This was my issue and these instructions helped solve it. 

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi @lastnn30 ,

There are a few advantages to getting Power BI Desktop from the Microsoft Store:

• Automatic updates: Windows downloads the latest version automatically in the background as soon as it's available, so your version will always be up to date.

• Smaller downloads: Microsoft Store ensures only components that have changed in each update are downloaded to your machine, resulting in smaller downloads for each update.

• Admin privilege isn't required: When you download the package directly and install it, you must be an administrator for the installation to complete successfully. If you get Power BI Desktop from the Microsoft Store, admin privilege is not required.

• IT roll-out enabled: Through the Microsoft Store for Business, you can more easily deploy, or roll out, Power BI Desktop to everyone in your organization

• Language detection: The Microsoft Store version includes all supported languages, and checks the language used on your computer each time it's launched. This language support also affects the localization of models created in Power BI Desktop. For example, built-in date hierarchies match the language that Power BI Desktop is using when the .pbix file is created.

The following consideration and limitations apply when you install Power BI Desktop from the Microsoft Store:

• If you use the SAP connector, you may need to move your SAP driver files to the Windows\System32 folder.
• Installing Power BI Desktop from the Microsoft Store doesn't copy user settings from the .exe version. You might have to reconnect to your recent datasources and reenter your data source credentials.

More reference refer to:Get Power BI Desktop - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

You can download the latest power bi desktop from Download Microsoft Power BI Desktop from Official Microsoft Download Center

Also, might be you have an older version of PBI installed in your system. You can uninstall that and install the latest version.

If you are installing this PBI desktop from the Microsft store then your PBI desktop will be automatically updated every month, no need to do a manual installation.

Best Regards
Community Support Team _ Polly

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

[weca_theo]

Microsoft Store for business was retired in March 2023. A month after your post.

From what I've been told, the normal MS Store doesn't allow IT admins to restrict the apps users can download. It is for this reason our IT can't allow PBI to be installed via the store, as they don't want us to have access to ALL the other apps on Store.

[MFelix · Accepted solution]

Hi @lastnn30 ,

There is a small difference in some days between the download exe and the store, but it's max a few days to my knowledge.

Have you checked in the store if there is an update pending to install on your computer? Store should be updated with December version.