High severitycredentials
Power BI Refresh Error:
Unable to Connect. Details: "Invalid connection credentials"
What does this error mean?
The gateway can reach the data source but authentication was rejected. The stored credentials in the gateway data source configuration are incorrect or expired.
Common causes
- 1The password for the gateway data source credential was changed but not updated in Power BI
- 2The database user account was disabled or locked in the source system
- 3Windows credentials for a network share are no longer valid
- 4An OAuth token for a cloud data source has expired
- 5The username format is wrong — database expects 'domain\user' but only 'user' was entered
How to fix it
- 1In Power BI Service → Settings → Manage gateways, select the data source and click 'Edit credentials'
- 2Re-enter the current credentials carefully, paying attention to the username format (domain\user vs user@domain)
- 3Verify the service account is still active and not locked in Active Directory or the source database
- 4Test the credentials manually: connect from the gateway machine using SSMS or File Explorer with the same credentials
- 5If using Windows authentication, ensure the gateway service account has access, not just your personal account