Service ReportServer$PBIRS is not installed.

Hi rasmith​,

I would first confirm which service name you are checking.

For a current standalone Power BI Report Server installation, Microsoft states that Windows Services should display Power BI Report Server, with the service name:

PowerBIReportServer

The instance name used by Report Server Configuration Manager is normally PBIRS, but that does not mean the Windows service must appear as ReportServer$PBIRS. Microsoft explains the expected installation and service naming in its Power BI Report Server installation guidance.

I would check the following:

1. Open services.msc and look for Power BI Report Server.
2. Open Report Server Configuration Manager and connect to the local PBIRS instance.
3. Check Settings → Apps → Installed apps and confirm that Power BI Report Server itself is installed, rather than only Power BI Desktop for Report Server or the configuration tools.
4. Confirm that the expected installation directory exists, normally: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Power BI Report Server\PBIRS

If the service and installation directory are both missing, the server component was not installed successfully. I would rerun the latest supported PowerBIReportServer.exe installer as an administrator and select Install Power BI Report Server. Microsoft’s current download page also lists the supported operating systems and prerequisites, including .NET Framework 4.8 or later.

If the installer reports success but the service is still absent, I would avoid manually creating it with sc.exe. The service must be registered by the PBIRS installer together with the correct binaries, permissions and registry configuration. In that situation, I would:

• Reboot the server if an earlier installation or Windows update has a pending restart.
• Temporarily check whether endpoint protection blocked the service-registration step.
• Run a repair if Power BI Report Server appears under Installed apps.
• Otherwise uninstall the incomplete installation, restart the machine and reinstall the current release.

The exact installer error would be useful here. Could you share the PBIRS version, Windows version, whether the installer completed successfully, and what appears in both services.msc and Report Server Configuration Manager?

That should establish whether this is simply a service-name mismatch or an incomplete installation.

AI-assisted drafting: AI was used to help structure and phrase this response. I reviewed and validated the technical content before posting.