Push Past the Limits: Making Power BI Publish to Web Reports Work on Mobile Devices

Power BI’s “Publish to Web” feature offers a fast and frictionless way to share interactive reports with the public, with no sign-in required, no extra licensing. It’s perfect for storytelling with open data, community dashboards, or embedding visuals in websites and blogs. But it also comes with serious limitations, especially when it comes to mobile usability and data privacy.

This article is for Power BI users who want to push past those limits. You’ll learn how to create reports that display well on mobile devices, how to reduce the risks of exposing sensitive information, and how to build a responsible process for publishing and maintaining public reports.

Key Takeaways

• “Publish to Web” offers a fast way to share Power BI reports publicly, but it completely removes security and should only be used with non-sensitive data.
• To ensure reports display well on mobile devices, you need to deliberately design for smaller screens using vertical layouts, simplified visuals, and real-device testing.
• Reducing the risk of accidental data exposure requires governance controls such as isolated workspaces, thorough review processes, and admin-level restrictions on publishing access.
• Public reports need to be actively maintained over time by tracking where they’re shared, monitoring for layout and data issues, and using a consistent publishing checklist.
• With the right combination of design, governance, and maintenance, you can push past the limitations of “Publish to Web” and build accessible, reliable public-facing reports.

Understanding the Trade-offs and the Path Forward

“Publish to Web” is ideal for sharing non-sensitive information widely. It creates a public link or embed code that anyone can access. However, it bypasses all authentication and security features, so whatever data you publish becomes fully open to the internet.

Preparing Your Report for Publishing

To address these issues, this article follows a three-part process that can help you get it right:

1. Preparing Your Report for Publishing – how to design and structure reports so they work well on mobile screens
2. Managing Risk – how to avoid exposing sensitive information and implement governance safeguards
3. Publishing and Maintenance – how to monitor and maintain your published reports responsibly over time

Together, these steps form a practical framework for building public-facing Power BI content that’s usable, safe, and sustainable.

Step 1: Preparing Your Report for Publishing

The design of your report plays a major role in how usable it will be once published, especially for mobile users. Since “Publish to Web” doesn’t auto-adjust layout, you need to deliberately optimise for smaller screens.

Here’s how:

1. Design with Mobile in Mind – Assume users will be viewing your report on their phones. Avoid dense visuals or interactions that require fine control (e.g. small slicers or hover-only elements).
2. Use a Vertical, Single-Column Layout – Mobile screens favour scrolling, not side-by-side visuals. Stack charts and cards vertically. Keep each page focused on one message or question.
3. Choose Simple, Mobile-Friendly Visuals – Bar charts, cards, and line charts work well. Avoid visuals that are hard to interpret on small screens, like detailed tables or scatter plots.
4. Set a Custom Page Size – Use a fixed page size that mimics mobile screens—something like 540x960px—to ensure predictable display.
5. Scale Fonts and Spacing – Use larger text (titles around 16–18pt) and ample spacing between elements to make tapping and reading easier.
6. Test on Real Devices – Always check the report on actual mobile devices using the public link. This helps you identify layout problems or accessibility issues before you publish.

This design-first approach lays the foundation for a successful and accessible report, but only if it’s supported by proper controls.

Step 2: Managing Risk

Publishing to the web removes all data protection barriers. Even small mistakes, like a forgotten drill-through page can unexpectedly expose more than intended, and that can lead to major breaches of trust or compliance issues.

To protect your organisation and your users, take the following governance steps:

1. Separate Public Content from Internal Workspaces – Avoid building or storing publicly shared reports in your primary Power BI workspaces. Instead, create a dedicated, isolated workspace specifically for public-facing content. This controlled environment should have strict access permissions and contain only datasets that have been reviewed and approved for open distribution.
2. Use Approved Data Models Only – Limit the data models included in the public workspace to those explicitly designed and cleared for public use. Exclude any sensitive or operational data, and ensure that only high-level summaries or aggregated data are exposed. This precaution minimises the risk of unintentionally leaking private information.
3. Conduct a Thorough Report Review – Before publishing, perform a detailed review of your report. Confirm that all filters and bookmarks are appropriately configured and that hidden content or tooltips don’t reveal sensitive details. Check drill-through pages, aggregation logic, and visual-level filters to ensure no raw or private data is exposed. It’s best practice to have a colleague review the report as well, treating it like content meant for a public website.
4. Test for Mobile and Public Readiness – Test your report on actual mobile devices using the public link to verify layout, legibility, and functionality. This step is essential because “Publish to Web” does not support responsive design. Identifying issues early helps ensure a clean user experience and avoids surprises after publication.
5. Restrict Publish to Web Permissions – Govern who can use the “Publish to Web” feature by configuring Power BI’s tenant settings. Navigate to the Admin Portal, then go to Tenant Settings > Publish to Web. Limit access to specific named users or security groups, and ensure these users understand the responsibility of public publishing. This prevents unauthorised users from inadvertently sharing data.
6. Monitor and Audit Publishing Activity – Regularly audit publishing actions and access logs to maintain oversight of how the feature is used. This helps you spot unusual activity, validate compliance with governance policies, and maintain accountability within your organisation.

These controls prevent accidental exposure and establish accountability.

Step 3: Publishing and Maintenance

Even the best-designed public report needs care over time. Things change, data gets updated, business needs evolve, and what made sense last quarter might no longer be relevant.

Here’s how to ensure your public reports stay accurate and trustworthy:

1. Keep Track of Where Reports Are Shared – It’s important to maintain an up-to-date record of every location where your Power BI report has been shared or embedded. This includes websites, email newsletters, and social media platforms. By doing this, you’ll know exactly where to follow up if the report is ever updated, replaced, or removed. It ensures consistency and prevents outdated or incorrect information from lingering in public view.
2. Monitor for Layout and Data Issues – Public reports aren’t static—changes to data models, visuals, or layout can introduce new issues. If your dataset structure changes or you make updates to the visuals, revisit the report using the public link on mobile devices to check for problems. What previously displayed well may now be misaligned, distorted, or unreadable. Ongoing checks help maintain a consistent and accessible experience for all users.
3. Revoke Outdated Reports Promptly – When a report is no longer valid or relevant, it’s essential to remove public access as soon as possible. The Power BI Service allows you to disable Publish to Web links easily, preventing outdated or misleading data from continuing to circulate. This not only avoids confusion but also reinforces trust in your reporting processes.
4. Build and Use a Publishing Checklist – To support consistency and governance, create a formal checklist that your team uses before every publication. This should include reviewing the report content, validating data, confirming the layout works on mobile devices, and logging where the report will be shared. The checklist becomes your final safeguard before going live.
5. Confirm Admin-Level Settings Before Publishing – Ensure that tenant-level controls in the Power BI Admin Portal are correctly configured before any publishing occurs. Confirm that only authorised users have permission to publish and that the settings align with your organisation’s data governance standards. This step reinforces accountability and prevents unauthorised or accidental publishing.
6. Establish a Review and Update Cadence – Publishing a report is not the end of the process. Create a routine for reviewing all public reports on a regular basis. This can be quarterly, bi-annually, or whatever cadence fits your context. During each review, reassess layout, data accuracy, relevance, and the external links where the report is embedded. This structured review cycle keeps your content fresh, accurate, and trustworthy.

Example in Action: Building a Public Report for Impact

Example:

An NGO builds a public dashboard on environmental metrics.

Challenge:

They initially published a detailed report from their internal workspace, including regional drill-downs and source data.

Solution:

• Rebuilt the report with simplified visuals
• Switched to a separate workspace for public content
• Removed drill-throughs and tooltips that exposed raw data
• Tested mobile layout using a 540x960px canvas

Result:

They embedded the report into their website, improved user experience on mobile, and avoided accidental data exposure.

Final Thoughts

Publishing Power BI reports to the web can be powerful, but only if approached with care. Many users hit limitations with layout or overlook the risks of public access. By following a structured process that includes mobile-first design, governance safeguards, and ongoing maintenance, you can turn this lightweight feature into a reliable, professional publishing method.

It’s not about avoiding the limits, it’s about pushing past them with intention and clarity.

Putting It All into Practice

To put this into action:

• Read Microsoft’s Publish to Web documentation
• Try the beginner guide from DataCamp
• Review the process in Zuar’s practical publishing guide
• Optimise your next report layout for mobile screens
• Set up workspace governance and admin controls before publishing
• Create a checklist and start building your own public report process

Good mobile experiences and responsible data practices don’t happen by accident, but with the right approach, they’re absolutely achievable.