Tableau Public is a free version of Tableau Desktop designed for creating and sharing interactive data visualizations online. Unlike the paid versions, workbooks saved to Tableau Public are stored on Tableau’s cloud servers and are —anyone with the link can view, interact with, and download your underlying data.
This guide explains what Tableau Public is, how to download it, its key features, limitations, and who it’s best for.
| Feature | Availability | |---------|--------------| | Drag-and-drop interface | ✅ Full | | Connect to Excel, CSV, text files, Google Sheets, and web data connectors | ✅ Full | | Create interactive dashboards and stories | ✅ Full | | Maps, charts, calculated fields, table calculations, parameters | ✅ Full | | Save to Tableau Public cloud and embed in websites, blogs, or social media | ✅ Full | | Download and explore any public workbook (View → Download Workbook) | ✅ Full | | Community gallery with millions of sample workbooks | ✅ Full |
Open the .exe file, accept the license terms, and click Install .
You may be asked for your name and email. This is not strictly required to download, but providing it allows Tableau to send product updates and tips. You can skip or use a temporary email if desired.
| Feature | Tableau Public | Tableau Desktop (Personal/Professional) | |---------|----------------|------------------------------------------| | Price | Free | $35–$70/month (subscription) or $999+ one-time | | Save locally | No | Yes | | Publish publicly | Required | Optional (can save locally or to private server) | | Database connections | No | Yes (SQL, cloud warehouses, etc.) | | Data row limit | ~10M rows | Unlimited (limited by hardware) | | Workbook download by others | Yes (if enabled) | Controlled by permissions |
Open the .dmg file and drag the Tableau Public icon into your Applications folder.
Open Tableau Public from your Start menu (Windows) or Applications folder (Mac).
After submitting, the site will automatically detect your operating system. You can manually select Windows or Mac (Intel/Apple Silicon) if the download doesn't start automatically. Run the Installer: