Troubleshooting
Most problems fall into five groups: a license message, a basemap that does not load, data that does not draw, one linked layer that stays empty, or a selection that does not filter the report. Work through the first four in order, then see the filtering section.
1. The map shows a license message
A message over the map means the visual found no valid license. While you edit a report, the message offers the Get FREE Developer License button and a box for a license key with an Apply Key button.
| You see | Do this |
|---|---|
| "A license is required to use Icon Map Slicer" | Get the free developer license, enter a license key, or buy a license |
| "No license configured" | Ask the report owner to assign you a license or add a license key to the report |
| "Unsupported Environment" | The report uses a developer license, which readers cannot use. Request a publish trial or buy a license |
| "Icon Map Slicer not supported with current license" | The license key does not cover Icon Map Slicer, or not in this environment. Contact sales |
| "Unable to validate license" | The licensing service could not be reached. Check that validate.iconmappro.com and validate2.iconmappro.com are allowed on your network |
| You bought a user license but the message remains | Check the license is assigned to you, then refresh the report or restart Power BI Desktop. It can take up to 30 minutes |
The free developer license covers both Icon Map Slicer and Icon Map Pro. Every message is explained in License keys and activation.
2. The basemap is blank or gray
Blocked network addresses
This is the most common cause in corporate networks. The visual loads its basemap over the internet, and a firewall or proxy server that blocks the address leaves the map empty while the rest of the report works.
For Icon Map basemaps, allow styles.iconmappro.com. The full list, including the addresses for licensing and the Icon Map Catalog, is in Supported environments and limits.
To confirm a block, open the browser's developer tools (F12) in the Power BI service, select the Network tab, reload the report and look for failed requests to the addresses in that list. Give the failed addresses to your network team.
The Icon Map styles are missing
If the Basemaps dialog shows "The Icon Map styles index could not be read. Check Custom Styles URL and Airgapped Environment under Icon Map Slicer in the Format pane.", or the Map Style list offers only Custom Style URL, the list of Icon Map styles could not be read. Check the network, then Format pane > Icon Map Slicer > Customization. With Airgapped Environment on and no Custom Styles URL, the list is not read at all and the map draws a fallback style. See Power BI Report Server (on-premises).
WebGL 2 is not available
Icon Map Slicer draws the map with WebGL 2. Where it is missing, the map is not drawn and the visual shows the message "WebGL 2 is not available in this environment.", followed by the reason, such as hardware acceleration being off or a remote session without GPU acceleration. There is no fallback. To fix it:
- Enable hardware acceleration in your browser settings.
- Update your graphics drivers.
- On a virtual desktop (VDI, Citrix, RDP), ask your IT administrator about enabling GPU passthrough.
- Try a different browser.
The whole visual is replaced by a message from Power BI
"Uncertified visuals from AppSource, or added from a file, are not available due to your admin settings" means your tenant blocks uncertified visuals. A Power BI administrator can add Icon Map Slicer as an organizational visual. See Security and certification.
Power BI Report Server shows blank space
On a server without internet access, Power BI tries and fails to reach AppSource. Follow Power BI Report Server (on-premises).
3. The basemap shows but a data layer draws nothing
Each row is drawn by the layer whose fields it fills in. A layer draws nothing when it is switched off, when a field it needs is missing, or when its rows also fill in a field that belongs to another layer.
Let the Layer Manager explain it
Open Format pane > Layer Manager > Open Layer Manager. The Your data panel shows how many rows each layer draws. For a layer that is on but draws nothing, it explains why using your own rows, and suggests a fix. See Check your data.
Check these in turn
| Check | How |
|---|---|
| The layer is switched on | Format pane > Data Layers > Data Layers |
| The visual has an ID | * ID (required) must hold a field. Without it Power BI sends no rows |
| The layer has every field it needs | See Fields reference |
| Its rows leave other layers' fields empty | A column in a field well has a value on every row. Use a measure that returns BLANK() on the rows that belong to another layer. See Combine several layers in one map |
| Longitude and latitude are not summed | Set Longitude (X) and Latitude (Y) to summarize as Average |
| The values are valid | A coordinate out of range, or text where a number is expected, stops a row being drawn |
| Rows are not being cut off | Power BI sends 30,000 rows by default. See Data rows and limits |
| A filter or slicer is not removing every row | Clear the filters on the visual and the page. Another visual can filter Icon Map Slicer too |
While you edit a map whose rows reach no layer, the "What kind of map are you making?" guide appears over the map and shows which fields each layer type needs. See Choose a layer type.
See what Power BI is sending
To see the values the visual receives, including values from measures, copy the map visual, paste the copy on the same page and change it to a table. The table shows one row per ID with the value of every field.
Shapes from WKT or GeoJSON text are missing
Power BI can hold 32,766 characters in one text value. A longer shape is cut off and cannot be drawn. Check the length with a measure such as WKT Length = LEN ( MAX ( 'Table'[WKT Column] ) ), and see Shapes from data (WKT and GeoJSON) for ways to shorten shapes.
4. One layer from a link stays empty
A layer that comes from a link, such as a GeoJSON file, a tile server, a WMS or an ArcGIS service, depends on a server the visual must be able to read.
| Cause | How to tell | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The server does not allow Power BI (CORS) | The link opens in a browser, but the layer is empty in the map | Allow CORS on the server for an origin of * or null |
| The link is not reachable | The link does not open from the machine showing the report | Check the address, VPN and firewall |
| The credential is missing or expired | The server asks for a sign-in, or returns an error | Check the layer's authentication settings |
| The join does not match | Shapes appear but are not colored by your data | Check that Feature Reference values match the property you chose in the layer's settings |
Power BI runs custom visuals in a sandbox, so a server has to allow requests from it explicitly. That is why a link can work in a browser tab and fail in the map.
In the Layer Manager, the link check tests a link as you add it and says what is wrong. When the server of a file or raster layer blocks Power BI, you can choose there to read it through the Icon Map proxy.
For ArcGIS, ArcGIS Authentication > Test Connection checks the portal, the credential and every ArcGIS layer in the map. For "Invalid Token" from ArcGIS Enterprise, set ArcGIS Authentication > Send Credential As to Authorization Header (Bearer). When an ArcGIS server blocks Power BI, you can turn on ArcGIS Authentication > Use proxy when required.
See ArcGIS sign-in and the proxy for what the proxy is and what passes through it.
5. Selecting on the map does not filter the report
Icon Map Slicer filters the other visuals on the page by the * ID (required) values of the items you select. The map itself is not filtered: selected items stay at full strength and the rest fade. See How Icon Map Slicer filters.
| Check | How |
|---|---|
| The other visual is related to the ID field | The filter travels through the data model. A visual built on a table with no relationship to the table of the * ID (required) field is not filtered |
| The interaction is not set to None | Select the map, choose Format > Edit interactions, and check the icon above each visual is Filter |
| The layer is selectable | Check Selectable (or Allow Selection for 3D columns) in the layer's configuration group |
| Not too many items | One selection filters by at most Max Selections items, 5,000 by default. Items beyond that are left out of the filter. Raise it in Selection > User Selection > Max Selections |
| The selection was not cleared | Clicking the map background clears the selection while Background Click Clears Selection is on. Clicking the items that are already selected, without Ctrl or Shift, also clears it |
| You are not in an export | Selection is inactive where Power BI does not allow interaction, such as exports to PDF or PowerPoint |
Map Location does not filter anything
Map Location needs both fields, chosen with fx: on Selection > Map Location, select fx next to Longitude Field to Slice, choose Field value and pick the longitude field. Do the same for Latitude Field to Slice. A field summarized as Average works.
Nothing is filtered until a reader pans, zooms, tilts or rotates the map for the first time. Moves made by the visual itself, such as an automatic zoom to the data, do not filter. Map Location filters the other visuals, never Icon Map Slicer itself. See Filter by the map view.
Travel time selects nothing
Items on layers whose Selectable setting is No are left out of the area.
The travel time tool needs styles.iconmappro.com to load its road data. Check the address is allowed. Very large travel times can take a while to work out, and an area that is too large is capped, with the message "Area was capped (too large to fully compute)." See Select by travel time.
Other problems
A fix or feature in the release notes is not there
Check the version that is running in Format pane > Icon Map Slicer. Power BI uses the version AppSource has published, which can lag behind the newest release. See Release notes.
Tooltips do nothing
Tooltips are inactive where Power BI does not allow interaction with visuals, such as in exports. For layers, check Include Tooltip in the layer's settings. See Tooltips.
Report page tooltips close as soon as they open
This is a known Power BI issue with report page tooltips on custom visuals. Microsoft has not given a date for a fix. Use the standard tooltip, with the fields in Tooltips, in the meantime.
The visual is in the wrong language
The visual follows the report's language. See Languages.
The Catalog card is missing
Icon Map Slicer > Customization > Airgapped Environment is on. It hides the catalog because the catalog needs internet access.
Still stuck?
Get support. Include the version number, where the report is running, and what you have already checked.