Free · No upload · Rules as of Nov 2026
Will this custom visual work in my tenant?
The most common custom-visual failure isn't a bug: it's a tenant setting. Tell us where the visual comes from and how your Power BI is set up, and get a verdict for each place the report has to work, the exact admin steps from Microsoft Learn, an email to your Power BI admin and an admin pack you can attach.
By Nawaf Sharaf · Founder & Reliability Engineer · Updated
Your verdict appears here
- Works: no admin action needed
- Needs admin action: with the exact setting or organizational-store steps
- Will be blocked: nothing in the tenant fixes it (e.g. PDF export of an uncertified visual)
Plus an email to your Power BI admin and a downloadable admin pack.
The rules at a glance
Four common tenant set-ups, computed with the same rules the checker runs. Two things surprise most report authors: “Allow visuals created using the Power BI SDK” ships disabled[2], and no tenant setting makes an uncertified visual export to PDF[8].
| Tenant set-up | Uncertified .pbivizService view · PDF export | Certified Marketplace visualService view · PDF export |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-the-box tenantSDK visuals setting off (Microsoft's default) | Service view: Admin actionPDF export: PDF blocked | Service view: Admin actionPDF export: PDF admin action |
| SDK visuals allowedSDK setting on, certified-only off | Service view: WorksPDF export: PDF blocked | Service view: WorksPDF export: PDF works |
| Certified-only tenantSDK setting on, certified-only on | Service view: Admin actionPDF export: PDF blocked | Service view: WorksPDF export: PDF works |
| Visual in the org storeAdded by a Fabric admin, any settings | Service view: WorksPDF export: PDF blocked | Service view: WorksPDF export: PDF works |
- Service vs DesktopTenant settings apply to the service only. Desktop follows the Group Policy values EnableCustomVisuals and EnableUncertifiedVisuals[2]. Details in what blocks uncertified visuals.
- The org store exemptionVisuals a Fabric admin adds under Organizational visuals aren't affected by the SDK or certified-only switches[1]. Walk-through: add a visual to the organizational store.
- What only certification unlocksPDF and PowerPoint export and subscription emails[3], and only Marketplace visuals can be certified[5]. See certified vs uncertified visuals, or look a visual up in the custom visual directory, which lists certification for each one.
Questions
Why does my custom visual work in Power BI Desktop but not in the service?
The admin-portal visuals settings only govern the Power BI service. Desktop keeps loading Marketplace and file visuals unless IT sets Group Policy, so a report can look fine on your machine and show an error once published. "Allow visuals created using the Power BI SDK" is disabled by default, so in an out-of-the-box tenant only organizational-store visuals render in the service.
What does "custom visual not allowed by admin" mean?
Your tenant either has "Allow visuals created using the Power BI SDK" turned off for you, or has "Add and use certified visuals only (block uncertified)" turned on and the visual isn't certified. The fix that security teams usually approve is for a Fabric admin to add that one visual to the organizational store, which is exempt from both switches.
Can an admin make an uncertified visual export to PDF or PowerPoint?
No. Microsoft documents uncertified custom visuals as unsupported in PDF and PowerPoint export and in email subscriptions, and adding them to the organizational store doesn't change that. Only certified visuals imported from the Marketplace support those outputs.
Is anything uploaded when I drop a .pbiviz?
No. The package is unzipped and read by JavaScript in your browser with the same parser as the pbiviz Inspector. The admin pack zip is also built in your browser.
Are VizForge visuals certified?
No. Certification is only available to visuals listed on the Microsoft Marketplace, so no private .pbiviz is certified, including the ones VizForge generates. They're designed for the organizational store route: no network privileges requested, and you get the TypeScript source for the security review.
Visual still blank after the admin side is sorted? Work through custom visual not showing in Power BI (data roles, API versions, slow visuals) or Report Server compatibility.
Sources
Microsoft Learn pages, read as of Nov 2026. The date is the page's own “last updated” stamp at the time.
- [1]Power BI visuals tenant settings(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Sep 29, 2026
- [2]Manage Power BI visuals admin settings (organizational visuals)(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Sep 1, 2026
- [3]Certified Power BI visuals (requirements and process)(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 15, 2025
- [4]Power BI organizational visuals: considerations and limitations(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 15, 2025
- [5]Power BI custom visuals FAQ(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 4, 2025
- [6]Publish to web from Power BI: considerations and limitations(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Nov 20, 2025
- [7]Export a report to PowerPoint(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 1, 2025
- [8]Export a report to PDF(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised May 30, 2026
- [9]Email subscriptions for reports and dashboards(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Oct 9, 2026
- [10]Troubleshoot custom visuals in Power BI Desktop for Report Server(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Nov 1, 2025
- [11]Main sources for acquiring Power BI custom visuals(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 15, 2025
- [12]Import Power BI visuals from AppSource or from a file(opens in a new tab)Microsoft Learn · revised Dec 15, 2025
Need a visual your security team can read line by line?
VizForge generates a Power BI custom visual from a plain-English brief and hands you the .pbiviz with its full TypeScript source and no network privileges, ready for your admin to review and upload to the organizational store. It is not Microsoft-certified (no private visual is).
Generate a custom visual with AI · starts free →