New Power Apps Appearance Settings: Improve Productivity with Display Density Options
October 12, 2026
Microsoft has introduced Power Apps Appearance Settings, a new preview feature that allows users, administrators, and makers to control how model-driven apps are displayed. The capability focuses on display density, helping organizations balance readability, usability, and productivity across different business roles.
In this article:
What Are Power Apps Appearance Settings?
Power Apps Appearance Settings provide personalization options for model-driven applications. Users can choose how much information is displayed on screen by adjusting display density, while administrators and makers can define default settings for apps and environments.
The feature is available from the Appearance section within Personal Settings and is part of Microsoft's ongoing modernization of the model-driven app experience.
How Power Apps Appearance Settings Improve Productivity
Different users interact with Dynamics 365 and Power Apps in different ways.
A sales manager reviewing dashboards may value readability and spacing, while a customer service agent working through hundreds of records may prefer to see more information on screen at once.
Power Apps Appearance Settings help accommodate these different working styles without requiring customization or development work.
Understanding Display Density Options
Microsoft currently offers three density levels:
Comfortable
The default experience designed for most users.
Cozy
A slightly denser layout that reduces spacing while maintaining a balanced interface.
Compact
The most space-efficient option, allowing users to view more records and information simultaneously.
Display density affects spacing between interface elements but does not reduce the size of interactive controls, helping maintain accessibility standards.
How Users Can Configure Power Apps Appearance Settings
Users can update their preferred density level directly from Personal Settings:
Open Settings.
Select Personal Settings.
Open the Appearance tab.
Choose Auto, Comfortable, Cozy, or Compact.
Changes are saved automatically and apply across supported model-driven applications.
Managing Power Apps Appearance Settings Across an Organization
Organizations can control display density at multiple levels:
Environment Level
Administrators can set a default density across all model-driven apps in an environment.
Application Level
Makers can override the environment default for individual applications.
User Level
Users can choose their own preference unless display density has been disabled for the application.
Requirements and Current Limitations
Power Apps Appearance Settings are currently available as a preview feature. Microsoft states that the Header and Navigation Refresh (Wave 2) must be enabled for the Appearance tab to be available.
Some controls may not yet fully support density adjustments, although Microsoft indicates that support will expand as more controls adopt the updated Fluent design framework.
Should Organizations Enable Power Apps Appearance Settings?
For Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, and custom model-driven apps, the feature is worth evaluating.
Teams that work with large volumes of records may benefit from denser layouts, while occasional users may prefer more spacing and readability. Because preferences can be managed at the user, app, and environment level, organizations can provide flexibility without sacrificing consistency.
Final Thoughts on Power Apps Appearance Settings
Power Apps Appearance Settings represent a relatively small change, but one that can improve the day-to-day experience of users working in Dynamics 365 and model-driven applications. By giving organizations more control over display density and interface personalization, Microsoft continues to focus on adoption, usability, and productivity improvements across the Power Platform.
