Custom visual license not recognized — visual approved on AppSource but not yet in gallery tab

Daniel Abdel Sater 0 Reputation points
2026-05-11T16:44:28.95+00:00

Hi everyone,

I have a custom visual that was submitted to AppSource, went through the review process, and got approved. Microsoft provided me with a direct link to the visual on the Marketplace. However, the visual is not yet visible in the "Get more visuals" gallery tab inside Power BI Desktop — I understand this can take up to 2 weeks after approval.

I went ahead and:

  1. Purchased a subscription via the direct Marketplace link (Microsoft billing)
  2. Assigned the license to a user in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center
  3. Downloaded the .pbiviz file from the Marketplace listing
  4. Imported it into Power BI Desktop via Insert → More visuals → Import a visual from a file
  5. Added the visual to a report with data

The visual is locked — it shows the paywall/freemium gate and does not recognize the active license.

My question: Is it possible that host.licenseManager.getAvailableServicePlans() returns empty plans (plans: []) because the visual is not yet publicly available in the Power BI "Get more visuals" gallery — even though it has been approved and a subscription has been purchased?

In other words: does the visual need to be fully live in the gallery before the licensing API can link the user's subscription to the visual at runtime? Or should the license be recognized as soon as it's assigned in the M365 Admin Center, regardless of gallery availability?

Any insight from developers who have gone through the AppSource approval process would be very helpful.

Thanks

Microsoft Partner Center | Other
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  1. AI answer

    2026-05-11T16:44:46.31+00:00

    The license should be recognized based on the subscription and assignment in Microsoft 365, not on whether the visual is already visible in the in-product “Get more visuals” gallery.

    Key points from the licensing model:

    1. License recognition timing
      • After purchasing the visual in AppSource and assigning licenses in the Microsoft 365 admin center, the license becomes available within a few minutes for the assigned user.
      • The user must refresh the report/session for the license to activate:
        • In Power BI Service: refresh the report (F5).
        • In Power BI Desktop: close and reopen Desktop.
      • In some cases, it can take up to an hour for the license to be recognized; the guidance is to wait up to an hour and then restart/refresh the Power BI session.
    2. Where the visual comes from (gallery vs. file) does not change enforcement
      • Licensed visuals are enforced by the Power BI runtime license system and the licensing API. Enforcement is tied to:
        • The offer created in Partner Center and transacted via AppSource.
        • The subscription and user licenses managed in Microsoft 365 admin center.
      • The documentation explicitly supports the flow where customers:
        • Purchase licenses for a visual in AppSource.
        • Assign licenses in Microsoft 365 admin center.
        • Use the visual in reports (including by importing the visual package).
      • There is no requirement stated that the visual must already appear in the in-product AppSource gallery tab before license enforcement works.
    3. Expected behavior for host.licenseManager
      • Once the offer is created in Partner Center, configured for transactability, and the visual package is configured to use the Power BI runtime license, the licensing API is expected to enforce licenses according to each user’s access.
      • When a customer purchases the offer and assigns licenses, the runtime checks should reflect those licenses regardless of whether the visual is accessed via the gallery tab or via a .pbiviz imported from file.
    4. Practical implications for the scenario
      • An empty plans: [] from host.licenseManager.getAvailableServicePlans() is not expected to be caused solely by the visual not yet appearing in the “Get more visuals” gallery.
      • More likely causes (based on the documented flow) are:
        • Propagation delay: up to about an hour from purchase/assignment until the license is recognized, plus a required restart/refresh of Power BI Desktop.
        • License assignment not yet fully active for the signed-in user session in Power BI Desktop (e.g., user not signed in with the same account that has the license, or session not refreshed after assignment).

    So, the visual does not need to be fully live in the in-product gallery for the licensing API to link the user’s subscription to the visual. The license should be recognized as soon as:

    • The offer is configured for license enforcement.
    • The subscription is purchased in AppSource.
    • The license is assigned in Microsoft 365 admin center.
    • Enough time has passed for propagation (up to about an hour), and the user has refreshed/restarted Power BI.

    If, after that, plans: [] is still returned and the paywall remains, the issue is likely in the offer/package configuration or account/session alignment rather than gallery availability.

    References:

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