Issue
Automox shows an update available for Power BI Desktop and reports the patch as installed, but the device continues to report the old version on the next scan. The same update installs again on every patch run without the version ever changing.
Environment
- Automox agent on Windows
- Microsoft Power BI Desktop
Overview
Microsoft distributes Power BI Desktop two ways: through the Microsoft Store, which installs per user and updates itself automatically, and as a standalone downloadable installer, which installs machine-wide. Microsoft describes the two channels in Get Power BI Desktop. A device that has the Store edition (or both editions at once) reports a version that Automox's machine-wide patch never actually changes, so the title looks permanently out of date and keeps re-patching. The fix is to standardize the device on one edition.
Resolution
- Identify which edition (or both) is installed:
- On the device, open Settings Apps Installed apps and search for "Power BI Desktop." A Store install shows the Microsoft Store as its source; the standalone installer version appears as a normal desktop application. If two entries exist, the device has both editions.
- Remove the edition you do not want to keep:
- To manage Power BI with Automox, uninstall the Microsoft Store edition and keep (or install) the standalone installer edition. Store applications update through the Store, not through Automox patch policies.
- If the standalone edition is the one misbehaving, uninstall it, restart the device, and reinstall the latest standalone version from Microsoft's download page.
- Restart the device:
- A restart clears any pending installer state before the next scan.
- Rescan and verify:
- Run a scan on the device and confirm the console now reports the current version. Future Power BI updates should then install and reflect normally.
Notes
- This same dual-channel pattern (vendor Store app plus standalone installer) causes repeated-install symptoms for other Microsoft titles as well; checking the install source in Settings Apps is the fastest way to spot it.
- If only the standalone edition is present and the version still never changes, the install may be in a broken state; the uninstall, reboot, reinstall sequence in step 2 remains the reliable repair.
- If Power BI is installed per user for some profiles on a shared device, see Automox Repeatedly Attempts to Patch Software Installed in User Space for how per-user installs interact with patching.