# Power Automate Switch Action: Steps and Common Problems

> For the full documentation index, see https://250highstreet.com/llms.txt

> Use the Switch action in Power Automate to run one branch per value. Steps, the Default case, equality-only matching, and why a Switch always goes to Default.

Add a Switch control, put one value in On, and add a Case for each value you expect. The flow runs only the Case that equals the value, or the Default branch when none match.

## When should you use Switch instead of Condition?

Use Switch when one value can take three or more known results, such as a Status or a Department. A Condition has two branches, Yes and No, so three results need nested Conditions.

Switch tests for equality only. It cannot test greater than, less than, or contains. For those tests, use a Condition. For the empty-value case, see our guide on [Condition field is empty](/guides/power-automate-condition-field-empty/).

## How do you add a Switch to a flow?

1.  Select New step, then search for Switch under Control.
2.  In On, select the dynamic content to test, such as Status Value from a SharePoint item.
3.  In the first Case box, type the exact value to match, such as Approved.
4.  Add actions inside that Case.
5.  Select Add a case for each other value.
6.  Add actions inside Default for any value you did not list.

## What does the Default case do?

Default runs when no Case equals the value. Without actions in Default, an unmatched value does nothing, and the run can still show as succeeded.

Put a notification or a log row in Default so you see values you did not plan for. This is the fastest way to catch a new choice added to a column.

## Why does Switch always go to Default?

1.  The case differs. Test Approved and approved in a sample run, or lowercase the value first.
2.  The value has extra spaces. Wrap the On value in trim().
3.  A choice column returns an object. Use the Value field, not the whole column.
4.  The Case holds a number but On holds text, or the reverse. Match the types.
5.  The On value is empty. Wrap it in coalesce() to give it a fallback.

## How do you match values that differ only by case?

Change the On value to an expression. For example, toLower(trim(coalesce(triggerOutputs()?\['body/Department/Value'\], ''))) gives one clean lowercase text.

Then type each Case in lowercase. Test with a sample row that has capital letters.

## How do you run the same actions for two values?

A Case holds one value, so two values need two Cases. To avoid copying actions, put the shared actions in a child flow or set a variable in each Case and run the shared step after the Switch.

If you need a range or a contains test, use a Condition before the Switch.

## What should you check before you rely on a Switch?

1.  Run the flow once for each Case value.
2.  Run it once with a value that is not in any Case.
3.  Open the run history and confirm the expected branch is green. See our guide on [run history limits](/guides/power-automate-run-history-28-days/).

## FAQ

### Can a Switch use contains or greater than?

No. Switch tests for equality only. Use a Condition for other tests.

### Is Switch case-sensitive?

Treat it as case-sensitive. Lowercase the On value and type each Case in lowercase.

### Does Default need actions?

No, but an empty Default hides unmatched values. Add a notification.

## Sources

- [Power Automate: Switch Action](https://manueltgomes.com/microsoft/power-platform/powerautomate/power-automate-action-reference/switch-action/)
- [Power Automate Switch Case \[How to Use\]](https://www.enjoysharepoint.com/power-automate-switch-case/)
- [How to use the Switch control action in Power Automate](https://collab365.com/blog/how-to-use-the-switch-control-action-in-power-automate)
- [Power Automate: Switch, Condition and If](https://dev.to/wyattdave/power-automate-switch-condition-and-if-25)

## Related guides

- [Power Automate condition to check if a field is empty](/guides/power-automate-condition-field-empty/)
- [Power Automate run history only shows 28 days](/guides/power-automate-run-history-28-days/)
- [My condition on a choice column always goes to No](/guides/power-automate-choice-column-condition-not-matching/)
- [My trigger condition does not work](/guides/power-automate-trigger-condition-not-working/)

Source: https://250highstreet.com/guides/power-automate-switch-action/