Clicking to link from app doesnt respond

[yosihatem]

Hey all,

I build in power bi table that one of the column is link. When I copy the path and open in new tab it works perfectly.

But clicking from Power BI App (published version) doesnt open the link.

I already marked it as web url and its not recognizing as link. But clicking simply doesnt do anything. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

[Olufemi7]

Hello @yosihatem, 

Make sure your column in Power BI Desktop is set as Data Category → Web URL and that every URL starts with https:// or http://.

After publishing, refresh the report in the Power BI App. Links won’t open if the protocol is missing or the data category isn’t set.

Reference: Power BI hyperlinks in tables

[yosihatem]

I didn't put https:// because file is leading to server. 
If I put https://it simply doesn't work. See example path

file//$ServerName/.....

Regarding data category, its already set as web url

[Olufemi7]

Hello @yosihatem, 

The issue is that you’re using a file:// network path.

file:// links work in Power BI Desktop because it can access your local/network environment, but they are not supported in Power BI Service or the Power BI App. That’s why clicking the link in the published app does nothing.

Power BI published reports only support supported web protocols such as http:// or https://.

To make the link clickable in the App, you’ll need to host the file on a web-accessible location (e.g., SharePoint, OneDrive, or a web server) and use an HTTPS URL instead. Otherwise, users will need to manually copy the file path.

Reference:
Add hyperlinks (URLs) to a table or matrix

[yosihatem]

Thanks for reply. 

It's problem because I have 1000's of files and its being added every day. Its saved automatically in the shared folder

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @yosihatem, 

You are correct that manually updating thousands of files is not practical. Since Power BI Service does not support file:// network paths, the recommended approach is to make the files available through a web-accessible location such as SharePoint Online, OneDrive, or a web server, which provides HTTPS links that Power BI can open.

Because your files are created automatically, this process can also be automated. For example, you can use OneDrive sync or Power Automate to automatically upload or sync new files from the shared folder to SharePoint. This ensures every new file receives a supported HTTPS link without manual effort.

Once the files are accessible via HTTPS and the column is categorized as Web URL, the links will work correctly in the Power BI App.

Hope this clarifies. Let us know if you have any doubts regarding this. We will be happy to help.

Thank you for using the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

[yosihatem]

Unfortunetely I can't do that because of multiple reasons

There are 1000s of file being uploaded everyday
If I upload to sharepoint / onedrive I will have storage problem
I might lose control since I have 2 sources for the files

Do you know if there is plans that PowerBI will support this or not?

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @yosihatem, 
Thank you for the clarification.

I understand that moving or duplicating thousands of automatically generated files is not feasible in your scenario. Power BI Desktop can open file:// or network share paths because it runs within your local environment, but Power BI Service and the Power BI App only support hyperlinks that use supported web protocols such as http:// or https://. This is due to cloud security and architecture limitations, and currently there are no announced plans to support direct access to file:// paths in Power BI Service.

Since your files must remain in the shared folder, a recommended approach is to have your IT team make that same folder accessible through an HTTPS endpoint using your organization’s internal web infrastructure. This does not require moving or duplicating files and ensures that both existing and newly generated files can be accessed using supported HTTPS links. Once those HTTPS links are used and the column is categorized as Web URL, they will work correctly in Power BI Service and the Power BI App.

Thank you.

[v-kpoloju-msft]

Hi @yosihatem, 

Just wanted to follow up. If the shared guidance worked for you, that’s wonderful hopefully it also helps others looking for similar answers. If there’s anything else you'd like to explore or clarify, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you.

[yosihatem]

I didnt tried it yet. I am now trying to connect the fileserver to public server so I can access to files. It till take me few days to handle this

[v-kpoloju-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @yosihatem, 

Thanks for the update. That sounds like the right approach ensuring the file server is accessible is a key prerequisite before configuring the connection in Power BI / Fabric.

Once the file server is ready, please make sure it is accessible to the service. If it remains on-premises, you’ll need to configure an On-premises Data Gateway and ensure the gateway machine has access to the file path. If the files are moved to a cloud-accessible location (such as OneLake, SharePoint, or Azure Storage), you can connect directly without a gateway. After completing the setup, you can configure the connection and verify the refresh. Feel free to share an update once ready, and I’ll assist you with the next steps if needed.

Thank you again for using the Microsoft Fabric Community Forum.

[rohit1991]

Hii @yosihatem 

This happens because in the Power BI Service / App (published version), links only work if the column is correctly categorized as Web URL and the visual supports URL interaction. First, ensure in Model view >> Column tools >> Data category = Web URL. Then in the table visual, turn on Format >> Values >> URL icon = On (or ensure it’s not being overridden by conditional formatting). Also confirm the link starts with https:// (not just www). After that, republish the report and update the app. In most cases, the issue is either missing https:// or the app not updated after publishing.