Power BI Desktop won’t launch on Windows system

Microsoft Power BI is one of the best data visualization tools. It allows the user to modify and represent the data in the most accurate and aesthetically pleasing manner. However, according to many of its users, Power BI Desktop won’t launch on Windows computers, sometimes, it crashes after launching. In this post, we are going to discuss this issue and find solutions that can help you remedy the situation.

If Power BI Desktop won’t launch on your computer, follow the suggestions and solutions given below to resolve the issue and repair the Microsoft Power BI Desktop tool.

◾Run Power BI as administrator

◾Repair or Reset Power BI

◾Uninstall 64-bit and install the 32-bit version of Power BI

◾Make sure that NET Framework 4.7 (or 4.8)

Let us talk about them in detail.

1] Run Power BI as administrator

When a program launches, there are a lot of files and libraries it needs to access and load respectively, sometimes, in order to do the same, it needs administrative privileges. In this solution, we will be giving Power BI the required permissions.

To do the same, right-click on Power BI and select Run as administrator. If launching the app with administrative privileges works, you can change the configuration of the app such that it always opens in elevated mode. To do the same, follow the prescribed steps.

◾Right-click on the Power BI shortcut and select Properties.

◾Go to the Compatibility tab.

◾Tick Run this program as an administrator.

◾Click Apply > Ok.

After making the adjustments, open the app and see if that works.

2] Repair or Reset Power BI

You may encounter the said issue due to misconfiguration in Power BI or if some of its files are corrupted. In that case, our best option is to first repair the app and if that doesn’t work, we will reset all its settings to default. So, in order to do the same, follow the prescribed steps.

◾Open Settings.

◾Go to Apps > Installed apps or Apps & features.

◾Search for “Microsoft Power BI”. > Windows 11: Click on the three vertical dots and click on Advanced Options.> Windows 10: Select the app and then click on Advanced Options.

◾Click on the Repair button.

Wait for the issue to be resolved. In case, the issue persists, go to Settings and then to Advanced Options of Power BI, finally, click on the Reset button. Finally, check if the issue is resolved.

3] Uninstall 64-bit and install the 32-bit version of Power BI

You may encounter the said issue if you have installed the wrong version of Power BI. Some users also reported that the 64-bit version was working fine, but it started failing to launch and they have to install the 32-bit version. Regardless of the camp, you are in, uninstalling the 64-bit and installing the 32-bit version can resolve the issue. To do the same, follow the prescribed steps.

◾Open Settings.

◾Go to Apps > Apps & features or Installed apps.

◾Look for “Power BI”.> Windows 11: Click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.> Windows 10: Select the app and then click on Uninstall.

◾Click on the Uninstall button.

After uninstalling the app, remove the folder where you have installed Power BI (if it still exists).

Once you have removed Power BI, either go to microsoft.com\store or powerbi.microsoft.com to download the app, and finally install the 32-bit version. Hopefully, this will resolve the issue for you.

4] Make sure that NET Framework 4.7 (or 4.8) is enabled

Next up, you need to make sure that the NET Framework 4.7 (or 4.8) is installed and enabled. This feature is required by the Power BI application to create an environment for it to run. To do the same, open Control Panel, change the View by to Large icons, go to Programs & features > Turn Windows features on or off, look for NET Framework 4.7 or 4.8 and make sure that it is checked. In case, you can’t find the option (which is usually the case with Windows 7/8), navigate to microsoft.com and download the same.

Once the issue is resolved, go ahead and launch Power BI. To open Power BI, you just have to search for the app from the Start Search option and then launch the same. If you want, you can also access the online version of Power BI from app.powerbi.com. Power BI is compatible with Windows 11 as well as Windows 10, and can also work on Windows 8/7, so, regardless of the version of Windows you are using, you should be able to access this Microsoft data visualization tool. In case, you fail to do the same, check out the solutions mentioned in this post to resolve the issue.