How Can I Share Power BI Dashboards Securely Within My Organization?

You’ve built a beautiful Power BI dashboard — the visuals are interactive, the insights are clear, and your stakeholders are eager to see it. But now comes the crucial question: how do you share it safely and efficiently?

Power BI offers several ways to share dashboards, but the right method depends on who you’re sharing with and how much control you need over the data. Let’s explore the best practices for securely sharing Power BI dashboards within your organization.

Step 1: Understand Your Sharing Options

Before sharing, you need to know the different sharing mechanisms in Power BI.

i) Power BI Service (Cloud Sharing)

Once your report is published to the Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com), you can share it directly with users via:

• Share Report/Dashboard – Send links directly to specific users or groups.
• App Workspaces – Create collaborative spaces where team members can view or edit reports.
• Power BI Apps – Package and publish reports as an “App” for easy distribution to departments.

Scenario: Your Sales dashboard needs to be accessed by 50 regional managers. Instead of sharing individually, publish the dashboard as a Power BI App, assign permissions to the “Sales Managers” group in Azure AD, and they’ll instantly get access.
 

ii) Power BI Embedded

For developers or organizations that want to integrate Power BI dashboards into internal portals (like SharePoint or intranets), Power BI Embedded is the ideal solution. It offers:

• Seamless embedding into web apps or internal sites
• Secure authentication
• Branding and layout flexibility

Scenario: Your HR team wants to view employee analytics from within your company portal — no external logins. By embedding Power BI reports using your company’s Azure authentication, users see only what they’re authorized to view.
 

iii) Export or PDF Sharing (with Caution)

While exporting dashboards to PDF or PowerPoint might seem quick and convenient, it breaks data security and interactivity. Once exported, you lose control over who views or shares the file further.

Use this method only for static board reports or executive summaries.

Step 2: Apply Row-Level Security (RLS)

One of Power BI’s most powerful features for secure sharing is Row-Level Security (RLS). It allows you to restrict data visibility based on user roles.

Scenario:
You’re sharing a company-wide Sales dashboard.

• North Region managers should only see data for the North.
• South Region managers should only see South data.

In Power BI Desktop:

• Go to Modeling → Manage Roles
• Create a role (e.g., “NorthRegion”)
• Apply a filter like:
  [Region] = “North”
• Assign users to roles in Power BI Service

Now each manager sees only the data relevant to their region — all from the same dashboard.

Step 3: Manage Permissions and Access Levels

In Power BI Service, permissions are as crucial as visuals.

When sharing:

• Use Read-only access for viewers
• Grant Build access only to team members who need to create new content
• Avoid “Share with entire organization” unless absolutely necessary

Scenario: You’re sharing a financial dashboard that includes sensitive revenue data. Instead of sharing it with all users, add only CFO, Finance Managers, and specific department heads — keeping control tight and traceable.
 

Step 4: Use Microsoft Teams and SharePoint for Seamless Access

Microsoft 365 users can embed Power BI reports directly into Teams channels or SharePoint pages, ensuring secure access through single sign-on (SSO).

Scenario: The Marketing team wants to track campaign KPIs directly inside Teams. You can embed the dashboard into the “Marketing Insights” channel using the Power BI app for Teams — no separate logins or links needed. This keeps your insights within your company’s secure Microsoft environment.
 

Step 5: Audit and Monitor Access Regularly

Security isn’t a one-time setup — it’s an ongoing process. Use Power BI Admin Portal to:

• Track who accessed which dashboard
• View sharing logs
• Revoke access when users change departments or leave the company

Scenario: Your organization undergoes a restructuring, and 20 employees move to a new division. You can instantly update or remove their Power BI access via the Admin Portal — ensuring compliance and data privacy.
 

Final Thoughts

Sharing Power BI dashboards securely is all about balance — making insights accessible while keeping sensitive data protected. Whether you’re using Power BI Apps, Teams, or RLS, the goal is to ensure the right people see the right data at the right time.

In short: Data should flow freely, but securely.

This article is part of our Power BI Q&A Blog Series

We’re simplifying the most frequently asked Power BI questions from Reddit, Quora, and Microsoft Community — one article at a time. If you missed the earlier ones:

• How do I connect Power BI to SQL and automate data refreshes?
• What is the best way to clean and model data before loading it into Power BI?

Editor’s Note

If you’d like to get hands-on experience building secure, enterprise-grade Power BI environments, explore our Full Stack BI Reporting & Automation Course at Excelgoodies. You’ll learn to integrate Power BI with SQL, Power Automate, and Power Apps — and implement advanced governance practices like RLS and App Workspaces.

If you’re just starting your journey into Power BI analytics and visualization, our Power BI Course is the perfect foundation — covering dashboards, DAX, Power Query, and publishing best practices.
 

Also Read (Q9 in the series):
How Do I Transition from Excel/SQL to Power BI — Career Path and Certification (PL-300)?

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