What is a difference between Basethemese and BuildInThemes using bpip project?

[jaryszek]

Hi Guys,

this is a folder where I have themes from power bi:

What is a diff?

And where I can put my new themes created?

Best,
Jacek

[v-hjannapu]

Hi @jaryszek,
Thank you  for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum.

In Power BI, a "theme" is a JSON file that defines the visual styling of your reports, such as colors, fonts, and other formatting options. The folder you mentioned likely contains default Power BI themes, where BaseThemes are the core design templates Power BI uses internally, and BuiltInThemes are the pre-installed themes available when you select "Switch Theme" in Power BI Desktop. For your custom themes, you don’t need to place them in this folder. Instead, you can store your custom JSON theme files anywhere on your computer, such as a dedicated folder for your Power BI projects.

 To apply a custom theme in Power BI Desktop, go to the View tab, click on the Themes dropdown, and select Browse for Themes. Then, navigate to your custom JSON file and import it. This will apply your theme to the report without modifying Power BI’s system files. It’s best to avoid altering or adding files to the default theme folders, as these are part of Power BI’s internal structure and could be overwritten during updates. Keeping your custom themes in a separate location ensures they’re safe and easy to manage.

Kindly refer to the below documentation links for better understanding:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/desktop-report-themes

Hope this helps if you have any queries we are  happy to assist you further.
Best Regards,
Harshitha.

[jaryszek]

Thank you. 

But it means that every developer has to import repeatdly theme which is located in git repository? 

Assume I have bpip project in Folder1. 
And have theme in seperated folder called "MyCompanyThemes".

I shared bpip project with another developer. He will be forced to import theme all the time when power bi is opened? 

Best,
Jacek

[v-hjannapu · Accepted solution]

Hi @jaryszek,
Thanks for folowup

Yes, in the current Power BI Desktop setup, custom themes are not linked permanently to the file location  they are stored inside the PBIX once you import them. This means:
1.When you import a theme into a PBIX and save it, the theme settings are saved with that file.
 2.Another developer opening the same PBIX will see the applied theme without needing to re-import it.
3. A re-import is only needed if you want to switch to a newer version of the theme file from your Git repository.

So in your case, if the theme is applied and saved in the BPIP project’s PBIX, the other developer won’t have to import it every time  only when you intentionally update the theme from “MyCompanyThemes” and want those changes reflected.

Best Regards,
Harshitha.