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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteFor a quick print or PDF save, add Print() to a canvas-app button’s OnSelect property. When the user selects it, the browser’s print dialog opens and they can choose a printer or a “Save as PDF” destination. If you need an actual PDF file that your app can email or send to storage, use the experimental PDF(ScreenOrControl) function instead.
The right choice depends on whether a person is printing the current screen or your app must generate and route a file. The procedures and limitations below reflect Microsoft’s documented Power Apps behavior, which can change as experimental features are updated.
Choose the right Power Apps PDF workflow
| Requirement | Use | Result | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A user should print or save the visible screen | Print() |
Opens the browser print dialog | Prints only the screen containing the formula; no multi-page printing; unsupported on mobile devices and SharePoint forms |
| The app must create a file for email or automation | PDF(ScreenOrControl) |
Returns a PDF object (blob) | Experimental, disabled by default, generated on the device, and subject to control and size limits |
| An existing PDF must be displayed | PDF Viewer control | Displays a remotely hosted PDF | Not a generator or printer; requires a direct anonymous HTTPS file URL and suitable CORS |
Method 1: print a Power Apps screen with Print()
This is the shortest route when the user can complete the final print or save operation in the browser.
- Open the canvas app in Power Apps Studio and add a button, or select an existing button.
- Set the button’s
OnSelectproperty toPrint(). - Save and publish the app.
- Play the published app and select the button. The default browser print dialog opens; select a physical printer or the browser’s PDF destination.
The function prints the current screen, not every screen in the app. If the button is on Screen2, Screen2 is the screen sent to the dialog. Design a dedicated print screen when the normal app layout is not paper-friendly.
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Use a print-oriented screen size
Microsoft’s canvas guidance gives these common screen dimensions: A4 portrait 794 × 1123, A4 landscape 1123 × 794, Letter portrait 816 × 1056, and Letter landscape 1056 × 816. These are design dimensions, not guarantees about the printable area of every printer. Check the browser preview and adjust margins or scaling before distributing the app.
Hide controls that should not appear on paper
A print button can be hidden while printing by setting its Visible property to a formula such as:
Not(Screen1.Printing)The screen’s Printing state can also drive print-only changes—for example, switching an edit form to view mode or hiding navigation. In a screen-specific formula, reference the correct screen name, such as Not(Screen2.Printing).
When browser output looks different
Some browser print dialogs require Background graphics to be enabled before colors and images are included. The browser, rather than Power Apps, supplies the available printer destinations and its page settings.
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Method 2: generate a PDF object with PDF()
Use this method when the app—not the user’s browser—must produce a PDF that can be attached to an email or passed to a flow. Microsoft documents the feature as experimental, so enable it and verify its current availability before using it in production.
Enable the experimental feature
- Open the app in Power Apps Studio.
- Go to Settings > Upcoming features > Experimental.
- Enable the PDF feature.
- Add a behavior formula, commonly to a button’s
OnSelectproperty.
Basic formula and options
The documented syntax is:
PDF(ScreenOrControl [, {Size, DPI, Margin, Orientation, ExpandContainers}])The target can be a screen, container, vertical gallery, vertical layout container, or horizontal layout container. The defaults are locale-dependent paper size (Letter in the United States and Canada, A4 elsewhere), 96 DPI, 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) margins on each side, and portrait orientation. ExpandContainers can include content beyond the allocated dimensions of supported containers or galleries.
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For predictable output, put the intended report in a container and target that container instead of the entire screen:
Set(varPdf, PDF(ReportContainer, {Size: "A4", DPI: 96, Margin: "0.5in", Orientation: "Portrait", ExpandContainers: true}))Use the exact option values offered by your current Power Apps formula editor; experimental syntax and accepted values can change.
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Microsoft’s documented pattern stores the PDF object in a variable and passes it as an attachment through the Office 365 Outlook connector. Your app must have the connector connection and permissions required by your tenant. A typical behavior formula follows the same sequence:
Set(varPdf, PDF(ReportContainer));
Office365Outlook.SendEmailV2(
User().Email,
"Requested report",
"Attached is the PDF generated by the app.",
{
Attachments: Table({
Name: "report.pdf",
ContentBytes: varPdf
})
}
)Connector argument names can vary with the current connector version and formula locale. Use the IntelliSense signature shown in Studio and test with a non-production mailbox.
Save the PDF through Power Automate and SharePoint
- Create a flow with the PowerApps (V2) trigger and an input for the file content and file name.
- Add SharePoint’s Create file action.
- Choose a site and library where the intended user has permission.
- From the app, call the flow after assigning
PDF(ReportContainer)to a variable, passing the variable and a name such asreport.pdf.
The Microsoft example establishes this pattern; it does not guarantee identical licensing, connector availability, or permissions in every tenant.
Designing reliable PDF content
Target the content, not the viewer
If you use a PDF Viewer to preview the generated file, targeting the whole screen can capture the viewer itself as a black shape. Keep the report in a separate container or gallery and pass that control to PDF().
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Plan for unsupported controls
Microsoft lists charts, Power BI tiles, maps, some third-party PCF configurations, nested galleries, and fillable PDFs as unsupported or limited in PDF generation. Non-Latin scripts and some fonts or styles may also render unexpectedly. Replace complex controls with plain labels, galleries, and shapes in a print-specific container when fidelity matters.
Respect device and size limits
PDF generation runs on the device running the app. An exceptionally large document can crash the app depending on device capacity. Split very long reports, reduce unnecessary images, and test on the least powerful device your users support.
PDF Viewer: display only, not print or export
The experimental PDF Viewer control is for displaying an existing PDF. Its Document property must point directly to a file over HTTPS. The file must be anonymously accessible, must not redirect to an HTML page, and must be served with suitable CORS settings. Printing inside the control is unsupported; users can open the file in an external browser or application. Enable ShowControls so that external-open action is available. Accessibility support remains incomplete while the control is experimental.
Common problems and fixes
The button does nothing
- Confirm the formula is in the button’s
OnSelect, not a display property. - Test the published app in a supported desktop browser.
- If the app is a mobile session or SharePoint form,
Print()is a documented unsupported context.
The wrong screen prints
Print() prints the screen where its formula is configured. Move the button to the intended print screen or create a dedicated print screen and navigate there before invoking it.
The output is cut off
Print() is limited to one screen and does not create a multi-page report. Redesign the screen to fit the selected paper size, or generate a supported container with PDF() and test ExpandContainers.
Colors or images are missing
Enable Background graphics in the browser print dialog. Also check that images have loaded before the user selects the button.
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PDF() is unavailable
Enable it under Settings > Upcoming features > Experimental. If it still does not appear, the feature may not be available in that environment or may have changed; do not build a production dependency without checking the current Microsoft documentation.
The PDF crashes or renders incorrectly
Reduce document size, target a smaller container, remove unsupported controls, and test fonts and non-Latin text. Remember that generation consumes the device’s resources.
The PDF Viewer shows a blank area
Check that the URL is a direct HTTPS PDF link, allows anonymous access, does not redirect, and supplies compatible CORS headers. A page that displays a PDF in HTML is not the direct file URL the control expects.
Or skip the browser setup
If you need a screenshot of a published Power Apps page rather than a Power Apps-native PDF object, ScreenshotNeo can capture a URL with one request. It removes cookie banners, newsletter popups and chat widgets before the shot; bot checks, blank pages and failed loads are not billed; and its MCP server lets AI agents use take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://apps.powerapps.com/play/e/APP_ID -o shot.webpSee the parameter and response details in the ScreenshotNeo documentation. The API can return PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF; response headers identify page verdict and billing status. It is useful when a clean visual capture is sufficient, but it does not replace PDF() when you need Power Apps data, email attachments, or SharePoint file creation.
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- Print(): The browser performs the final rendering and printing. It is simple and avoids generating a file inside the app, but output depends on browser settings and is single-screen.
- PDF(): Rendering occurs locally on the device. Keep targets small and validate on representative phones, tablets and desktops before rollout.
- Automation: Outlook and Power Automate add connector, permission and flow dependencies. Include failure handling and confirm that the destination user can write to the selected SharePoint library.
- Experimental status: Both PDF generation and PDF Viewer are documented as experimental in the cited Microsoft material. Recheck feature status, supported hosts and limitations whenever your tenant or app platform is updated.
Practical decision checklist
- Choose
Print()for an immediate, user-controlled print or browser PDF save. - Choose
PDF()for an app-generated file that must be emailed or stored. - Use a print-specific container or screen for controlled layout.
- Do not promise multi-page output from
Print(). - Test unsupported controls, fonts, long galleries and large images before production.
- Use PDF Viewer only to display an existing, directly accessible PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Print() print every screen in a canvas app?
No. It opens printing for the screen where the formula runs; it does not create a multi-screen or multi-page document.
Does PDF() require a printer?
No. PDF() creates a PDF object on the device. A printer is only relevant if you later open or print the resulting file.
Can the PDF Viewer print a document inside the app?
No. Microsoft documents the viewer for display; users must open the file externally to print it.
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