Azure Maps - Transparency

[NinaV]

Hello,

We are experiencing an issue with the Azure Maps visual in Power BI where the behaviour after selecting a point on the map has changed.

Previously, the map behaved as expected:

• All map points were clearly visible.

• When clicking on a point, that point was highlighted.

• The other points remained visible so users could still see the surrounding context.

However, now the behaviour is different in both Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service:

• When clicking on a point, the other points on the map become almost invisible (very high transparency).

• Only the selected point remains clearly visible.

• The other points are technically still present but are barely visible.

This makes the map much harder to use because users lose the context of nearby locations after selecting a point.

Additional information:

• This report used to work correctly in the past.

• No changes were made to the visual configuration.

• The issue now occurs in both Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service.

Has anyone else recently experienced this behaviour with the Azure Maps visual?

Is this a known change or possibly a regression in the visual?

Any insights or workarounds would be greatly appreciated.

At the bottom I included some pictures for calrity. 

Thanks!

OLD situation - Nothing Selected

Old Situation - One point selected

NEW Situation - Nothing Selected (also the points are a lot less smooth than before)

NEW Situation - One point selected

[grazitti_sapna]

Hi @NinaV, 
Workarounds you can perform: 
1. Change Highlighting Behavior (Best Workaround)

If other visuals are interacting with the map, highlight behavior can worsen the issue.

1. Select the Azure Maps visual
2. Go to Format → Edit Interactions
3. For other visuals:
   • Change interaction from Highlight → Filter

This prevents transparency behavior.

2. If you are using Bubble layer / Location layer:

1. Format Pane

2. Go to Layer settings

3. Adjust: Transparency 

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[NinaV]

Hello,

Thanks for the reply.

In my report I have an Azure Maps visual together with a table. The interaction works as follows:

• When I select a row in the table, the map focuses on that specific location.

• When I select a point on the map, the table filters and only shows the selected record.

In the layer settings of the Azure Maps visual I can configure "Unselected data transparency", but this setting does not seem to have any effect. Whether I set it to 10% or 80%, the unselected points appear the same and remain very hard to see.

The issue seems to have started around January. At first it only occurred in Power BI Service (online). Users who rely on the map started complaining that the surrounding points were barely visible after selecting a point.

When I initially tried to investigate the issue in Power BI Desktop, the behaviour was still correct there. However, in the last few days/weeks, the same problem has started to appear in Desktop as well.

One thing I noticed is that when I change the marker shape from a circle to a square, the transparency seems to behave correctly. However, I would strongly prefer to use the circle marker, because it allows us to display two different colors in a single marker, which is important for our use case.

[v-menakakota]

Hi @NinaV   ,
Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft fabric community forum. 

Based on your description, this behavior does not appear to be related to a configuration change in the report. Normally, the “Unselected data transparency” setting under Layer settings Options should control how visible the remaining points are when a point is selected. Since adjusting this setting does not seem to affect the visual, the behavior may be related to how the Azure Maps visual is currently rendering the markers. Your observation that the issue started around January, first appeared in Power BI Service, later in Power BI Desktop, and behaves differently depending on the marker shape such as circle versus square suggests the transparency may not currently be applied consistently for certain marker styles.

As a temporary workaround, you could try using square markers since transparency appears to behave correctly in that configuration. You may also review Edit interactions to ensure the visuals are applying filtering rather than highlighting. We will continue checking internally whether this behavior is related to a recent change in the Azure Maps visual. In the meantime, please confirm the Power BI Desktop version you are using and whether the visual is configured with a Bubble layer or Location layer.

If I misunderstand your needs or you still have problems on it, please feel free to let us know. 

Best Regards, 
Community Support Team

[NinaV]

Hello, 

Thanks for you reply. It is a location layer. And I'm useing this Version: 2.152.882.0 64-bit (maart 2026)

Additional info: When I first place an Azure map. When I put my data in the map I get a Notification: This visual is being retired soon. Upgrade now to avoid errors. Before I upgrade, the transparancy works how is should. When I click on Upgrade map the transparency is not good anymore

[v-menakakota]

Hi @NinaV ,

Based on your description, the change in transparency behavior occurs after upgrading because the newer Azure Maps visual uses a different rendering method, so opacity for location layers may behave differently compared to before. You can try adjusting the transparency or opacity settings again after the upgrade, and if applicable, reduce the fill opacity or switch the map style such as Light or Grayscale to improve visibility. If the current appearance is critical for your report, you may continue using the existing visual for now; however, since the older version will be retired, transitioning to the new visual is recommended. This also appears to be an issue introduced after the upgrade, so for deeper investigation, you may consider raising a support ticket with Microsoft so the product team can review it.

To raise a support ticket for Fabric and Power BI, kindly follow the steps outlined in the following guide:

How to create a Fabric and Power BI Support ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

Best Regards, 
Community Support Team

[v-menakakota]

Hi @NinaV ,

Could you please confirm if the issue has been resolved after raising a support case? If a solution has been found, it would be greatly appreciated if you could share your insights with the community. This would be helpful for other members who may encounter similar issues.

Thank you for your understanding and assistance.

Best Regards, 
Community Support Team.

[v-menakakota]

Hi @NinaV ,

I would also take a moment to thank @grazitti_sapna  and @GeraldGEmerick   , for actively participating in the community forum and for the solutions you’ve been sharing in the community forum. Your contributions make a real difference.
I hope the issue has been resolved. If you continue to experience any problems, please reach out here and we will assist you.

Best Regards, 
Community Support Team

[GeraldGEmerick]

@NinaV I can confirm this behavior. There is a setting for controlling the transparency of unselected data points but it appears to be inoperative. Perhaps there is an issue with the latest release of Power BI Desktop in regards to this particular visual. Setting this to the default of 80% and 0% made no difference on the visual.