
Power BI is good news for journalists
Data has become an everyday part of journalism. But journalists and media outlets don’t always have the time, resources, or data journalism tools to incorporate data in ways that would make stories more impactful and compelling—until they discover Power BI.
Download Power BI Desktop
Power BI Desktop is a powerful data visualization tool that you can use to combine data from hundreds of databases, files, and web services. Then bring your data to life with built-in or community-created visuals—or create your own.
DOWNLOAD FREEPower BI Desktop is a free download available on Windows.
Download instructions and system requirementsIf you’re using another operating system, you can still input data and create visualizations in the Power BI service.
Learn moreGetting started with data journalism
With Microsoft Power BI, you can clean and model your data, produce quick and easy visualizations, and publish interactive visualizations for your online audience to explore. This guide shows you a simple step-by-step process for using Microsoft Power BI to bring your data stories to life.
Here’s the common flow using Power BI:
1. Bring data into Power BI Desktop
2. Create visualizations
3. Publish to the Power BI service
4. Share your visualizations with your audience

Use Power BI Pro for collaboration
The free version of Power BI is intended for individual use and publishing to the web. If you want to collaborate on reports with colleagues, you’ll need Power BI Pro. Try it free for 60 days.
TRY FREEResources
Data visualization and storytelling
Watch renowned visualization expert Albert Cairo as he shares the methodology behind graphics and how they can support data storytelling in this 5-course series.
Power BI documentation
Learn the ins and outs of reports, visualizations, administration, troubleshooting, and more.
Power BI community
Search for answers, learn from others, get updates, and discuss Power BI with experts and peers in this global online forum.
Vote on the product roadmap
Help improve Power BI by suggesting and voting on product features and improvements.
Data Stories gallery
See what’s possible with examples of data storytelling from other community members. Get ideas, discuss reports with the authors, or contribute your own.
Guided learning
Build your knowledge from the ground up through a self-paced, sequential series of courses and tutorials covering a full range of Power BI topics.
Join the Microsoft Data Journalism program
The Microsoft Data Journalism program helps journalists and media organizations learn data storytelling and visualization. Through the program, you can get help with Power BI, with coaching and collaboration to build compelling, interactive visualizations.
Our team consists of former journalists, data experts, designers, and software developers who understand the deadline pressures and urgency in producing flawless content—as well as the power of data visualization to bring stories to life in a powerful way.
To learn more, email MSFTDataJournalism@Microsoft.com.