What you will do in this level
In Level 1 you learned that Power BI Desktop is the free Windows app where you build reports. In this level you will:
- Install Power BI Desktop.
- Save an empty report file for the course.
- Tour the three main views, the ribbon and the three side panes.
This lesson was checked against Microsoft Learn on 20 October 2026. Microsoft releases a new version of Desktop every month, and only the latest version is supported, so a few labels on your screen may differ slightly from the ones described here.
Step 1: Check your PC is ready
Before you install, confirm these minimum requirements:
- Windows: Windows 10 or later. Microsoft recommends a client version of Windows rather than Windows Server.
- Memory: at least 2 GB of RAM free; 4 GB or more is recommended.
- Screen: at least 1440x900 or 1600x900. Lower resolutions, such as 1280x800, are not supported.
- Display scaling: if Windows is set to enlarge text and apps above 100%, some dialog boxes may not appear. If that happens, go to Settings > System > Display and set scaling back to 100%.
Step 2: Install Power BI Desktop
You can install it in two ways. Both give you the latest version.
Option A: Microsoft Store (recommended)
- Open the Microsoft Store and search for Power BI Desktop. Alternatively, go to the Power BI Desktop product page and select Download Free.
- Select Install.
Why the Store version is the better choice for most learners:
- Automatic updates. Windows downloads each monthly release in the background.
- Smaller updates. Only the parts that changed are downloaded.
- No admin rights needed. On a locked-down work laptop this often decides the matter.
Option B: Direct download (.exe)
- Go to the Microsoft Download Center page for Power BI Desktop.
- Select Download, then choose the 64-bit version. The 32-bit version is no longer supported.
- Run the installer. You must be an administrator on the PC to finish.
Safety note: do not install both versions on the same PC. If you already have the downloaded version, uninstall it before you install from the Store.
Step 3: Open Desktop and save your course file
- Open Power BI Desktop from the Start menu. A welcome screen appears.
- Close the welcome screen, or choose to start a blank report. You now see an empty report canvas.
- Select File > Save.
- Choose a folder you will remember, for example
Documents\PowerBI-Course. - Name the file
Course-Sales-Reportand select Save.
Power BI saves the report as a .pbix file. Think of a .pbix file the way you think of an .xlsx workbook: one file holds your data, your model and every report page. You will reopen this same file in every level.
Step 4: Switch between the views
Down the left-hand edge of the window is a strip of icons. Each icon opens a different view of the same file, much as Excel lets you look at the same workbook in Normal or Page Layout view.
- Report view is the default. This is the canvas where you build visuals and add report pages. Page tabs appear along the bottom, and you add a page with the + icon.
- Table view shows your data row by row after it has been loaded, rather like looking at an Excel sheet. Older guides call this Data view.
- Model view shows your tables as boxes, with lines for the relationships between them. You will use it in Level 5.
You may see more icons below these, such as DAX query view and TMDL view. These are code-based tools for later in your learning path, so ignore them for now.
Do this now: select each of the three main icons in turn. Because the file has no data yet, Table view and Model view will look almost empty. That is expected. Finish on Report view.
Step 5: Read the ribbon
The ribbon across the top works like Excel's ribbon. The tabs you will use most in this course:
- Home: get data, transform data, publish.
- Insert: new pages, visuals, text boxes.
- Modeling: measures and relationships.
- View: page view options and the Show panes controls.
- Help: select About to see which version you have installed.
Two tips:
- Use the search bar at the top to find a command by name.
- Press Alt to show KeyTips, the letters you can press to use the ribbon without a mouse.
Step 6: Find, open and close the three key panes
In Report view, the panes sit to the right of the canvas:
- Filters pane: limits which data a visual, a page or the whole report shows.
- Visualizations pane: where you pick a chart type and choose its settings. It has small tabs (sometimes called pivots) at the top for building and formatting a visual.
- Data pane: lists the tables and fields in your model. Some older material calls it the Fields pane. It stays empty until you load data in Level 3.
To collapse a pane, select the small arrow (caret) in its header. Select it again to expand the pane.
To close or reopen a pane:
- Select the View tab on the ribbon.
- Find the Show panes group.
- Select Filters, Visualizations or Data to turn each one off or on.
Do this now: close the Filters pane, then bring it back from View > Show panes. Do the same for the other two panes.
Check your work
Tick each item before you move on:
- Power BI Desktop opens without errors, and Help > About shows a version number.
-
Course-Sales-Report.pbixexists in your course folder. - You can switch between Report, Table and Model views and say what each is for.
- The Filters, Visualizations and Data panes are all open on the right of Report view.
- You saved again with Ctrl+S after your tour.
Key takeaways
- Install from the Microsoft Store to get automatic updates without needing admin rights. If you use the direct download, choose the 64-bit version.
- A Power BI report is saved as a single .pbix file, much like an Excel workbook.
- Report view is for building visuals, Table view is for checking loaded rows, and Model view is for tables and relationships.
- The Filters, Visualizations and Data panes sit to the right of the canvas. Collapse them with the arrow in the header, and close or reopen them from View > Show panes.
- Microsoft updates Desktop every month, so expect small changes to the interface.