Microsoft Learn, as of Nov 2026

Uncertified custom visuals in Power BI: what's blocked and how admins allow them

By · Founder & Reliability Engineer · Updated

The short answer

“Uncertified” means the visual hasn't passed Microsoft's certification review. Only visuals listed on the Microsoft Marketplace (formerly AppSource) can be certified[5], so every private .pbiviz (one your team built, a vendor emailed or an AI tool generated) is uncertified.

Two tenant settings in the Fabric admin portal decide whether such a visual renders in the Power BI service, two Group Policy values decide whether Desktop loads it, and a separate set of rules, which no admin can change, keeps uncertified visuals out of PDF and PowerPoint exports and subscription emails. The usual way through is for a Fabric admin to add the one visual to the organizational store, which is exempt from both tenant switches[1].

The five switches that block visuals

The tenant settings live under Fabric admin portal → Tenant settings → Power BI visuals (Microsoft Learn: OneLake catalog → Govern → Configurations → Tenant settings)[1]. Desktop reads registry values under Software\Policies\Microsoft\Power BI Desktop\[2].

Power BI settings that affect uncertified custom visuals
SettingDefaultEffectOrg store visuals
Allow visuals created using the Power BI SDK[1]Tenant settings → Power BI visuals (service)DisabledMarketplace and file visuals stop rendering once the report is published, certified or not.Exempt
Add and use certified visuals only (block uncertified)[2]Tenant settings → Power BI visuals (service)DisabledUncertified Marketplace and file visuals return an error.Exempt
EnableCustomVisuals[2]Group Policy registry value (Desktop)1 (enabled)0 stops Power BI Desktop loading custom visuals.Not documented
EnableUncertifiedVisuals[2]Group Policy registry value (Desktop)1 (enabled)0 lets Desktop load certified visuals only.Not documented
Allow downloads from custom visuals[2]Tenant settings → Power BI visuals; Desktop value AllowCVToExportDataToFileDisabled (service)Visuals that request ExportContent can't download files (CSV, PDF, XLSX and others).Applies to org visuals too

Note the first default. “Allow visuals created using the Power BI SDK” is disabled out of the box[2], so in a tenant nobody has touched, a Marketplace or file visual works in Desktop and then errors in the service. Disabling visuals in the admin portal isn't enforced in Desktop[5].

What no setting fixes

Some outputs depend on certification itself. Turning switches on, or adding the visual to the organizational store, doesn't change these[4]:

  • Export to PDF: custom visuals aren't supported unless certified[8].
  • Export to PowerPoint: same rule[7].
  • Email subscriptions: uncertified visuals show an error symbol in the email[9].
  • Publish to web supports custom visuals, but not uncertified organizational-store visuals while certified-only mode is on, and not license enforcement[6].

If those outputs matter, use a built-in or certified visual on the pages that get exported or subscribed to. The certified vs uncertified guide covers what certification takes.

How an admin allows one uncertified visual

Three routes, from narrowest to broadest. Security teams usually approve the first because it allows one reviewed file, not a category.

1. Add it to the organizational store (recommended)

  1. Sign in as a Fabric administrator and open Fabric admin portal → Organizational visuals.[2]
  2. Select Add visual → From a file, choose the .pbiviz, give it a name, icon and description, keep Access on and select Add.[2]
  3. Optionally select Enable for Visualization Pane so authors see it without searching.[2]

Full walk-through, including updates and retiring a visual: organizational visuals guide.

2. Enable SDK visuals for a security group

  1. In Tenant settings → Power BI visuals, expand “Allow visuals created using the Power BI SDK” and set it to Enabled.[2]
  2. Choose Specific security groups and add the report authors and viewers who need it, then Apply.[2]
  3. This allows every Marketplace and file visual for that group, not just the one you reviewed. Certified-only mode, if on, still blocks uncertified ones.[1]

3. Turn certified-only mode off

  1. In the same section, set “Add and use certified visuals only (block uncertified)” to Disabled and Apply. It re-allows every uncertified visual tenant-wide.[2]

For Desktop, IT changes the Group Policy values instead: set EnableCustomVisuals or EnableUncertifiedVisuals back to 1, or rely on the organizational store, which deploys to Desktop's My organization tab automatically[2].

Match the symptom to the switch

Works in Desktop, error after publishing
"Allow visuals created using the Power BI SDK" is off for you (the default), or certified-only mode is on.
Desktop won't import the visual at all
Group Policy: EnableCustomVisuals or EnableUncertifiedVisuals set to 0.
The visual renders but its download button does nothing
"Allow downloads from custom visuals" is off (also the default).
Fine on screen, blank or an error icon in PDF, PowerPoint or a subscription email
The visual isn't certified. No setting changes this.
An org visual suddenly shows “This custom visual is no longer available”
An admin turned off its Access in Organizational visuals.

Visual blank for a reason that isn't a setting (data roles, API version, performance)? See custom visual not showing in Power BI and can't import a .pbiviz.

FAQ

How do I know if a custom visual is certified?

In Get more visuals, certified visuals carry a blue Certified badge, and the Microsoft Marketplace (formerly AppSource) listing shows a yellow one. A .pbiviz file can't tell you: certification belongs to the Marketplace listing, so a file you were emailed or generated yourself is uncertified.

Our admin turned on certified-only mode. Can I still use our in-house visual?

Yes, if a Fabric admin adds it to the organizational store. Microsoft states that organizational visuals aren't affected by the certified-only setting, regardless of certification.

Why does the visual work for me in Desktop but show an error after publishing?

The admin-portal switches only apply to the Power BI service; disabling custom visuals there isn't enforced in Desktop. Only IT's Group Policy values (EnableCustomVisuals, EnableUncertifiedVisuals) restrict Desktop.

Is an uncertified visual unsafe?

Not by definition. Uncertified only means it hasn't been through Microsoft's certification review, which is open only to Marketplace visuals. What matters for a security review is what the package requests (for example WebAccess to external domains) and what its code does, which your admin can check before uploading it to the organizational store.

Can we allow uncertified visuals for one team only?

The "Allow visuals created using the Power BI SDK" switch can be scoped to specific security groups. Certified-only mode is a single tenant-wide switch, so most admins prefer adding just that visual to the organizational store, where they control which version everyone uses and can switch its access off at any time.

Sources

Microsoft Learn pages, read as of Nov 2026. The date is the page's own “last updated” stamp at the time.

  1. [1]Power BI visuals tenant settings(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Sep 29, 2026
  2. [2]Manage Power BI visuals admin settings (organizational visuals)(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Sep 1, 2026
  3. [3]Certified Power BI visuals (requirements and process)(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 15, 2025
  4. [4]Power BI organizational visuals: considerations and limitations(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 15, 2025
  5. [5]Power BI custom visuals FAQ(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 4, 2025
  6. [6]Publish to web from Power BI: considerations and limitations(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Nov 20, 2025
  7. [7]Export a report to PowerPoint(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 1, 2025
  8. [8]Export a report to PDF(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised May 30, 2026
  9. [9]Email subscriptions for reports and dashboards(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Oct 9, 2026
  10. [11]Main sources for acquiring Power BI custom visuals(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 15, 2025

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