How to Delete Power BI App

Deleting a Power BI app you no longer need is a simple process, but the steps change depending on whether you're the one who installed it or the one who built it. This guide will walk you through exactly how to remove a Power BI app for both scenarios, ensuring you can clean up your workspace quickly and confidently.

What is a Power BI App, and Why Delete It?

Before jumping into the "how," let's quickly clarify what a Power BI app is. Think of it as a distributable package. An app creator bundles together related dashboards, reports, and datasets into a single collection that they can then publish and share with a broad audience within their organization. As a user, you "install" these apps to get easy access to that curated content.

So, why would you need to delete one?

• Outdated Information: The project the app was built for has ended, and the data is no longer relevant.
• Superseded by a New Version: A new, improved version of the app has been released (e.g., "Sales App V2"), and you want to remove the old one to avoid confusion.
• Cleaning the Workspace: You may have installed several apps over time, and your "Apps" list has become cluttered with items you rarely use.
• Testing Purposes: You published or installed an app just for testing and now want to remove it from the production environment.

Regardless of your reason, tidying up your Power BI environment helps you and your team stay focused on the most relevant and current insights.

How to Delete an App from Your Apps List (For App Users)

This is the most common scenario. You’ve installed an app from the organizational app store or received a link from a colleague, and now you want to remove it from your personal view. This action is safe - it only removes the app for you and doesn’t affect anyone else or the original reports.

Follow these simple steps:

1. Log in to Power BI Service: Open your web browser and navigate to app.powerbi.com.
2. Go to the Apps Section: In the navigation pane on the left side of your screen, click on "Apps." This will display all the apps you currently have installed.
3. Find the App you Want to Delete: Scroll through your list of apps to locate the one you wish to remove. Your apps will be displayed as tiles.
4. Click the Delete Icon: Hover your cursor over the tile for the app you want to remove. Several icons will appear. Click the one that looks like a trash can (the "Delete" action).
5. Confirm the Deletion: A confirmation pop-up window will appear asking, "Delete App?" It will remind you that deleting the app will permanently remove it and its content from your Apps section. Click the blue "Delete" button to confirm.

And that’s it! The app is immediately removed from your list. Remember, this only impacts your personal view. If you ever need access to that app again, you can reinstall it from your organization's app catalog, provided you still have permission.

How to Remove a Published App (For App Creators)

If you are an app creator or a workspace administrator, you might need to remove an app you published for everyone. This is different from a user simply deleting it from their own view. For creators, there are two primary ways to do this: unpublishing the app or deleting the entire workspace.

Option 1: Unpublish the App (Recommended Method)

Unpublishing is the safest and most common way to remove an app from circulation. This action revokes access for everyone who has the app installed but leaves all your source material - the reports, dashboards, and datasets - intact within your workspace. This is the perfect option if the app is no longer needed but you want to keep the underlying work for future reference.

Here’s how to unpublish an app:

1. Navigate to the Workspace: On the left-hand navigation pane, click on "Workspaces" and select the workspace that was used to publish the app.
2. Locate Publishing Controls: In the top-right corner of the workspace view, you will see a button that says "Update App." This area controls your app's published state.
3. Select "Unpublish app": Click the three dots (More options) menu right next to the "Update app" button. A dropdown menu will appear. Select "Unpublish app."
4. Confirm the Action: A warning dialog box will appear, explaining that unpublishing the app will remove it for all users and that they will no longer be able to access it. Click the "Unpublish" button to proceed.

Once you confirm, the app will no longer be available in the organizational app store, and anyone who had it installed will lose access. Your workspace and all its content are safe and untouched.

Option 2: Delete the Workspace (Permanent & Irreversible)

This is the nuclear option. Deleting the workspace permanently removes the app bundle and all of its content, including every report, dashboard, metric, and dataset contained within it. You should only use this method if you are absolutely certain that you will never need any of the workspace's assets again.

Warning: This action cannot be undone. Always double-check and back up any critical PBIX files before proceeding. You must be a workspace Admin to perform this action.

To delete a workspace:

1. Open the Workspace List: In the left navigation pane, click on "Workspaces."
2. Find Your Workspace and Go to Settings: Find the workspace you want to delete from the list. Click on the three dots (More options) next to the workspace name and select "Workspace settings."
3. Delete the Workspace: In Workspace settings, you’ll see several options. Under the main panel (it might be labeled 'General' or just at the top level), look for the option to "Delete this Workspace." If this option is not visible, it's likely you don't have Admin permissions.
4. Confirm Deletion: A final confirmation screen will appear. To prevent accidental deletion, Power BI will require you to type the name of the workspace into a text box to confirm you want to proceed. After typing the name, click the final "Delete" button.

The workspace and everything in it will be permanently deleted. This automatically removes the published app for all users as well, since its source content no longer exists.

Common Questions About Deleting Power BI Apps

What is the difference between "Unpublish" and "Delete Workspace"?

Unpublishing an app just "turns it off" for users. Your reports and data are safe in the workspace. It's like removing a book from a public library's shelves — the publisher still has the original manuscript. Deleting the workspace is like shredding the manuscript and burning down the printing press. It erases everything forever.

What permissions do I need?

• To delete an app from your personal list, you don't need any special permissions.
• To unpublish an app, you need to be an Admin, Member, or Contributor in the workspace.
• To delete a workspace entirely, you must have the Admin role for that workspace.

Will deleting a Power BI app remove my raw data source?

No. Deleting an app or even a workspace in Power BI will never touch your original data source. If your reports were connected to a SQL database, a Salesforce account, or an Excel file on SharePoint, that original data remains completely safe and untouched.

What happens to personal bookmarks when an app is deleted?

When an app is unpublished or deleted, any personal bookmarks that end users created within that app's reports will also be deleted. They are tied to the shared instance of the report, so when that access is revoked, the bookmarks associated with it disappear.

Final Thoughts

Removing a Power BI app is a straightforward task, whether you're tidying up your personal workspace or an app creator decommissioning an old report. For users, the trash can icon is your simple solution. For creators, it's often best to "unpublish" to preserve your work while only deleting the entire workspace when you're certain it's no longer needed.

As your organization's use of data grows, keeping your BI environment clean becomes crucial. Sometimes, the problem isn't just one old app, but dozens of dashboards built across different platforms and tools. With dashboards in Power BI, Google Analytics, Salesforce, and a handful of spreadsheets, the clutter can make it hard to find a single source of truth. We built Graphed to cut through that complexity. It connects all your data sources and allows you to create dashboards and get answers in seconds using simple, plain English — no wrestling with report builders required. It makes analytics so fast and fluid that you never have to worry about obsolete apps again, because fresh insights are always just a question away.