How to Add Comments in Power BI

Adding comments directly within your Power BI reports and dashboards transforms them from static data displays into dynamic, collaborative workspaces. This guide will walk you through exactly how to add comments, mention colleagues, and manage conversations in Power BI to provide context and drive data-driven discussions.

Why Comments in Power BI Matter

Before diving into the "how," it's helpful to understand the "why." You're not just leaving sticky notes on a report, you're building a layer of conversation right on top of your data. This is a powerful way to make your analytics more effective.

Add Context: Numbers and charts rarely tell the whole story on their own. Comments let you explain anomalies, call out important trends, or describe the business events that influenced the data. For example, a comment next to a sales dip could be, "@MarketingTeam This dip corresponds with the week we paused our main ad campaign for updates."
Boost Collaboration: Instead of taking a screenshot, pasting it into Slack or email, and starting a separate conversation, you can ask questions and discuss insights directly in Power BI. This keeps the conversation linked to the data it's about, making it easier for everyone to follow along.
Data Storytelling: A great report tells a story. Comments act as the narrator’s voice, guiding viewers through the key plot points in your data. You can lead stakeholders' attention from one important visual to the next with pointed questions and observations.
Create a Record: Comment threads serve as a historical log of discussions and decisions. When you look back at a report from six months ago, you can see not just what the data said, but what the team talked about, asked, and decided based on that data.

Ways to Add Comments in Power BI Service

It's important to know that comments are a feature of the Power BI Service (the web-based version), not Power BI Desktop. This makes sense, as the Service is the environment for sharing and collaboration. There are two primary places you can add comments:

General Comments: These apply to an entire report page or a dashboard. They are useful for overall feedback, high-level questions, or general discussion.
Visual-Specific Comments: These are attached directly to a single chart, graph, table, or card. This is perfect for asking a question or making an observation about a specific data point.

Let's walk through how to do both.

How to Add General Comments on a Report or Dashboard

Use this method when you have a question or observation about the report as a whole or a full dashboard of visuals. The process is straightforward and consistent for both dashboards and report pages.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Open Your Report or Dashboard: Navigate to the Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com) and open the workspace containing the report or dashboard you want to comment on.
Find the "Comments" Button: Look for the "Comments" button in the top action bar. It's usually located near the "Subscribe" and "Edit" buttons. Clicking it opens the Comments pane.
Open the Comments Pane: The Comments pane will slide out on the right-hand side of your screen. This is a dedicated space for all conversations related to that report page or dashboard.
Type Your Comment: At the bottom of the pane, you'll see a text box. Simply type your message here.
Mention a Colleague (Optional but powerful): To get a specific person’s attention, use the "@" symbol followed by their name, just like you would on social media or in Microsoft Teams. For example: @Jane Doe what do you think of this quarter's user growth trend? Power BI will search your organization's directory as you type. The person you mention will receive a notification.
Post Your Comment: Hit the "Post" button, and your comment will appear in the pane for anyone with access to the report to see.

The comment is now logged. You'll see your profile picture, name, the time, and the comment itself inside the pane.

How to Add Comments to a Specific Visual

This is where commenting becomes incredibly granular and useful for detailed analysis. When you comment on a specific visual, your comment is tied to its current filter state. If you've filtered the report to show sales only for "California" in "Q3," a comment on a visual will be bookmarked with those filters. When a colleague clicks on your comment, the report will automatically adjust to show the exact view you were looking at.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Select a Visual: Inside your Power BI report in the Service, hover your mouse over the chart or visual you want to discuss.
Open the Context Menu: You’ll see a set of icons appear. Click on the ellipsis (the three dots ...) to open more options for that visual.
Click "Comment": From the dropdown menu, select "Comment."
A Focused Conversation Starts: This also opens the Comments pane on the right, but now it's focused on a new conversation thread specifically for this visual. You’ll see a small chat bubble icon on the visual itself, indicating it has comments.
Write and Post: Just as before, type your message, use "@" to mention someone if needed, and click "Post."

Anyone viewing the report can now click the comment icon on that visual (or find it in the Comments pane) to see what you said. When they click on your comment, the report filters automatically apply, giving them the exact same context you had. It’s a fantastic way to point out a very specific insight without needing a long written explanation of how to filter the report.

Tips for Better Commenting and Collaboration

Knowing how to add comments is the first step. Using them effectively is what makes them a game-changer for your team. Here are a few best practices to follow:

1. Be Specific with Mentions

Don't just add general comments into the void. If a question is for a specific person or team, always use an @mention. This ensures the right person gets notified and feels responsible for responding. Power BI sends an in-app notification and an email, so it's a reliable way to get someone's attention.

2. Give Clear Context

While visual-specific comments capture filters, you should still be descriptive. Instead of saying "This seems low," try something more actionable like, "@John Smith This conversion rate of 1.2% in the UK seems low compared to our 3% benchmark. Can you check the tracking analytics for this campaign?" The more context you provide, the faster your team can act.

3. Establish a Response Protocol

Encourage a team culture where comments are acknowledged. Even a simple "Thanks, looking into it" is better than silence. For questions that have been answered or issues that have been addressed, have the responsible person reply with "Done" or "Resolved" to close the loop.

4. Use It for Asynchronous Communication

Comments are perfect for teams spread across different time zones or schedules. You can ask a question about the data in the evening, and your colleague can see it and respond the next morning, with all the necessary context right there in the report.

Handling Limitations and Alternatives

Like any feature, Power BI comments have a few limitations to be aware of.

Service Only: Comments live exclusively in the Power BI Service and mobile apps. They are not visible or editable in Power BI Desktop.
No Text Formatting: The comment text box is basic. You can't use bold, italics, or other formatting.
No File Attachments: You can't attach files or screenshots directly to comments. You'd need to use links to external resources if necessary.

What If You Need Static Annotations?

If you need an annotation that is always visible on the report, rather than tucked away in a panel, you can use a Text Box. You add these in Power BI Desktop. They are perfect for providing permanent definitions, headers, or explanations directly on the report canvas. The trade-off is that they are not collaborative - they are a static part of the report design.

What about advanced collaboration features?

The commenting features serve casual interaction. However, if your team needs to have sophisticated, real-time discussions you may have success using Power Platform tools, like Power Apps, to build a fully customizable dashboard that users can interact on and with in much more detail.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the comments feature in Power BI helps shift your reports from being just presentations of data to being central points of conversation and decision-making for your team. By adding context, asking questions, and driving discussions right where the data lives, you can make your analytics process faster, clearer, and more collaborative.

Building a culture of active collaboration around data is at the heart of what we aimed for with Graphed. While Power BI's features are helpful for discussing existing reports, we wanted to streamline the entire process, starting from the initial question. Instead of waiting for a new report build, our platform lets you ask for insights in plain English and instantly creates live, shareable dashboards. This removes friction, speeds up analysis, and opens the door for everyone on your team - not just data experts - to create the reports they need to move work forward.