How to Reset Saved Credentials in Power BI
It’s Monday morning, and your Power BI report is failing to refresh. If you've ever been greeted by an error message about invalid credentials, you know how quickly it can derail your workflow. This common hiccup usually happens after a password update or a change in data source permissions. This tutorial will walk you through exactly how to reset your saved credentials in both Power BI Desktop and the Power BI Service, so you can get your data flowing again.
Why Do Credentials Fail in Power BI?
Before jumping into the fix, it helps to understand why your credentials might need to be reset. Power BI saves the connection details for each data source you use, which is incredibly efficient - until something changes. When that link breaks, report refreshes fail.
Here are the most common reasons why you'll need to update your credentials:
- You Changed Your Password: This is the number one reason. If you use your network login (like your Microsoft 365 account) to connect to a data source and your password changes, Power BI’s saved credential is now out of date.
- Access Permissions Were Modified: A database administrator might have changed your level of access, or you might have been moved to a different user group. The authentication token Power BI was using is no longer valid.
- Expired Authentication Tokens: Many modern data sources, especially cloud services like SharePoint or Salesforce, use OAuth2 for authentication. These tokens have a limited lifespan and need to be periodically refreshed by signing in again.
- Switching User Accounts: You may need to change the user account associated with a data source, for example, transitioning from a personal account to a dedicated service account for better security and management.
- Data Source Migration: If you've moved a database from one server to another, the address and potentially the credentials will change, requiring an update in Power BI.
Two Places Credentials Live: Desktop vs. Service
Power BI stores credentials in two distinct environments, and you might need to update them in one or both places depending on where you're working.
1. Power BI Desktop: This is where you build your reports. Power BI Desktop saves credentials on your local machine to let you connect to data sources, transform data in the Power Query Editor, and refresh your visuals while you work.
2. Power BI Service (PowerBI.com): This is the cloud-based platform where you publish, share, and collaborate on your reports. For scheduled refreshes to work automatically, the Power BI Service needs to have valid credentials to connect to the underlying data sources independently.
A failed refresh in the Power BI Service is the most common sign that credentials there need to be updated, even if everything works fine on your Desktop.
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How to Reset Credentials in Power BI Desktop
Updating credentials in Power BI Desktop is straightforward. The main settings you’ll interact with are found in the "Data source settings" menu.
There are two levels of permissions stored here: one for the specific file you have open, and another set of "global" permissions that apply across all your Power BI files.
File > Options and settings > Data source settings
Method 1: Clear Permissions for a Specific Data Source (Recommended First Step)
It's always best to start by editing the permission for the specific data source causing the problem within your current file. This is less intrusive than clearing all your saved global credentials.
Step 1: With your Power BI report open, go to the File tab in the top-left corner.
Step 2: Click on Options and settings, and then select Data source settings from the dropdown.
Step 3: In the window that appears, you’ll see a list titled "Data sources in current file." Find and select the data source that is causing the problem.
Step 4: With the data source selected, click the Clear Permissions button at the bottom. A confirmation box will ask if you are sure you want to clear the permissions. Click Delete.
Step 5: Close the Data source settings window. The next time you try to refresh your data (by clicking the "Refresh" button in the Home ribbon), Power BI will prompt you to enter credentials for that source again. Select the correct authentication method (e.g., Windows, Database, Microsoft account) and enter your new details.
Method 2: Edit Global Permissions
If clearing the permissions for the current file doesn't solve the issue, or if you want to update a credential you use across multiple Power BI files, you can edit it in the "Global permissions" list.
Step 1: Navigate back to File > Options and settings > Data source settings.
Step 2: At the top of the window, you'll see Global permissions. This list contains every data source you’ve ever connected to in Power BI Desktop.
Step 3: Find the problematic data source in the list. You have two options here:
- Edit Permissions: Click this to open a new dialogue where you can directly change the stored credentials. This is useful if you just need to re-enter a password.
- Clear Permissions: This option completely removes the stored credentials, just like in the previous method. You'll be prompted to sign in fresh on the next refresh.
Step 4: After editing or clearing the permission, close the settings window and refresh your report. You may be asked to re-enter your information, after which it should be saved globally for future use.
How to Reset Credentials in the Power BI Service
When a scheduled refresh fails online, it's almost always a credential issue in the Power BI Service. Fixing it requires you to go into the settings for a specific dataset.
Step 1: Log in to your Power BI account at app.powerbi.com.
Step 2: In the navigation pane on the left, find the Workspace that contains your report and dataset. Click on it.
Step 3: Hover over the Dataset associated with your report (it usually has the same name) and click the three dots (...) for more options. Select Settings.
Step 4: In the settings screen, scroll down to the Data source credentials section. You’ll see a list of the data sources this dataset uses. Any datasource with a problem will usually be marked with a small warning icon and a message.
Step 5: Click on the Edit credentials link next to the source you need to update.
Step 6: A pop-up window will appear, prompting you to re-authenticate. The options you see will depend on the data source. For an Azure SQL database, you might enter a username and password. For a SharePoint list, you’ll likely use OAuth2, which will take you through a Microsoft sign-in flow.
Step 7: Once you've successfully signed in, the warning message should disappear. You can now try to manually refresh the dataset by clicking the "Refresh now" icon back on the dataset list, or simply wait for the next scheduled refresh to run.
Common Credential Traps and How to Fix Them
The "Formula.Firewall" Error
Sometimes, after updating credentials, you might encounter an error message about a "firewall." This is often related to Power BI’s Privacy Levels. These settings control how data from different sources can be combined.
To fix this, go to Data source settings, select the data source, click Edit Permissions, and you'll see a "Privacy Level" dropdown. If one source is "Organizational" and another is "Public," Power BI might block them from sharing data. Try setting both sources to the same level (usually "Organizational" for internal data) to resolve the error.
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OAuth2 Tokens for Cloud Services
For sources like SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Salesforce, or Dynamics 365, Power BI uses OAuth2 authentication. You sign in once, and Power BI gets a token to access data on your behalf. These tokens expire. When you see an authentication error for one of these services, all you typically need to do is go to the data source settings (in Desktop or Service) and simply sign in again. This generates a new, valid token.
On-Premises Data Gateway Issues
If you connect to data that's on a local server within your company's network (like a local SQL Server), you're likely using an On-Premises Data Gateway. Credentials for these sources must be configured within the Gateway settings in the Power BI Service, not just the dataset settings. You’ll need to navigate to Settings gear > Manage gateways, select your gateway, find the data source, and update the credentials there first.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your data connections healthy is a small but critical part of report management. By understanding how to reset credentials in both Power BI Desktop and the Power BI Service, you can quickly troubleshoot refresh failures and ensure your stakeholders are always looking at the most current information.
We know firsthand how tedious it can be to manage connections and permissions across a dozen different apps, a headache that only grows as your company's data stack expands. It's why we built Graphed with simple, one-click integrations. We handle the complexity of APIs and authentication behind the scenes, so you can connect sources like Google Analytics, Shopify, and Salesforce once and get real-time, automatically updated dashboards without constantly having to re-authenticate or troubleshoot broken connections.
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