Color themes in Power BI - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Color themes let you change the colors of your entire Power BI report quickly. This helps keep your report looking consistent and matches your company colors or style.

When you want all charts and visuals to use the same set of colors automatically.

When you need to apply your company’s brand colors to a report.

When you want to switch between light and dark color styles easily.

When you create multiple reports and want them to have a consistent look.

When you want to update colors in all visuals at once without changing each one.

Steps

Step 1: Click

- View tab on the ribbon

The View pane opens showing theme options

Step 2: Click

- Themes dropdown in the View tab

A list of built-in color themes appears

Step 3: Select

- Any built-in theme from the dropdown

All visuals in the report update to use the selected theme colors

Step 4: Click

- Browse for themes option at the bottom of the Themes dropdown

A file dialog opens to select a custom JSON theme file

Step 5: Select

- A custom JSON theme file from your computer

The report updates to use the colors defined in the custom theme

Step 6: Click

- Switch theme button in the View tab

The report toggles between the current theme and the default theme

Before vs After

Before

Report visuals use default blue and orange colors with no consistent style

After

Report visuals update to use a consistent set of green and gray colors from the selected theme

Settings Reference

Themes dropdown

📍 View tab on the ribbon

Choose or load a color theme for the report

Default: Default

Custom JSON theme file

📍 Browse for themes option in Themes dropdown

Apply a custom color palette to the report

Default: None

Switch theme button

📍 View tab on the ribbon

Quickly compare your theme with the default colors

Default: Current theme active

Common Mistakes

Trying to apply a custom theme JSON file that is not formatted correctly

Power BI cannot read invalid JSON files and will not apply the theme

Use a properly formatted JSON theme file following Power BI theme schema

Changing colors manually in each visual after applying a theme

Manual changes override the theme and cause inconsistent colors

Apply the theme first, then adjust visuals only if needed for exceptions

Summary

Color themes let you quickly apply consistent colors across your entire report.

You can use built-in themes or load custom JSON theme files.

Always use valid JSON files for custom themes to avoid errors.