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How to test UI display as fixed and non locked aspect ratio?

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Posted on by KevinGador

899 Moderator

Hello Community,

I recently wanted to explore and tested the non locked aspect ratio and fixed display.
I am having a problem where the changes doesnt seem to reflect during edit mode but when you publish and play the published app the user interface is different.

Is there any way I can see the changes during edit mode or do I always have to publish to see the changes?

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Building Power Apps

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11manish 4,609 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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You do not need to publish after every UI change. Use Preview/F5 with the appropriate Web/Tablet/Mobile/custom viewport for day-to-day testing.

If the Preview and published app still differ significantly, check the Scale to Fit, Lock Aspect Ratio, browser window size, and responsive container/formula

configuration first.
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BilalDev_01 86 on at

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Hi Kevin,

This can happen with Canvas Apps because the Power Apps Studio editing experience doesn't always render the app exactly the same way as the published player, especially when testing responsive behavior, fixed dimensions, and aspect-ratio settings.

For this type of UI testing, I would recommend:

Use Preview (F5) inside Power Apps Studio rather than relying only on the canvas in edit mode.

Test the app at different window sizes/orientations while in Preview to see how the responsive formulas behave.

If you're using Scale to fit, Lock aspect ratio, or responsive containers, verify those settings under the app's Display/Screen settings.

For the most accurate result, publish the app and test it using the actual Power Apps player/browser/device your users will use. This is particularly important for mobile/tablet layouts.

So, unfortunately, you shouldn't always expect the edit-mode canvas to be an exact representation of the final runtime UI. Preview is a better indication, but published runtime testing is the final validation.

If the difference is significant between Preview and the published app, I'd also check whether the app is using any App.Width, App.Height, Parent.Width, or responsive-container formulas, as these can produce different results depending on the runtime viewport.
KevinGador 899 Moderator on at

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Hi everyone,

thanks for the response.

the type is fixed and the lock aspect ratio is disabled. lock orientation is also disabled.

the problem is whenever I use the preview(f5) mode its displaying correctly but when opening the published app, it is broken.

One tell tale sign is whenever I use preview mode there are white bars on the side or background color it is not using all the screen

but when using the published app, it is using all the screen available (this is my objective)

so the question is, is it possible to preview(f5) showing the same in published app? (using all space available)
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Haque 4,189 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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Hi @ KevinGador,

"the problem is whenever I use the preview(f5) mode its displaying correctly but when opening the published app, it is broken"

I suspect caching issue is happening there. If it happens always, can you please do the follwing:

Save and close the app, then reopen it in Studio to force a refresh of the editor rendering.

Clear browser cache or try a different browser to rule out caching issues affecting the editor.
KevinGador 899 Moderator on at

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Hi @Haque ,

Thanks for the response. I have tried google chrome and it is the same.
Cleared cache and also is the same. Its just frustrating that I have to publish and check the publish version just to see if I did the fixing correctly.

For more context and easier to understand my problem.

When I preview this is how it looks:

notice that there is a big portion available during preview in the left and right corner of the screen where the lock aspect ratio has already been disabled. It should span the whole screen if it meant to preview what is to be published

This is how it looks when its published:

it uses all the screen available which is correct. The calendar is looking different from the preview. Its just really frustrating not being able to see the changes you made directly during edit. The app needs to be published and then check what you did if it was correct or no.

I am using same resolution or screen size for both preview and looking at the published app.
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Haque 4,189 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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Hi @KevinGador,

The behavior —where changes to the non-locked aspect ratio and fixed display settings don’t reflect in edit mode but appear correctly after publishing—is a known quirk in Power Apps Studio. The editor sometimes does not fully render or update certain layout or display property changes live in edit mode, especially for newer or less common properties like aspect ratio locking.

Apart from that is known, sometimes proper control orientation based on absolute and relative component size matters. I was looking into this thread where Bag-of-nails has explained well, if you please check if this helps.

I also noticed the same - right now the only option is to test layout changes using Preview mode (F5) inside power apps studio or else you can report the issue to Microsoft via Power Apps Ideas or support if it significantly impacts your development experience.

Other references:

Change screen size and orientation of canvas apps

Make your Power Apps responsive with these quick tips! | Power Apps Responsive Design (slightly related)

How to Enable Full Screen View in Power Apps | Step-by-Step Guide | off side.

I am sure some clues I tried to give. If these clues help to resolve the issue brought you by here, please don't forget to check the box Does this answer your question? At the same time, I am pretty sure you have liked the response!
KevinGador 899 Moderator on at

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@Haque Thanks for the detailed response. I have marked your suggestions as an answer! Will check these out.
KevinGador 899 Moderator on at

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is scale to fit still visible in your settings?
Haque 4,189 Super User 2026 Season 2 on at

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I was thinking "scale to fit" is in Tablet layout - but it seems missing now! For me, Authoring Version is: 3.26084.7
KevinGador 899 Moderator on at

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might have been deprecated already. I tried creating a new app without tinkering the settings and its still missing.