Interactive report design is one of the most powerful elements of Power BI. Features like bookmarks, navigation buttons, layered visuals, and custom layouts allow developers to build app-like user experiences for business users. However, many report creators run into an annoying usability issue: background shapes blocking clicks on buttons and preventing proper navigation.
This guide explains why shapes sometimes interfere with button clicks and how to quickly fix the problem using Power BI’s Maintain Layer Order setting. This simple trick ensures that your buttons remain fully interactive, even when layered over shapes, containers, or custom backgrounds.
Why Shapes Block Button Clicks in Power BI
When designing a Power BI report, it’s common to place shapes behind buttons to create navigation panels, menu strips, or layout sections. But by default, shapes sit “above” or “on top of” other visuals in the visual layer stack.
This leads to a frustrating issue:
- You try to click a button
- The shape in the background captures the click
- The button becomes unresponsive
- Navigation bookmarks stop working
For users, this feels like the report is broken. For developers, it can be time-consuming to diagnose unless you understand how visual layering works in Power BI.
The Power BI Feature That Fixes the Issue: Maintain Layer Order
Power BI includes a helpful setting called Maintain Layer Order, which controls how visuals interact with each other in the layer hierarchy. When enabled, Power BI respects the stacking order and prevents background elements from blocking interactions with foreground objects like buttons.
This setting is the key to making shapes unclickable so users can interact with buttons without interruption.
Step-by-Step: How to Make a Shape Non-Clickable in Power BI
Follow these steps to ensure your background shapes do not interfere with your navigation buttons or bookmarks.
Step 1: Select the Shape Visual
Click the shape that you’re using as a background layer; this might be a rectangle, a rounded corner shape, or any decorative visual behind your buttons.
Step 2: Open the Format Pane
Go to:
Visualizations Pane → Format Visual → General
Here, you’ll find advanced visual settings that control how the shape behaves in the report.
Step 3: Enable “Maintain Layer Order”
Under General, look for the option:
Maintain Layer Order → Turn On
This ensures that Power BI respects the visual stacking order, allowing shapes to sit behind and no longer block user actions on top-layer visuals.
Step 4: Send the Shape to the Back
To finalize the fix:
Go to the Format ribbon → Arrange → Send to Back.
This ensures the background shape sits underneath your buttons in the final layout.
Once this is done, your buttons will be clickable again, and the shape will no longer interfere with interactions.
Why This Fix Matters for Power BI UX
Small UX issues can significantly impact the user experience of a Power BI report. When buttons become unclickable, users lose confidence in the report and may stop engaging with the interactive features entirely.
Applying the Maintain Layer Order setting helps ensure:
- Smooth experience when switching bookmarks
- Buttons and navigation icons remain fully interactive
- Visual layering is consistent across the report
- A more polished, app-like design inside Power BI
As organizations move toward immersive dashboard experiences using Power BI navigation frameworks, custom UI design, and Microsoft Fabric-enabled data storytelling, attention to these small details elevates the quality of your analytics environment.
Pro Tips for Better Navigation Design in Power BI
To prevent similar issues and optimize your user experience:
1. Group Related Navigation Items: Group shapes and buttons to reduce layering conflicts.
2. Lock Background Shapes: Use the Lock Object feature to freeze background elements during design.
3. Keep Navigation Buttons on the Top Layer: This ensures buttons always remain clickable and visible.
4. Test Bookmark Navigation Regularly: Small visual changes can affect interactivity, so periodic testing is important.
Making shapes unclickable in Power BI is a simple but essential best practice for report designers who want to deliver clean, intuitive, and user-friendly analytics experiences. By enabling Maintain Layer Order and adjusting the visual layering, you ensure that users can interact with buttons, bookmarks, and navigation menus without frustration.
As organizations embrace Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, and AI-driven reporting, optimizing usability becomes just as important as the data itself.
If you want to elevate your Power BI dashboards with expert UI/UX design, performance optimization, and enterprise-grade architecture – Addend Analytics can help. Schedule a call with our experts.
