preview - modern visual defaults and customizing theme improvements

[stfromliPBI]

Hi, It's weird, but every time I check the highlighted preview option below, and any other option that isn't checked, I can press OK, but it doesn't save the new options I want to preview.  Everything that's checked has been previously saved and have no issues with it but can't add anything new at this time.  

Does any one else have this problem?  I tried it with a new and existing BI report with no success.

[v-echaithra]

Hi @stfromliPBI ,

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? Please let us know if you have any further issues, we are happy to help.

Thank you.

[v-echaithra]

Hi @stfromliPBI ,

We’d like to follow up regarding the recent concern. Kindly confirm whether the issue has been resolved, or if further assistance is still required. We are available to support you and are committed to helping you reach a resolution.

Thank you.

[v-echaithra · Accepted solution]

Hi @stfromliPBI ,

To roll back Power BI Desktop, you’ll need to manually install an older version. First, uninstall your current version by going to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features and removing Microsoft Power BI Desktop. Then, visit the official Power BI Desktop download page and navigate to the “Previous versions” section, where you can find and download an earlier release (for example, the February 2026 installer). Once downloaded, run the .exe file to install that version. You can refer to the provided link to access and download the required older version.
Previous monthly updates to Power BI Desktop and the Power BI service - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Hope this helps.
Thank you

[stfromliPBI]

Thanks for your help. I tried each of these with no success except rolling back to march.  no luck.
How do you roll a powerbi update backwards/

[v-echaithra]

Hi @stfromliPBI ,

At this time, there isn’t an official confirmation for this specific preview feature persistence issue. However, based on similar behaviors observed in the current release, it’s likely that others may be experiencing the same problem.

To help narrow this down, you can try the following:

Validate with the February 2026 version
If the issue does not occur there, it would strongly indicate a regression in the current build.

Perform a clean settings reset
Close Power BI Desktop and delete or rename the following folder so it can be recreated fresh: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Power BI Desktop\

Check for managed or Store-based installations
In some environments, preview features may be controlled or overridden by organizational policies, which can prevent new settings from persisting.

This should help determine whether the behavior is environment-specific or related to the current Desktop version.

Thank you.

[stfromliPBI]

Thanks Kudo.  Is it possible that the next release will fix this issue?Do you know if other people are having this problem?

[Juan-Power-bi]

This is a known quirk with some preview features in Desktop — certain options in the Preview Features dialog appear to save but silently revert on next open. A few things that commonly cause this:
Permissions/profile issue — Desktop stores preview feature settings in your user profile (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Power BI Desktop\). If that folder has restricted write permissions, settings appear to save but don't persist. Check if you can write to that location.
Managed/enterprise Desktop — If your org deploys Desktop via Intune, SCCM, or a similar MDM solution, some preview features may be locked or reset by policy. Your IT department may have a registry key or configuration file that overrides user preferences. Check HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Power BI Desktop for any preview-related keys.
Corrupt user settings file — Try closing Desktop, deleting (or renaming) the User.zip or settings files in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Power BI Desktop\, then reopening. Desktop will recreate them fresh, and you can try enabling the preview feature again from a clean state.
March 2026 specific bug — Given the Newtonsoft.Json .pbip issue we saw in another thread today with the same March build (2.152.882.0), it's possible there are other settings persistence bugs in this release. If a clean profile doesn't fix it, rolling back to the February build would confirm that quickly.