How to Use Power BI on Mac

Trying to use Power BI on a Mac can feel like you've been given the wrong key for a very important door. You know the powerful reporting and analytics features are just on the other side, but as a Mac user, you can’t get in because Power BI Desktop is a Windows-only application. Luckily, there are a few reliable ways around this, and this guide will walk you through each one.

Instead of hitting a wall, you can use virtual machines, cloud-based PCs, or simply learn the limits of the browser-based Power BI service. We’ll cover the step-by-step methods to get you up and running with Power BI on your Mac, so you can start building impactful reports, no matter your operating system.

Understanding Why Power BI Desktop Isn't on Mac

Before jumping into solutions, let's briefly touch on the answer to one simple question: Why isn’t there a native Power BI macOS app? It comes down to its core architecture. Power BI Desktop is built on top of the Windows-specific .NET Framework and leverages other Windows technologies that simply don't have direct equivalents in macOS. Porting the entire application to macOS would require a massive engineering effort from Microsoft. So, for the foreseeable future, a direct macOS application remains unlikely as they focus their cross-platform efforts through the browser version available online.

Method 1: Use a Virtual Machine (The Most Popular Option)

A virtual machine (VM) is the most popular and flexible way to run Power BI Desktop on a Mac. A VM is a software-based emulation of a complete computer system running inside your macOS. Essentially, you run a full version of the Windows operating system in a window on your Mac desktop, just like any other app.

This allows you to install and use Power BI Desktop with its full functionality, exactly as it runs natively on a Windows computer.

Popular Virtual Machine Software for Mac

• Parallels Desktop: This is arguably the most user-friendly and well-integrated VM solution for Mac users, especially on newer Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) Macs. It's known for its 'Coherence' mode, which lets Windows apps run alongside Mac apps without showing the entire Windows desktop. However, it is paid software.
• VMware Fusion: A long-standing and powerful competitor to Parallels, VMware Fusion is another excellent paid option trusted by many professional users for its powerful features and settings.
• VirtualBox: While it is not as fast or easy to set up as the other two options on new Apple silicon chips, this is a good free, open-source alternative. This is great for those on a small budget who are willing to sacrifice some of the speed and integration features offered by others.

How to Set Up Power BI with Parallels Desktop

Because it's the most common choice, let's work through an example of how to set up Parallels for first-time users:

1. Download and install Parallels Desktop for Mac: Get the installer from the official Parallels website and install it in your applications folder just as you would any other application. You'll need to purchase a software license, though they often offer a free trial period for new users to give it a test drive.
2. Install Windows: When you first launch Parallels, new versions of the product make installing Windows unbelievably easy by offering a one-click install screen that downloads and installs Windows for you. You just need to confirm or license the product, and most times you'll be ready to use Windows inside of Parallels in only a few minutes.
3. Get Power BI Desktop: Once Windows is running inside your VM window, you are essentially using a Windows PC. Simply open the Edge browser inside the window environment and navigate to the official Microsoft Power BI download page to download the latest version.
4. Install and Launch Power BI: Find the download file and run the installer just as you would normally. Once completed, you'll find the Power BI Desktop icon inside the Windows Start menu, and you can open it and use it with full functionality.

Pros and Cons of Using a Virtual Machine

• Pros: You get the complete, unrestricted Power BI Desktop experience with 100% of its features, like Power Query and DAX. Performance with paid software like Parallels is excellent, and it's a good solution if you will need to use other Windows-only applications for your work.
• Cons: The main drawback is cost. Parallels/VMware have annual subscription fees, and in addition, you will need to purchase a Windows OS license. Additionally, running a new operating system inside your existing one can be resource-heavy - we recommend having at least 16GB of RAM for a smoother experience.

Method 2: Use Apple's Boot Camp (For Intel-Based Macs Only)

Boot Camp is Apple's solution to help Mac owners install Windows on their computers, and it is a free utility that still comes prebuilt into macOS on Intel-based chips. However, it's a lot different from VMs because it does not run Windows within macOS. Instead, it creates a separate drive partition to install and run Windows natively. To put it simply, it turns your Mac into a dual-boot machine, giving you the option of choosing between Windows and macOS each time you start your computer. And because Windows runs directly on the hardware, you're getting the best possible performance.

Important Note: The biggest disadvantage of Boot Camp is that it only works for Intel-chipped Macs. It isn't supported by the Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3). So if you've bought your Mac after the year 2020, this method is likely off the table for you.

Pros and Cons of Using Boot Camp

• Pros: This method offers you the best possible performance because it runs Windows natively on the Mac hardware without any of the overhead of a VM. It is also completely free since it is already a part of macOS, you just need to bring your own Windows license.
• Cons: Apart from only being available for older Intel Macs, the biggest inconvenience is that you must restart your computer every time you want to switch between the Windows and macOS operating systems. This can be a major disruption to your workflow. It also requires you to partition your hard drive, which may seem daunting if you are uncomfortable with such tasks.

Method 3: Use a Cloud PC Provider like Microsoft's 365 or Azure Virtual Desktop

Instead of running Windows locally on your Mac, a cloud PC provider lets you "stream" a Windows desktop from the cloud to your Mac via a web browser or remote desktop app. This scenario is similar to one of Netflix but for streaming a game, you are instead running a full computer. This is an ideal solution for organizations that need to manage licenses for a large team of people who are already in the Microsoft ecosystem.

In this setup, Power BI Desktop is installed on the cloud PC instead, and you interface with it through your Mac.

Pros and Cons of Using Cloud-Based Windows PCs

• Pros: Since the heavy loading is done by Microsoft's servers, it does not consume local resources on your Mac, and you can access your Windows environment and Power BI from anywhere that has an internet connection. And it is a great option for teams that need to be managed centrally.
• Cons: The biggest disadvantage is that it is often one of the most expensive solutions, which may make it a poor choice if you are a single user. Your performance is also heavily dependent on your internet connection, and a poor connection will lead to a sluggish and frustrating user experience.

Method 4: The Power BI Web-Service

The easiest and most cost-effective way every Mac user can access the Power BI Service is via the web-based version of Power BI that runs in any modern browser (e.g., Safari, Chrome). While it's not a replacement for Power BI Desktop, it's a great option for viewing and interacting with existing reports.

What Can You Do in the Power BI Service?

• View, share, and interact with dashboards and reports that have been shared with you.
• Use simple data exploration with Q&A ("Show me sales by region").
• Subscribe to reports and set up data refreshes.
• Perform light edits or create basic dashboards from existing datasets.

What Cannot Be Done in Power BI Service: The Limitations

The important part to understand is that the Power BI Service is for consumption of data, not creation of data. It misses the creation tools that make Power BI Desktop powerful. Specifically, you cannot:

• Build data models from scratch: You cannot use Power Query to connect to, clean, and transform raw data from different sources.
• Create complex DAX measures and calculations: The deep analytical capabilities (e.g., time-intelligence functions, complex logic, etc.) that make Power BI powerful are built within Power BI Desktop.

Which is the Best Method for You?

For most Mac users who are data analysts or report builders who need full functionality, using a virtual machine with Parallels Desktop provides the best blend of performance and ease-of-use. While it comes with an additional cost, the solution's comprehensiveness and flexibility make it the most practical option.

• For the best performance and experienced users: Using Parallels Desktop.
• For Intel-based Mac users on a budget wanting raw performance: Use Boot Camp.
• For businesses & teams: A Cloud PC solution like Microsoft's 365 or Azure.
• For management, stakeholders, and anyone who needs to view and interact with reports: the Power BI Service web app is the best choice.

Final Thoughts

While Power BI Desktop doesn't run natively on any Mac, there are numerous effective ways for users to access this powerful BI tool on their Apple hardware. By choosing the proper solution - from flexible VMs to the lightweight Power BI Service - anyone can bridge the gap between the Windows and macOS worlds to get their jobs done.

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