Give Your App More Space: Hiding the Power Apps Play Header via URL
Eliminate the default player toolbar to maximize screen real estate for your end users. A simple query string parameter makes it happen instantly.
When you build a canvas app, every pixel matters. The default Power Apps player—the toolbar at the top of the screen with the app name, back button, and refresh icon—consumes vertical space that could be used for data entry or dashboards. For kiosk-style apps or mobile forms, that bar is often unnecessary.
This guide shows you how to remove the player header so your app fills the browser window completely, giving your users a more immersive and professional experience.
A Real-World Example: Field Inspection App
Imagine you're creating an inspection app called AssetWatch. Your users walk through a facility, scan equipment, and log issues. The app has a simple flow:
- Dashboard with charts and KPIs.
- Inspection Form for each asset.
- History Page for previous reports.
The fields in your main datasource (e.g., SharePoint list or Dataverse table) might look like this:
| Column Name | Data Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
AssetID | Text | Unique identifier for the equipment |
AssetName | Text | Human-readable name of the asset |
InspectedBy | User/Picker | Person who performed the inspection |
Status | Choice | Pending, Complete, Flagged |
CompletionDate | Date and Time | When the inspection was finished |
Your users are already logged in, and your app handles navigation with buttons. The Power Apps player toolbar at the top is redundant. Let's remove it.
Implementation
Step 1: Get Your Play URL
Open your canvas app in Play mode. Look at the address bar in your browser. You'll see a long URL similar to this:
https://apps.powerapps.com/play/e/default-YOUR_ENVIRONMENT_ID/a/YOUR_APP_ID?tenantId=YOUR_TENANT_ID&source=portal
Copy this entire URL.
Step 2: Append the Query Parameter
Decide whether your URL already has query parameters (the part after the ?). If it does, a new parameter must start with &. If your URL has no parameters, start with ?.
Add hidenavbar=true to the end.
https://apps.powerapps.com/play/e/default-YOUR_ENVIRONMENT_ID/a/YOUR_APP_ID?tenantId=YOUR_TENANT_ID&source=portal&hidenavbar=true
Step 3: Share the New Link
Provide this modified link to your end users. You can embed it in a SharePoint site, an email message, a Teams tab, or a Power Automate notification. When they click it, the player header will be gone.
If the toolbar is still visible, double-check that you used the correct separator (& vs ?). If your URL contains # instead of ?, the parameter may need to be placed before the hash.
Security & Performance Considerations
- Security: This parameter is purely cosmetic. It does not bypass security roles, row-level security, or app permissions. The app still respects all standard authentication and authorization.
- Performance: Removing the toolbar reduces the number of DOM elements and may slightly improve load times on constrained devices, but the effect is usually negligible.
- Navigation: Because the back button is removed, your app must provide a reliable way for users to navigate. If your app relies on the player bar's
NavBack()function or the header logo, test thoroughly before deploying this change.
Common Mistakes & Troubleshooting
- Missing Ampersand: If you paste
?hidenavbar=truewhen parameters already exist, the URL breaks. Always check if?is present and use&instead. - Hardcoding in Power Automate: When you generate a play link dynamically (e.g., in an email), ensure the
hidenavbarparameter is appended correctly without overwriting existing parameters. - Sharing Old Links: Update any saved links, bookmarks, or launch points. The old URLs (without the parameter) will keep showing the toolbar.
Always test the modified link in a staging environment or with a small group of users before rolling it out broadly. Ensure all user flows still make sense without the player header.
Recommendation
I recommend adding &hidenavbar=true to every deployed app that has its own navigation and doesn't rely on the platform chrome. It creates a cleaner, more professional presentation and maximizes the usable area for your app's content.
For apps embedded in custom portals or used in full-screen kiosk scenarios, this is almost always a best practice.
References
- Original concept: Matthew Devaney's blog post, Power Apps Tip: Hide The Navigation Bar In Play Mode.
- Microsoft Learn: Search for "hidenavbar parameter Power Apps play mode" in the official documentation for the latest guidance on player parameters.
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