How to receive specific file modification notifications

Kelly Rooker 0 Reputation points

I want to receive an email notification when a specific file is modified by any user that isn't me. I have seen that Alerts (which currently functions as I want) will retire and the Automate Rules fuction replaces it. However, this applies to the folder and not the specific file I want to apply it to. Is there another way?

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  1. Tamara-Hu 16,450 Reputation points • Microsoft External Staff • Moderator

    Hello @Kelly Rooker,  

    Good day! Thank you for posting your valuable question on Microsoft Q&A forum.   

    You’re absolutely right to be concerned about this change, many users want precise control over notifications, and it’s important to ensure you have a reliable solution as Alerts are being retired. Currently, Automate Rules only support folder-level monitoring, so the best alternative is to use Power Automate, which offers more granular control.  

    Here’s how you can set this up in Power Automate to get an email notification when a specific file is modified by anyone except you: 

    Step 1: Create a New Flow 

    • Go to Power Automate and sign in with your account: https://make.powerautomate.com/ . 
    • Click Create > Automated cloud flow. 
    • Name your flow (e.g., Notify on File Change). 
    • Choose the trigger: “When a file is modified (properties only)” from SharePoint. 
    • Click Create. 

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    Step 2: Configure the Trigger 

    Select the trigger and configure the required details in the settings panel that appears. 

    • Site Address: Select your SharePoint site or click Enter a custom value and paste your site link. 
    • Library Name: Choose the document library where the file is stored. 
    • Folder: Leave blank unless the file is in a specific folder. 
    • Limit Columns by View: Fill in with a SharePoint view that contains only the columns your flow needs. If left blank, all columns will be retrieved. 

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    Step 3: Add a Condition for the Specific File 

    • Click (+) button > Search and select Condition. 

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    • In the condition:  
      • Left value: Name (or Path from dynamic content). 
      • Operator: is equal to. 
      • Right value: The exact file name (e.g., File_name.xlsx). 

    Step 4: Check if Modifier is NOT You 

    Inside the True branch of the condition, Add another Condition:  

    • Left value: Press "/" > Insert dynamic content >  Modified By Email. 

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    • Operator: is not equal to. 
    • Right value: Your email address. 

    Step 5: Send Email Notification 

    In the True branch of the second condition: 

    • Add Send an email (V2) action. 

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    • Configure:  
      • To: Your email. 
      • Subject as you like, for example: “File Modified Alert: File_name.xlsx”. 
      • Body: Include dynamic content like Modified By, Modified Date, and Link to Item if needed. 

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    Step 6: Save and Test 

    • Save the flow and wait for this notification: 

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    • Modify the file as another user to confirm you receive the email. 

    Please let me know if you need any further assistance. Thank you for reaching out! 

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

    1. Tamara-Hu 16,450 Reputation points • Microsoft External Staff • Moderator

      Hello @Kelly Rooker,  

      I hope you're having a nice day! I wanted to follow up to see if you need any additional help. I hope everything is going well on your part.

      If you have any doubts, need clarification, or new questions have arisen, don't hesitate to get in touch. I am here to support you and happy to help.

      I look forward to hearing from you!

    2. Kelly Rooker 0 Reputation points

      Hi,

      Firstly, thanks for your very detailed description step-by-step.

      The first time I tried to follow the instructions there were lots of errors at the first step. It wouldn't accept any link I wrote in. Now, it will accept a link and I've more or less undertood what the Library Name relates to (previously it wouldn't even suggest anything to me).

      As I have a few files within this Library (and another Library I will also need to set up for), I am trying to understand if each flow is for a particular file or Library from which I can indicate separate branches for each file. I have tried to understand how to choose the file I want the rule to apply to but I haven't found anywhere to link to it.

      For the first try, I selected a Folder within which is one of the files I want, but there are also other files that don't interest me for the rule I want to apply.

      I still haven't indicated anywhere which file it should look at. I see that I can ask it to post a feed notification in Teams which would minimise my inbox filling up with notification emails, so that is preferable. I'm not sure if I set it up correctly (I would like a specific chat dedicated to these messages so I wrote a name for a new group chat (but it will only be me and the bot).

      After this, when I clicked Save, it gave me a long error:

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      Can you understand anything from this? Can you tell me at which point and in what format the file name/location should be added in?

      Thanks for your continued support.

      Kelly

    3. Tamara-Hu 16,450 Reputation points • Microsoft External Staff • Moderator

      Hello @Kelly Rooker,  

      Good day! Thank you for your updates and cooperation during this process.

      For this issue, I’ve taken time to research and gather information to support you. We appreciate your patience and understanding, as this is a complicated matter and we’re currently reviewing it again. I’ll be discussing this further with my colleague and will follow up with an update within the next few days.

      Thank you again for your patience.

    4. Tamara-Hu 16,450 Reputation points • Microsoft External Staff • Moderator

      Hi @Kelly Rooker,  

      Thank you again for your patience.

      Flows are generally triggered at the library or folder level, not per file by default. If you want the flow to act only on a specific file, you need to add a condition after the trigger. Which is why we have step 3. This way, you can have one flow for the whole library but branch logic for specific files.

      If you want the rule apply to a specific library or folder, then you don't need to add the condition in step 3 as if is for specific files. You can simply add all the files you need to check to a specific folder or library and apply the rule there.

      To help us understand your situation better, can you upload the screenshot inside your trigger and condition so I can help you check what should be done for your case? Please remove any personal information before uploading your images.

      For your reference, you can click on a trigger/action to see the inside information:
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      Thank you for your cooperation. Wishing you have a nice day!

    5. Tamara-Hu 16,450 Reputation points • Microsoft External Staff • Moderator

      Hello @Kelly Rooker,  

      Could you let me know if you’ve had a chance to review my response?

      Feel free to share an update on your status or let me know if you need any additional assistance.

      I look forward to your feedback on this inquiry!

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