Exporting Images from Power BI in Power Automate getting 'Export_To_File_for_Power_BI_Reports" error

[jesualli]

Hello, I am trying to export PowerBi report images but get this error "Action 'Export_To_File_for_Power_BI_Reports' failed: Export report to image is disabled on tenant level". I talked to Fabric admins and they said they were not allowed to change the Tenant Setting. Is there a work around to get images from Power Bi?

[v-vpabbu]

Hi @jesualli,

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Vinay Pabbu

[Nasif_Azam]

Hey @jesualli ,

The error message you’re encountering "Action 'Export_To_File_for_Power_BI_Reports' failed: Export report to image is disabled on tenant level" is due to a Power BI tenant-level setting being disabled by your admin. The Export to File for Power BI Reports (preview) action in Power Automate requires the Export to File tenant setting to be enabled in the Power BI Admin Portal. If it’s disabled, no flow even those created by users with proper permissions can export reports to PDF, PPTX, or images using this action.

What You Can Do Instead

Even though the direct export action is unavailable, there are several alternate methods to achieve similar results:

 

Option 1: Automate Screenshots Using Power Automate Desktop

You can create a desktop flow that opens the Power BI report in a browser, waits for it to load, and then captures a screenshot.

• Doesn't rely on Power BI tenant settings.

• Can be scheduled or triggered automatically.

• Requires the desktop version of Power Automate and some UI automation setup.

 

Option 2: Use Power BI Report Subscriptions with Images

Power BI allows users to subscribe to reports, and the subscription emails include a preview image of the report page.

You can:

1. Set up a subscription for yourself.

2. Use Power Automate to monitor your inbox.

3. Extract and process the image from the email.

This gives you image snapshots on a schedule without needing export permissions.

 

Option 3: Use a Web App with Embedded Power BI and Capture Image

If you're working with Power BI Embedded, you can use JavaScript to render the report in a custom web app and trigger a screenshot from the client side.

• No reliance on Power Automate.

• Good for integration into web portals.

 

Option 4: Generate Paginated Reports (If Available)

If your organization has Power BI Premium, consider using Paginated Reports. These are designed for print-friendly or export-friendly formats and can be exported without relying on the "Export to file" API.

If you found this solution helpful, please consider accepting it and giving it a kudos (Like) it’s greatly appreciated and helps others find the solution more easily.

Best Regards,
Nasif Azam

[jesualli]

hi @Nasif_Azam 

1. My automation needs to be a cloud flow so it can run indepedtn of my machine so option one wouldnt work

2. I am attemtping to parse (seperate tables in the email) the image sent by susbscription now if u have any insught into how to do that would be greatly appreciated

3. Do you have any docs for this

4. D you have any docs on converting a regular report into a paginated one?

[Nasif_Azam]

Hey @jesualli ,

1. Cloud Flow Is a Must Skipping Desktop Automation

You're absolutely right to eliminate the desktop option since your automation needs to run in the cloud without being tied to your local machine. So, let’s focus entirely on cloud-based methods.

2. Extracting Report Images from Subscription Emails

Since Power BI subscriptions include a snapshot of the report page in the email, you can design a Power Automate cloud flow to capture that image. Here’s a suggested outline:

Approach:

1. Trigger: Start the flow with “When a new email arrives (V3)” and filter it using keywords like “Power BI” or the report title.

2. Check Conditions: Confirm that it’s the intended subscription email.

3. Read Email: Use “Get email (V3)” and set Include Attachments = Yes to fetch embedded images.

4. Extract Image: If the image is embedded in the email body as a cid: reference, you'll need to parse the HTML content of the email. Power Automate can use expressions or the Graph API to help extract that content cleanly.

5. Optional Step: Store or forward the extracted image to SharePoint, OneDrive, or another service.

For Detailed Information: Power Automate Forum – Image Extraction from Email

3. Rendering Power BI in a Web App and Capturing It

If you're exploring Power BI Embedded, another method is to display the report in a secure web app and capture it using front-end techniques. You’ll Need:

• Power BI JavaScript SDK to embed the report.

• A screenshot tool like html2canvas to capture the rendered visuals.

For Detailed Information:

Power BI JavaScript API Overview

html2canvas (Client-side Screenshot)

4. Converting a Regular Report into a Paginated Report

Paginated Reports are ideal if you’re on Power BI Premium or Fabric with Paginated capabilities. Although you can’t directly convert a .pbix file into a paginated report, you can recreate the same visuals using Power BI Report Builder.

Steps:

1. Open Report Builder.

2. Connect to your existing Power BI dataset or a SQL source.

3. Rebuild your layout using precise tables and visuals.

4. Save it as a .rdl file and publish it to the Power BI Service.

For Detailed Information:

Get Started with Paginated Reports

Creating Paginated Reports from Power BI Datasets

Export Paginated Reports via API

If you found this solution helpful, please consider accepting it and giving it a kudos (Like) it’s greatly appreciated and helps others find the solution more easily.

Best Regards,
Nasif Azam

[jesualli]

Thank you very much @Nasif_Azam !

One last question when "Extracting Report Images from Subscription Emails" the whole report is squashed into the same image is there any way to enlarge the image within teh cloud flow?

[Nasif_Azam]

Hey @jesualli ,

You're very welcome! Unfortunately, Power BI subscription emails embed the entire report page as a single static image, often scaled down to fit email clients. You can scale up the image after extraction, but:

• Upscaling in Power Automate directly is not supported.

• Using an external service like Azure Function, Power Automate Custom Connector, or even AI-powered upscalers (e.g., Azure Computer Vision, or a Python REST API) could help.

Things To Remember:

• The subscription image is not controllable in size.

• Workarounds like zooming, image resizing, or extracting a higher-res version must happen outside the email flow.

If you found this solution helpful, please consider accepting it and giving it a kudos (Like) it’s greatly appreciated and helps others find the solution more easily.

Best Regards,
Nasif Azam