Power BI export does not fill up PowerPoint slide

[user01]

Whenever I export a PPT from Power BI (online workspace or app), the PPT static image does not fill up the entire PowerPoint slide.

I can really notice when I use a background. And it doesn't matter if I use FIT, STRETCH, or FILL options. The image never fills up the entire PPT slide. Is there a way to fix this?

I'm attaching a sample background, and a snippet of the issue from the PPT slide (image does not fill entire slide, surrounding white/empty gap).

Sample BackgroundExported image does not fill entire PPT slide

Edit: Canvas setting is 16:9.

Canvas setting

Edit2: Just to make it more clear, I added some random blue shapes in Power BI (not directly onto the image). The Power BI page does not reach the edge of the PPT slide when exported on the left side, the bottom, and the right side. The top side seems to reach the top (enough).

Power BI page does not reach PPT slide edge when exported

[user01 · Accepted solution]

From the comments provided by other users and my testing, it looks like there is padding added to the bottom of the image that is exported. It does not appear that there is padding on the sides. It appears like a white margin/border because

• the bottom padding is white
  • This can be controlled/changed with FORMAT PAGE > WALLPAPER > COLOR
  • In my report, the bottom border of my background/report is gray, so I made the wallpaper gray to make the padding look like it matches and is part of the background border.
• there is a gap (left/right) between the exported image and edge of the PPT slide which reveals the PPT slide color.
  
  • If you change the PPT slide color, the left/right gaps that look like a border/margin will be the PPT slide color.
• I'm using VERTICAL ALIGNMENT > TOP.
  • Your results might be different if you use MIDDLE.
  • I don't know if that changes the padding behavior (on top) or dimensions below.

Through trial and error, I was able to minimize the left/right gap with dimensions of 716px x 1292 px on most pages. For some unknown reason, at least one page required different dimensions. These dimensions might not work for you, as other dimensions were suggested to me (see links below). So you might need to do your own trial and error.

Also note that the arrangement/positions of your visualizations might shift from Power BI to PPT export. In other words, on at least one page, my visualizations are perfectly aligned in Power BI, but they are shifted and unaligned in the PPT export. I don't know whether or not this is related to the dimension changes or Power BI export padding.

See these comments for more technical details:

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Service/Power-BI-export-does-not-fill-up-PowerPoint-slide/...

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Service/Power-BI-export-does-not-fill-up-PowerPoint-slide/...

[v-karpurapud]

Hi @user01 

We're pleased to hear that you found the cause and fixed the issue. Thank you for sharing the details. If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out and we'll be glad to assist.

Regards,

Microsoft Fabric Community Support Team

[v-karpurapud]

Hi @user01 

I wanted to check if you’ve had a chance to review the information provided. If you have any further questions, please let us know. Has your issue been resolved? If not, please share more details so we can assist you further.

Thank You.

[user01]

@v-karpurapud Thank you for your help and feedback. I've written a specific solution that worked for me and accepted that as the solution (for future readers' convenience).

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Service/Power-BI-export-does-not-fill-up-PowerPoint-slide/...

Thank you.

[cengizhanarslan]

You need to match report canvas exactly to PPT slide. Always use use 16:9 canvas and avoid custom page sizes.

[user01]

@cengizhanarslan Yes, it's 16:9. I forgot to mention that.

Canvas setting

[v-karpurapud]

Hi @user01 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric community forum.
 

The issue happens because Power BI adds internal padding and DPI scaling when exporting report pages to PowerPoint, even if the canvas is set to a 16:9 ratio. This causes small gaps on the sides and bottom of the PowerPoint slide. It’s a known limitation and not due to background image fit settings. To fix this, try setting the report canvas to a custom size slightly larger than 16:9, such as 1284 × 724 pixels. This helps the image fill the slide completely. You can also check the Power BI community thread https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Service/White-margins-exporting-PPTX-in-PowerBI-Service/m… for more details and solutions.
 

If you have any more questions, please let us know and we’ll be happy to help.

Regards,

Microsoft Fabric Community Support Team.
 

[user01]

@v-karpurapud Thanks for the info. I tried the size you suggested, but it did not work. I tried increasing the height and width by the same amount different times, but the padding remained. I finally increased the height and width by different amounts and it seemed to work. I randomly used 724px x 1295px, and the slide looks like it filled up. I have not tried other numbers, but I suspect they will work too.

Do you know why these strange numbers work? Is there a rule or formula?

[v-karpurapud]

Hi @user01

The behavior you’re experiencing is expected because Power BI does not export report pages to PowerPoint using a true 1:1 pixel mapping. During export, Power BI applies internal DPI scaling (rendering at 96 DPI before inserting into a 72 DPI PowerPoint slide) along with a small amount of system-controlled padding to prevent clipping. These adjustments are not configurable or documented, which is why margins can appear even when the report canvas is set to a standard 16:9 ratio. When you modified the height and width independently (for example, 724 × 1295), the adjusted dimensions effectively offset Power BI’s internal scaling and padding behavior, allowing the exported image to align more closely with the slide edges. Since Microsoft does not provide a fixed formula for this process, the most practical approach is to fine-tune the custom canvas dimensions until the exported slide fills correctly.

Regards,

Microsoft Fabric Community Support Team.