A client emails you Q3-sales.pbix. You're on a Mac, a Chromebook, or a work laptop where you can't install anything. Power BI Desktop only runs on Windows, and the Power BI service wants a Pro or Fabric license before it will show you a report somebody else built.

Here are the options, from the most work to the least.

1. Ask for a PDF or a published link

It works, and you lose every filter and slicer. If you need to answer "what about the West region?", you're back to emailing the sender.

2. Run Windows

Parallels or a cloud PC runs Power BI Desktop on a Mac. It's a full install and a Windows license, for one file.

3. Open the .pbix in a browser tab

xmetric opens .pbix reports in the browser: drop the file in and you get the report pages, the supported visuals and their filters. It works the same on macOS, ChromeOS and Linux, needs no account to open a local file, and reads the file in your browser, so the client's data isn't uploaded anywhere.

What to expect:

  • Report pages, supported visuals and filters open; some visuals and interactions render differently from Power BI.
  • Files with imported data open. A report on a live connection to a Power BI semantic model doesn't, because the file has no data in it: ask the sender for "a copy of your report and data".
  • The same tab also opens Tableau .twbx workbooks, if the next client uses Tableau.

Which one to pick

  • You only need to look once: ask for a PDF.
  • You'll edit and republish the report: you need Power BI Desktop on Windows.
  • You need to read it now, filter it, and you're not on Windows: open it in the browser.

I build xmetric. If a report of yours doesn't open the way it should, tell me which visual broke, and I'll fix it.