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How to Rename a Report in Power BI

Cody Schneider•

Renaming a Power BI report seems like it should be a one-click task, but it can be tricky depending on where you're trying to do it. The name of your local ".pbix" file, the report's name in the Power BI Service, and the title displayed on the report canvas itself can all be different. This guide will show you exactly how to rename your reports in Power BI, clarify the differences, and share some best practices for keeping your work organized.

Why Renaming Your Power BI Report Matters

Before jumping into the "how," it's worth taking a moment to understand the "why." A sloppy naming convention can create confusion and make your reports feel unprofessional. Taking the time to name your reports thoughtfully has several key benefits:

  • Clarity for End-Users: A name like "Sales Report Q3 2024 - Executive Summary" is instantly understandable to a stakeholder. "SalesRpt_v2_final" is not. A clear name sets expectations about what the report contains and who it's for.

  • Better Organization: When you have dozens or even hundreds of reports and dashboards in your Power BI Workspace, a consistent naming system is your best friend. It allows you and your team to quickly locate the right report without having to open each one.

  • Professionalism: When you share a link or view a report in a Power BI App, the report's name is highly visible. A clean, descriptive name presents your work in a more polished and professional light.

  • Easier Maintenance: For report creators and admins, clear names make maintenance easier. You immediately know which report manages which dataset or addresses which business question, saving you time when updates are needed.

The Most Important Distinction: .pbix File Name vs. Report Name in the Service

One of the biggest sources of confusion for new Power BI users is the difference between the source file and the published report. It's helpful to think of it this way:

  • The .pbix File: This is the Power BI Desktop file saved on your local computer or network drive. Its name is whatever you saved it as in Windows Explorer (e.g., MySalesReport.pbix). This file contains all your data connections, data model, queries, and visual designs.

  • The Report Name in the Service: This is the name that appears once you publish your .pbix file to the Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com). By default, it takes the name of the .pbix file, but it becomes its own separate entity after publishing.

This is a critical point: changing the name of your .pbix file on your computer will not change the name of the report that is already published in the Power BI Service. Likewise, renaming the report in the Service will not change the name of your local file. If you want both to match, you have to rename them in both places.

Method 1: Renaming the Report in the Power BI Service

This is the most common and direct way to rename a report. You do this within a Workspace in your browser. This method changes the name that everyone with access to that Workspace, App, or shared link will see.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

  1. Navigate to Your Workspace: Log into app.powerbi.com. On the left-hand navigation pane, click on "Workspaces" and select the Workspace that contains the report you want to rename.

  2. Find Your Report: Once you're inside the Workspace, you'll see a list of all your reports, dashboards, datasets, and dataflows. Scroll through the list to find the report or use the search bar at the top for faster access. You can identify reports by the bar chart icon.

  3. Access the "More options" Menu: Hover your mouse over the report's name. Three vertical dots will appear to the right. This is the "More options" menu. Click on it to open a dropdown list of actions.

  4. Select "Rename": In the dropdown menu, you'll see an option called "Rename." Click on it.

    Note: If you have already opened the report's settings page, you can also change the name from there. From the Workspace list view, click the options menu (...) and select "Settings". The very first editable field will be "Name".

  5. Enter the New Name: A pop-up window will appear with the current report name in an editable text box. Delete the old name and type in your desired new name.

  6. Save Your Changes: Click the "Save" button. The pop-up will close, and you'll see the report's name instantly update in your Workspace list.

That's it! The report is now officially renamed within the Power BI Service. Any links pointing to it will continue to work, and any pinned dashboard tiles from this report remain connected.

Method 2: Renaming While Publishing from Power BI Desktop

If you're publishing a new report or re-publishing an existing one, you have an opportunity to define or change the name during the publishing process itself.

When you publish your report from Power BI Desktop and a report with the same name already exists in the destination Workspace, Power BI will present you with a choice: "Replace the dataset and report."

If your goal is to simply rename the report, you can first save your local .pbix file with the new name. For example, change Analysis_Draft.pbix to Quarterly Marketing Funnel Review.pbix on your computer. When you publish this newly named file to the same workspace, it will appear as a new, separate report. You can then delete the old, poorly named report from the Power BI Service to avoid duplicates.

How Renaming a Report Affects Other Power BI Content

Renaming a report doesn't happen in a vacuum. It can affect dashboards that use its visuals and any published Power BI Apps that include it.

Impact on Dashboards

If you have pinned visuals from your report to a Power BI dashboard, you're in luck. The connection is not broken by a rename. The tiles on the dashboard will continue to show data and update as scheduled. When a user clicks on a tile to drill through to the underlying report, they will be correctly taken to the newly named report. The only change they'll notice is the new name appearing at the top of the browser tab.

Impact on Power BI Apps

This is where you need to be careful. A Power BI App is a user-friendly package of reports and dashboards for broad consumption. When you rename a report within the Workspace that is included in a published App, the change will not automatically be visible to the App's users.

You must update the App to push the change live. Here’s how:

  1. Make sure you've renamed the report inside the Workspace first using Method 1.

  2. In the Workspace, look for the "Update app" button in the upper-right corner.

  3. Clicking this button takes you to the App setup screen. Navigate through the Content, Audience, and other tabs to check your settings. You'll see the report's name is updated here.

  4. Finally, click "Update app" again on the final screen to publish your changes.

Once the update is complete, users of your App will see the report with its new name.

Best Practices for Naming & Organizing Power BI Reports

Having a consistent system saves headaches down the road. You don't need a complex system, just a logical one. Consider these tips:

  • Be Descriptive: The name should communicate the report's purpose. Instead of "Report 1", use "Website Traffic Analysis by Source".

  • Identify the Audience: If a report is tailored for a specific team, consider including that in the name. For example: "Sales Team Weekly Performance Tracker" vs. "Executive Board Monthly Financial Summary".

  • Adopt a Naming Convention: Work with your team to agree on a standard format. This helps tremendously with sorting and finding content. A simple format is:[Department] - [Report Subject] - [Time period/Granularity]Examples:

    • Marketing - SEO Keyword Performance - Monthly

    • Sales - Lead Conversion Rates by Rep - YTD

    • Operations - On-time Delivery Tracking - Daily

  • Mind the Character Limit: Power BI report names have a character limit. Be concise while remaining descriptive. Avoid overly long names that get cut off in the UI.

  • Handle Versioning Carefully: Instead of adding "v1", "v2", or "final" to the name, consider using the descriptions or publishing history to track changes. Keep the consumer-facing name clean and focused on the content. A version in the name suggests it might be outdated or a work in progress.

Final Thoughts

Renaming reports in Power BI is a small but important part of managing a clean and efficient analytics environment. By understanding the distinction between file names and service names and by using the simple "Rename" function within the Workspace, you can ensure your reports are always clearly and professionally labeled.

The need for meticulous naming and organization in traditional BI tools highlights the amount of manual overhead involved. We built Graphed to remove this friction. Instead of searching through lists of similarly named reports, you can just ask a question in plain English like, "show me our lead conversion rates by sales rep this year," and get an instant dashboard. It automates the data pulling and reporting, letting you spend less time managing files and more time finding insights.