How to Use Power BI on a Mac via UTM

If you’re a Mac user who wants to use Power BI, you might have realized that Power BI Desktop does not natively support Mac devices. But don’t worry, there’s a workaround! You can use Power BI on your Mac via a virtual machine like UTM, Parallels Desktop, and VMware Fusion. While Parallels Desktop is a great way to run Windows on a Mac, it requires a yearly subscription. So, I suggest using UTM because it’s free. In this article post, I’ll guide you through the process of setting up a virtual machine using UTM and installing Power BI Desktop on it

.

let’s delve deeper into the steps of the process:

Step 1: Install UTM on Your Mac

UTM is a virtual machine host that allows you to run different operating systems on your Mac. Here’s a more detailed guide on how to install it:

1. Download UTM: Go to the Mac App Store and search for UTM or use this https://mac.getutm.app. Click on the “Get” button to download the app.
2. Install UTM: Once the download is complete, you’ll find a disk image file named UTM.dmg in your download folder. Double-click on this file to open it.
3. Move UTM to Applications: A new window will open showing the UTM application icon. Press the Command Key, then drag the UTM application icon from the disk image to the Applications folder. This will install UTM on your Mac.
4. Open UTM: Navigate to your Applications folder and double-click on the UTM application to open it.

Step 2: Set Up a Windows Virtual Machine

After installing UTM the next step is to set up a Windows virtual machine. Here’s how:

1. Install CrystalFetch and Download Windows ISO File: Install CrystalFetch from the Mac App Store. Use CrystalFetch to download the latest Windows ISO file.
2. Create a New Virtual Machine: Open the virtual machine software and click on the “+” button to create a new virtual machine.
3. Choose the Operating System: In the new VM wizard, select “Virtualization” and then “Windows” to install Windows as a guest.
4. Import the Windows ISO File: Locate the downloaded Windows ISO file and import it into the virtual machine software.
5. Follow the On-Screen Instructions: Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup

Step 3: Install Power BI Desktop on Your Windows Virtual Machine

Now that you have a Windows virtual machine running on your Mac, you can install Power BI Desktop on it. Here’s how:

1. Open your preferred web browser inside the Windows VM and go to the official Microsoft Power BI website https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/ .
2. Download the installation image of Power BI Desktop.
3. Once the download is complete, locate the installer file (usually named PBIDesktopSetup_x64.exe) and double-click on it to start the installation process.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

And that’s it! You can now use Power BI Desktop on your Mac via your Windows virtual machine. Remember, this is a workaround since Power BI Desktop does not natively support Mac devices. Also, please note that running Power BI on a virtual machine might not provide the same performance as running it natively on a Windows machine.

Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] have questions regarding your Power BI journey on a Mac. I hope this guide proves helpful to you. Happy analyzing your data!

Disclaimer: Please ensure to follow all software licensing agreements when installing and using software. The steps provided in this blog are for informational purposes only. The author is not responsible for any issues that may arise from following these steps.