Power BI October 2026 Features Add Copilot Custom Visuals, Gantt Chart and List Slicer Options
Power BI October 2026 features introduce GA support for Copilot custom visuals, a new Gantt chart preview and improved list slicer modes alongside ongoing Fabric capacity migrations.
Power BI October 2026 features focus on practical additions to report authoring, time-based visuals and slicer handling. The updates arrived in the October 15 feature summary and require no license changes for most users.
Power BI October 2026 Features for Reporting and AI
The main reporting changes center on three items. Copilot custom visuals reached general availability through the Report Authoring skill in Skills for Fabric. Authors can now describe a custom visual from AppSource or an imported .pbiviz file in natural language, and the skill handles binding, formatting and validation.
A Gantt chart visual entered preview. It supports bars for tasks, milestones, progress shading, a zoomable axis and custom columns such as owner or status. Users enable it in Power BI Desktop under Preview features and then add the visual directly to reports for project planning scenarios.
The list slicer gained a dropdown mode in preview. The mode includes an option to show selected items first, adjustable drawer dimensions, improved search formatting and selection pills that display counts and allow dismissal. An explicit “Not” state for partial selections is also available while preserving existing formatting.
Additional GA items include solid or conditional background colors for selected chart plot areas, automatic expansion of hierarchy axes when field parameters are used, and preservation of table and matrix column widths in personal bookmarks.
Microsoft Fabric Updates and Pricing Implications
Semantic model operations received one targeted improvement. Surge protection now uses continuous CU usage reporting during long background jobs, delivering more timely thresholds without any configuration changes required from administrators.
Power BI licensing itself saw no October price adjustments. Pro remains available at approximately $14 per user per month on annual commitment, while Premium Per User sits near $24. Legacy Power BI Premium P SKUs stop new sales and will retire at the end of existing agreements; organizations move to equivalent Fabric F SKUs.
| Capacity | Starting Price (US East) | Key Consumption Note |
|---|---|---|
| Power BI Pro | $14/user/month | Per-user license |
| PPU | $24/user/month | Per-user premium features |
| Fabric F64 | $8,410/month | Free viewers allowed; billed per CU-second |
| F2 (pay-as-you-go) | $263/month | Entry Fabric capacity |
Fabric F SKUs support pay-as-you-go billing per second with one-year reservations offering roughly 41 percent savings. Storage and additional workloads remain separate line items. On-demand F0 options continue in preview. Teams that previously used P1 capacity typically map to F64 when migrating.
Rollout occurs through standard Power BI Desktop and service updates. Preview features must be enabled manually, and organizations should test Copilot custom visuals and the Gantt chart in non-production workspaces first. The October release continues the incremental cadence seen after the September agentic-experience updates without introducing major disruptions.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enable the Gantt chart in Power BI October 2026 features?
Open Power BI Desktop, go to File > Options > Preview features and select the Gantt chart option. Restart the application and add the visual from the Visualizations pane.
Does the Copilot custom visuals GA require a new license?
No new license is required beyond an existing Power BI Pro or Fabric capacity. The Report Authoring skill uses the same Copilot entitlements already available in the October update.
What happens to existing Power BI Premium P SKUs?
New sales of P SKUs have ended. At contract renewal organizations migrate to matching Fabric F SKUs such as P1 to F64, with the same capacity rules applying after migration.
Can the list slicer dropdown preserve my current formatting?
Yes. The preview mode keeps all existing slicer formatting while adding the dropdown layout, selection pills and show-selected-first behavior.
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