Open a .pbip file in Power BI Desktop and save it as .pbix
Updated by CompileBI
A .pbip file is a Power BI Desktop project: the report and its model saved as a folder of text files rather than one packed .pbix. To open one, extract the whole .zip into a short folder, open the .pbip in Power BI Desktop and press Refresh. File > Save As turns it into a .pbix whenever you want one.
Every report CompileBI builds comes as a .pbip project in a .zip, most of them beside a Power BI file (.pbit) that opens with a double-click. Power BI Desktop is free from Microsoft and runs on Windows 10 or later.
Upload a fileHow it works
- 01
Extract the .zip to a short folder
Right-click the .zip, choose Extract All and extract it to a folder near the top of a drive, such as C:\Reports. Do not open the .pbip from inside the .zip: Power BI Desktop needs the folders beside it. Windows limits a file path to 260 characters by default, and a project keeps each page and each visual in its own folder several levels deep, so a project extracted deep inside Downloads can pass that limit. Microsoft's own advice is a short folder path, and it warns that a synced OneDrive folder can cause syncing problems.
- 02
Open the .pbip and press Refresh
Open the .pbip file, for example Sales Report.pbip, in Power BI Desktop with a double-click or with File > Open. Then press Refresh on the Home ribbon. The rows are stored inside the model and load on Refresh, with no credentials, gateway or connection to set up.
- 03
Save it as a .pbix if you want one file
Choose File > Save As, pick the .pbix file type and save. The .pbix holds the same report, model and rows in a single file you can share or keep working in. The project folder stays as it was, and Power BI Desktop can turn either one into the other again later.
What you get
- A .pbip file: the one you open, which points Power BI Desktop at the report folder
- A .Report folder: the pages and visuals, one JSON file each, in the PBIR format
- A .SemanticModel folder: the tables, the DAX measures and the rows, in TMDL text files
- OPEN ME.txt: the opening steps in short
Questions
What is the difference between .pbip and .pbix?
A .pbix packs the report, the model and the data into one file. A .pbip saves the same report and model as a folder of text files that can be read, compared and kept in version control. Power BI Desktop opens both, and File > Save As converts either one into the other.
Are PBIP and PBIR still in preview?
No. The Microsoft Learn page "Power BI Desktop project report folder", updated 29 September 2026, says PBIR, the report format inside a project, is generally available and is the default report format, and that Power BI converts an older report to PBIR when you edit and save it. The page "Power BI Desktop projects (PBIP)" describes saving and opening projects with no preview switch. If a project will not open, update Power BI Desktop first. A .pbix saved from a project keeps the PBIR format.
Why does it need Refresh when the rows are already inside?
A downloaded project comes without Power BI Desktop's data cache, the cache.abf file that projects keep out of version control, so Desktop loads the stored rows into the model when you refresh. That needs no credentials, gateway or connection, and once you save, Desktop keeps the loaded data with the project or the .pbix.
Can I get a report like this from my own file?
Yes. Upload an Excel workbook or a CSV with the Upload a file button at the top of this page. The engine plans the pages and writes the measures from your own columns, and you download a .pbip that opens exactly as described here.