Power BI Dataflow On-Premise Gateway Error: invalid credentials and cannot connect to folder

[shwing]

Hi, 

I am trying to connect to a folder in Power BI Dataflow. But got an error: Invalid credentials

Attached below is the setting details of the On-Premise Gateway

[BhavinVyas3003 · Accepted solution]

To fix the "Invalid credentials" error when connecting a folder in Power BI Dataflow via on-premises gateway:

1. Use full local path (e.g., C:\Data\Folder), not mapped drives.
2. Ensure the gateway is online and installed on the same machine.
3. Give folder read permission to PBIEgwService (gateway service account).
4. In Power BI Service, go to Manage Gateways → Add data source → Type: Folder → Enter exact folder path → Authentication: Windows → Provide domain\username and password.
5. In Dataflow, select that gateway and use the same folder path and credentials.

[v-priyankata]

Hi @shwing 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Forum Community.

@BhavinVyas3003 @rohit1991 Thanks for the inputs.

The suggestions provided by users are very helpful and accurate. Please try those steps, it may helps you. If you continue to experience any issues, feel free to reach out to the community.

Thanks.

[v-priyankata]

Hi @shwing 

I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided by users. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions.

[v-priyankata]

Hi @shwing 

Hope everything’s going smoothly on your end. We haven’t heard back from you, so I wanted to check if the issue got sorted  If yes, marking the relevant solution would be awesome for others who might run into the same thing.

[rohit1991 · Accepted solution]

Hi @shwing 

When a Power BI dataflow says “invalid credentials” for a folder via the on-prem gateway, it almost always comes down to the file-share path or the saved Windows credentials. Make sure the Source path in the dataflow is a full UNC path such as \\SERVER\Share\Folder (never a mapped drive).

In the Power BI Service go to Settings → Data source credentials, choose Windows, enter a user that actually has read permission on that share, and set the privacy level to Organizational. Then, in Manage gateways, add (or edit) a “File” data source that uses the exact same UNC path and the same Windows account, and map the dataflow to that gateway source.

Finally, confirm that you can browse that UNC path directly from the gateway machine; if not, fix the share/NTFS permissions or firewall first. Updating the gateway to the latest version before retrying often clears generic credential errors too.

[BhavinVyas3003 · Accepted solution]

To fix the "Invalid credentials" error when connecting a folder in Power BI Dataflow via on-premises gateway:

1. Use full local path (e.g., C:\Data\Folder), not mapped drives.
2. Ensure the gateway is online and installed on the same machine.
3. Give folder read permission to PBIEgwService (gateway service account).
4. In Power BI Service, go to Manage Gateways → Add data source → Type: Folder → Enter exact folder path → Authentication: Windows → Provide domain\username and password.
5. In Dataflow, select that gateway and use the same folder path and credentials.