Forum Discussion
PowerPoint Add-In for Power BI is not formatting report correctly when presenting
- 4 months ago
suraetay
Why this is happeningMac + WebView limitations
Since you’re using a Mac:
PowerPoint uses a different browser engine (WebView) than Windows
The Power BI add-in is optimized better for Windows
Result:
Visual elements (like X-axis labels) can shift or overlap
- Screen resolution / scaling (TV issue)
When presenting on a TV:
Resolution or scaling may differ (e.g., 1080p vs 4K)
This forces visuals to auto-resize
Labels often get pushed into the chart area
- Responsive visuals still partially apply
Even if you turned off responsiveness:
Some visuals still behave dynamically in embedded mode
Axis labels are one of the most sensitive elements
What actually works (practical fixes)
Fix 1 — Add more bottom padding in Power BI
This is the most reliable workaround:
Increase space below the visual
Move the visual slightly upward
Reduce X-axis font size
Think of it as “defensive spacing”
Fix 2 — Increase visual height
Taller visuals = more room for labels
Prevents overlap when rendering changes
Fix 3 — Change page size to match TV
In Power BI:
Set page size to 16:9 (exact pixel match like 1920x1080)
Avoid “Fit to page” surprises
Fix 4 — Avoid tight layouts
If visuals are packed:
Labels are the first thing to break
Keep extra whitespace between visuals
Fix 5 — Use Power BI Service link (best for reliability)
Instead of relying fully on the add-in:
Open report directly from Power BI Service in browser during presentation
or
Embed as a live web page
This avoids PowerPoint rendering issues completely
If you need it to be 100% stable
Two solid options:
Option A — Export as images
Export visuals as PNG
Use in PowerPoint
No layout issues (but not interactive)
Option B — Use browser full-screen mode
Open report in browser on the TV
Use slideshow mode there.
References: AI used.(Cited as AI)If this helps, ✓ Mark as Kudos | Mark as Solution| Help Others
- 4 months ago
hi suraetay
- Use Windows PowerPoint for playback
- On Windows, the rendering engine for Office add‑ins is more stable. If possible, run the looping presentation from a Windows machine connected to the TV.
- Export visuals as static images
- In Power BI Service, export the visuals (or entire report pages) as PNGs.
- Insert those images into PowerPoint slides instead of embedding the live add‑in.
- This guarantees layout fidelity on any device, though you lose interactivity.
- Embed via Publish to Web (iframe)
- Instead of the Power BI add‑in, embed the report using a browser source (e.g., in a looping web slideshow or kiosk mode).
- This bypasses PowerPoint’s rendering quirks.
- Adjust TV scaling settings
- On macOS, check Display > Scaling in System Preferences. Sometimes the TV is scaling the resolution differently in presentation mode, which distorts embedded frames.
Regards,
Ritesh
Community Champion
Please mark the answer if helpful so that it can help others
hi suraetay
- Use Windows PowerPoint for playback
- On Windows, the rendering engine for Office add‑ins is more stable. If possible, run the looping presentation from a Windows machine connected to the TV.
- Export visuals as static images
- In Power BI Service, export the visuals (or entire report pages) as PNGs.
- Insert those images into PowerPoint slides instead of embedding the live add‑in.
- This guarantees layout fidelity on any device, though you lose interactivity.
- Embed via Publish to Web (iframe)
- Instead of the Power BI add‑in, embed the report using a browser source (e.g., in a looping web slideshow or kiosk mode).
- This bypasses PowerPoint’s rendering quirks.
- Adjust TV scaling settings
- On macOS, check Display > Scaling in System Preferences. Sometimes the TV is scaling the resolution differently in presentation mode, which distorts embedded frames.
Regards,
Ritesh
Community Champion
Please mark the answer if helpful so that it can help others