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New_User_777's avatar
New_User_777
New Member
8 months ago
Solved

Block access to power query

Hi All!   I need your help, I currently need to deliver a Power BI Desktop file to some company users, but I'd like to know how I can prevent them from seeing the Power Query without hindering thei...
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  • mohit_sakhare's avatar
    mohit_sakhare
    8 months ago

    Hi RP,

    This is a common requirement, but unfortunately it’s not possible to fully hide or block access to Power Query if you share a Power BI Desktop (.pbix) file.

    Any user who opens a PBIX in Power BI Desktop will always be able to access Transform data and view the Power Query (M) code. Power BI Desktop is a development tool, and there is no supported setting to disable or secure the Power Query editor within a PBIX.

    Recommended approaches:

    • Publish the report to Power BI Service and give users Viewer access or share it via a Power BI App. In this case, users can interact with the report but cannot see Power Query or the underlying transformations.

    • If users need to build visuals but not see queries, use a thin report connected to a published semantic model. This allows report creation without exposing Power Query logic.

    In short, if protecting Power Query logic is required, the PBIX should not be distributed. The Power BI Service is the correct and supported way to achieve this.

    Regards,
    Mohit

mohit_sakhare's avatar
mohit_sakhare
Resolver II
8 months ago

Hi RP,

This is a common requirement, but unfortunately it’s not possible to fully hide or block access to Power Query if you share a Power BI Desktop (.pbix) file.

Any user who opens a PBIX in Power BI Desktop will always be able to access Transform data and view the Power Query (M) code. Power BI Desktop is a development tool, and there is no supported setting to disable or secure the Power Query editor within a PBIX.

Recommended approaches:

  • Publish the report to Power BI Service and give users Viewer access or share it via a Power BI App. In this case, users can interact with the report but cannot see Power Query or the underlying transformations.

  • If users need to build visuals but not see queries, use a thin report connected to a published semantic model. This allows report creation without exposing Power Query logic.

In short, if protecting Power Query logic is required, the PBIX should not be distributed. The Power BI Service is the correct and supported way to achieve this.

Regards,
Mohit