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Replace the deprecated "When a file is created in a folder" trigger

Short answer: replace "When a file is created in a folder (deprecated)" with "When a file is created (properties only)". Set Library Name, use the Folder setting to keep watching one folder, and add "Get file content" with the File identifier if a later step needs the file itself. Microsoft's page marks the old trigger deprecated and does not name a replacement, so this pick is ours. Add it to a copy of your flow, map the new outputs, test, then retire the old version.

What the page says

The SharePoint connector page on Microsoft Learn describes the old trigger like this: "Triggers when a file is created in a SharePoint folder. The trigger does not fire if a file is added/updated in a subfolder. If it is required to trigger on subfolders, multiple triggers should be created."

The same page describes the replacement like this: "Triggers when an item is created in a library. Returns only the properties stored in the library columns. You can add a "Get file content" step and use the "File identifier" property returned by this action to get to the contents of the file."

Two things follow from that text. First, the old trigger is labeled deprecated. Second, the new trigger gives you the file's properties first, and you add a step if you also need the file itself.

Why you may be seeing this

You may have opened an older flow and seen the word deprecated beside the trigger name. You may also have searched for the trigger in a new flow and found two versions. Deprecated is a label on the connector page. The page gives no date and no note beyond the label. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: build new work on a trigger that does not carry the label.

Compare the two triggers

Old trigger, "When a file is created in a folder (deprecated)", per Microsoft's page:

New trigger, "When a file is created (properties only)":

Here is the new trigger's list:

So the Folder setting is the way to keep watching one folder. If you leave it blank, the trigger watches the whole library.

Step 1. Open the flow and write down the old settings

  1. Go to https://make.powerautomate.com and open My flows.
  2. Open the flow that uses the deprecated trigger.
  3. Write down the site address, the library and the folder from the trigger.
  4. Write down which later steps use values from the trigger, such as the file name or file content.

Exact names may differ on your screen. The point is to know what the flow reads from the trigger before you change anything.

Step 2. Work on a copy

Open the flow's menu and choose Save As to make a copy. Change the copy, not the original. Name the copy so you can tell it apart, for example by adding "new trigger" to the name. This is our advice, not a Microsoft rule: keep the old flow turned on until the copy passes a test, then turn the old one off. If both stay on, the same file can start both flows.

Step 3. Add the new trigger

  1. In the copy, delete the old trigger. If the editor does not let you delete it, start a new flow instead and rebuild the steps.
  2. Search for "When a file is created (properties only)" in the SharePoint connector.
  3. Enter the Site Address and the Library Name.
  4. In Folder, pick the same folder as before.
  5. Save the flow.

Step 4. Add Get file content if you need the file

The new trigger returns the properties stored in the library columns. It does not hand you the file itself. If a later step copies, emails or reads the file, add a step called "Get file content". Microsoft's page says to "use the "File identifier" property returned by this action to get to the contents of the file". Pass the File identifier from the trigger into that step.

If your flow only needs the file name or a column value, you may not need this step.

Step 5. Fix the steps that used the old outputs

Steps that used a value from the old trigger now show errors, because the old values are gone. Open each one and pick the matching value from the new trigger's dynamic content list. Names may differ from the old ones, so read the list instead of guessing. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: fix the steps from top to bottom and save after each one.

Step 6. Test with a new file

  1. Turn on the copy.
  2. Upload one small test file to the watched folder.
  3. Open the run history and check that the run started.
  4. Check the result: the email, the copy, or the update your flow makes.
  5. Upload a second file into a subfolder and note whether the flow runs. Microsoft's page states the old trigger does not fire for a subfolder. Microsoft's page does not state subfolder behavior for the new trigger, so run this test before you rely on it.

If the flow starts but a condition stops it, see "My trigger condition does not work".

Step 7. Retire the old flow

When the copy has worked for a few real files, turn the old flow off. Keep it for a short time in case you need to compare. Delete it only when you are sure. If the flow also changes the same file it watches, add a guard so it does not run itself again. See "Power Automate flow keeps running itself over and over".

What to avoid

If you also copy files

Some flows copy the new file somewhere else. For that part of the build, see "Copy a SharePoint file to another site with Power Automate".

The created-or-modified version

The same page marks "When a file is created or modified in a folder (deprecated)" as deprecated too. Its matching trigger is "When a file is created or modified (properties only)", with the same settings as the new created trigger: Site Address, Library Name, Folder, Limit Columns by View. Swap it the same way. Because it fires on every change, a flow that edits the file it watches needs a loop guard.

Honest limits

This guide covers the swap itself. It does not cover every action in your flow. Microsoft may change trigger names or labels, so check the connector page when you plan the work. A flow that touches money, customer records or legal files should be tested more than once and by the person who owns the process.

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs to build". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: Tools I built

FAQ

Will my existing flow keep running with the deprecated trigger?

Microsoft's connector page labels the trigger deprecated and gives no shutdown date. Plan the swap and test it on a copy.

How do I set up the new trigger to watch one folder?

Add "When a file is created (properties only)", enter Site Address and Library Name, then pick the folder in the Folder setting.

Does the new trigger give me the file content?

It returns only the properties stored in the library columns. Add a "Get file content" step and use the File identifier it returns.

What replaces "When a file is created or modified in a folder (deprecated)"?

"When a file is created or modified (properties only)" is the matching trigger. It has Site Address, Library Name, Folder and Limit Columns by View.

Does the new trigger fire for files in subfolders?

Microsoft's page says the old trigger does not. It does not state subfolder behavior for the new one, so test with a file in a subfolder.

Sources