Matrix visual column width problem started April 2...

DataIsGreat

A very similar problem to Matrix visual column width rendering regression in... - Microsoft Fabric Community but Microsoft are still saying in my ticket that they didn't make any changes that weekend.

I was wondering how many other people have been affected by matrix column width problems that started recently?

My report was fine on Friday 24th April but was broken in Power BI Service the first time I looked at it (around 11am) on Monday 27th April.

The matrix visual is fine in PowerBI Desktop but the published report in Power BI Service no longer displays in a read-able way. In Power BI Service and the associated PowerPoint Power BI Add-in, the column widths are completely broken - the data is far off-screen to the right and can't be adjusted - there is no horizontal scrollbar to get to the end of the column. When I go to Edit mode in Power BI Service, and vastly reduce the font size just to get the column on-screen, it is impossible to reduce the width of the column to less than the longest string of data (although the Text Wrap setting is On).

In Power BI Service edit mode, if I collapse all the rows to get a shorter text field, then adjust the column width, then expand the rows, I can adjust the column width to around half of what it needs to be, but any wider than that and it springs off to the right of the page again.

Jonathan_Devia

I am experiencing exactly the same issue and can fully confirm this is not an isolated case.

In my scenario, multiple reports in Microsoft Power BI were working correctly before, and suddenly (within hours) started showing this behavior in Power BI Service.

Key points from my side:

Reports were working correctly before (same as described, prior to April 25–26).
No changes were made to the reports or visuals.
The issue appeared suddenly and is affecting multiple reports.
Matrix visuals in Power BI Desktop display correctly.
After publishing, in Power BI Service:
- Column widths are not respecting manual adjustments.
- Even with Auto-size column width turned OFF, columns expand automatically.
- Long text fields force the column to stretch far to the right.
- Layout becomes unusable, requiring excessive horizontal scrolling or making data inaccessible.
This behavior is also reproducible across different reports and environments.

Additionally, I have observed:

Attempting to manually resize columns does not persist.
Columns “snap back” or expand again based on the longest value.
Even with Word Wrap enabled, the issue persists.
Workarounds like collapsing rows only partially mitigate the issue and are not viable solutions.

This strongly suggests a recent regression or change in how matrix visuals are rendered in Power BI Service.

This is a critical issue because:

It breaks report layouts that were previously stable.
It affects usability and readability for end users.
It impacts multiple reports at once without any changes on our side.

Could the team please investigate this with high priority?
Given that multiple users are reporting the same behavior starting at the same time window, this appears to be a service-side issue rather than a configuration problem.

Thank you.

JelleDW

We have several matrixes where we show the results of the last 7 days next to eachother. It goes even more wrong when changing the date using a Date Picker. Sometimes the 7 columns are super small, sometimes the 3 first columns are small and then the 4 last are way to width. With every date change the layout changes...

DataIsGreat

@krishnakanth240 , @KimKve , @marilaitala, @Chris999 - you've all liked this or @tt_and's similar post (or commented) - are you also having similar problems that started after last weekend?

lbendlin

There was a service change around that time

DataIsGreat

Thank you @lbendlin! Microsoft are still currently saying that there were no changes, so at least there is evidence that there was. Please could you tell me where you found that?

lbendlin

In my company we keep track of all version changes across service, gateway and desktop, and we keep notes on reported or potential issues with these versions so we know what to avoid.

v-sshirivolu

Hi @DataIsGreat ,
Thanks for reaching out to Community Forum.

As per Microsoft documentation, the Matrix visual in Power BI provides formatting options that can be configured from the Format pane in both Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service (Edit mode). These formatting options include Auto-size column width, Word wrap for values and column headers, Stepped layout for row headers, and various grid and formatting settings such as column headers, values, and row headers formatting. These options are available as part of the standard Matrix visual formatting capabilities.

Refer these docs -
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/visuals/power-bi-visualization-matrix-visual-format-setti...
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/visuals/power-bi-visualization-matrix-visual?tabs=powerbi...
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/visuals/power-bi-visualization-matrix-visual-consideratio...

DataIsGreat

Thank you @v-sshirivolu for attempting to reply. However, I think you've missed that I have it working fine in Power BI Desktop but it breaks when published to Power BI Service, and in Edit mode in Power BI Service, some things slightly work but it is no longer possible (this week) to adjust the column to the correct width. Since finding the problem, I have tried all combinations of turning the Auto-size on and off (with grow or fit settings), word wrap on and off and various other options - none of them work correctly anymore in Power BI Service.

v-sshirivolu

Hi @DataIsGreat ,
Thank you for the clarification. I understand that the matrix column widths are working fine in Power BI Desktop but are breaking after publishing to Power BI Service, and that manual column resizing in Service Edit mode also recently stopped working correctly.
Since multiple users are reporting the same behavior around the same time, this seems to be related to Power BI Service rather than just an issue with a single report configuration. Based on what has been shared, settings like Auto-size column width, grow/fit options, word wrap, and manual resizing are not behaving consistently in the Service for affected reports.

It may be helpful to submit a Microsoft support ticket using the link below so the issue can be investigated further -
Create a Fabric and Power BI Support Ticket - Power BI | Microsoft Learn