Do you want to know how to easily share Power BI reports and dashboards with free and external users? If so, you’ve come to the right place.
Power BI’s licensing restrictions mean it only allows native sharing with other paid users, so sharing Power BI content with free users or external people requires a bit of extra work. In this guide, we will show you how to do it!
Luckily, there are some great workarounds to sharing Power BI reports with others without having to compromise data security (ensuring secure data access by not sharing the Power BI report URL or giving access to the underlying dataset), user experience (for example, sharing just specific report pages or a filtered view), or purchasing additional Power BI licenses.
In this guide, we’ll go through the following five different Power BI report and dashboard sharing options and the use cases they’re best suited for:
- Share with other pro users (internal or external) using the native sharing feature
- Embed into your existing collaboration tools (e.g. Teams or Sharepoint)
- Embed or publish to web
- Share to the info screen with digital signage software
- Export to Excel or save as PDF
Before we dive into the details, let’s answer some of the most common questions about sharing Power BI content:
Can you share dashboards with Power BI for free?
You cannot share dashboards directly with free users in the Power BI cloud BI service. Free users can only view content that is published to the web or hosted in a Premium capacity workspace. Without these options, both the sharer and the viewer need a Pro license.
How to share a Power BI report with external users?
You can share a Power BI report with external users by inviting them through Power BI guest access in Microsoft Entra ID. After the invitation, you assign the right user permissions or workspace access so they can view the report. External guests still need a Pro license, unless the report is hosted in a Premium workspace.
How to share a Power BI report with non-Power BI users?
You can share Power BI reports with non-Power BI users by exporting them to PDF or Excel and sending the files. If you want them to see an interactive version without a license, use Publish to Web for non-sensitive data or embed the report through a third-party tool such as a web app or digital signage.
How to share a Power BI report outside your organization?
You can share a Power BI report outside your organization by inviting external users as guests or hosting the report in a Premium workspace. If that is not possible, you can share the content by publishing it to the web or exporting it as a file.
Now that you know the essentials, let’s dive deeper into each of the five sharing options and when to use each one.
1. How to share Power BI reports and dashboards with internal and external Pro users using the native sharing feature
While the easiest way to share Power BI data is to use the Power BI built-in sharing feature, there are some caveats – starting with the fact that both the person sharing and the recipient need to have a paid Power BI seat (Pro or Premium).
(You probably already knew this, but we still wanted to go through the pros and cons of this “default” option so it’s easier for you to compare with other options. Feel free to skip this part if you’ve already done your research.)
Ideal use case
Sharing your Power BI content with other data-literate power users (whether it’s coworkers, customers, or consultants)
Pros
- Sharing is available directly in the Power BI service but not in Power BI Desktop.
- Dashboards and reports can be shared directly in Power BI or by email with a personalized or generic link.
- Recipients can view and interact with reports in read-only mode without being able to edit.
- Resharing can be enabled within your organization, but not with external people.
- Private sharing links are available through Azure Private Link, which provides secure access for data traffic in Power BI with some setup.
Cons
- Every user must have a Pro or Premium license.
- External sharing is not possible without a license.
- The entire dataset is shared unless row-level security is applied.
- Shared report access expires automatically after 180 days.
- Usability is poor for occasional or non-technical users.
2. Embed a Power BI dashboard or report into your existing collaboration tools (e.g. Teams or SharePoint)
Many organizations already use collaboration tools such as Slack, Teams, or SharePoint. Content embedding in these workplace tools helps share insights where people already work. This includes publishing Power BI to Teams, which makes it easy to bring reports into daily conversations and project work.
Ideal use case
Sharing project-specific Power BI content with only the people who need it in a familiar workspace.
Pros
- Sharing is possible in Teams or SharePoint without adding new tools.
- You can share a Power BI report in Teams without Pro when the content is hosted in Premium capacity.
- Embedding makes reports accessible to non-paid Power BI users or even people with no Power BI account.
- Setup is simple through built-in integrations for Teams and SharePoint.
Cons
- The entire report is shared, and filters must be applied in advance.
- Reports can get lost in the noise of busy collaboration channels.
- Non-Microsoft tools, such as Slack, require third-party embedding through apps or connectors, which usually have limitations
- In some environments, such as national clouds, Pro licenses are still required for access.
3. Embed or publish a Power BI dashboard or report to the web
Publish to Web is essentially public link publishing that lets you embed interactive Power BI content on a website or share it through a direct link.
Ideal use case
Sharing public or non-sensitive data with a broad audience.
Pros
- Setup is a minimal setup process that only requires generating a link or embed code.
- Viewers only see aggregated visuals and not the raw dataset.
Cons
- Data becomes public and viewable by anyone with the link.
- Links can be shared or indexed beyond your control.
- Some report types and visuals cannot be embedded
- Publishing reports that include personal data may risk breaching GDPR compliance requirements, so only non-sensitive content should be shared this way
4. Share the Power BI report or dashboard to the info screen with digital signage software
Digital signage software such as Valotalive can display Power BI dashboards on production facilities, office screens, and also share live views with remote employees.
Ideal use case
Sharing Power BI content automatically with the rest of the organization in an easily digestible way.
Pros:
- Dashboards displayed on info screens increase visibility and recall.
- Simplified versions of reports can be shown without altering the original report.
- Content is shared securely through Microsoft Entra ID authentication and role-based access control, without exposing public URLs.
- Reports can also be controlled interactively, for example, by switching pages during meetings.
- Setup is straightforward, and updates are automated in real time
- Works with multiple device types and operating systems
Cons
- Requires a separate digital signage software subscription.
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Learn more about sharing your Power BI dashboards and reports with Valotalive digital signage
5. Export Power BI report or dashboard to Excel or save as PDF
Exporting to Excel or PDF is the simplest way to share Power BI content without requiring access to Power BI.
Ideal use case
One-off sharing with people who do not have Power BI access.
Pros
- Exporting to Excel or PDF is quick and easy.
- You can control whether to export summarized data or the underlying dataset.
Cons
- Exports are static and do not update in real time.
- Row and file size limits restrict how much data can be exported.
- Some custom visuals and backgrounds do not export correctly.
- URL-based filters are not applied in exports.
- Interactive functionality, such as drill-down and slicers, is lost.
What’s the best method to share Power BI reports & dashboards with external or free users?
The best method depends on your use case. Sharing directly in Power BI works well with licensed Pro users. Embedding in Teams or SharePoint brings reports into familiar tools. Publish to Web is best for public data. Digital signage ensures visibility across the workplace. Exporting to Excel or PDF is a quick solution for one-off shares.
By understanding these methods and their trade-offs, you can balance secure embedding, licensing restrictions, limited functionality, and scalability challenges to choose the right approach for your audience.
Image Credits: Microsoft & Valotalive
