Auto-File Email Attachments to SharePoint and Notify Teams (Power Automate)
Updated June 3, 2026 · #power-automate
The short answer
Power Automate (included free with most Microsoft 365 plans) can watch your inbox and, whenever an email with an attachment arrives, save the file to a SharePoint library and post a message in Teams. You build it by picking a trigger and a couple of actions, no code and nothing to install, and it is the IT-sanctioned way to automate inside a Microsoft shop.
Which tool should you use?
Use Power Automate when your company runs Microsoft 365. It is already licensed, native to Outlook, SharePoint, and Teams, and IT-approved, so it works on a locked-down machine with no install.
- switch Zapier, your apps are not Microsoft (Gmail, Dropbox, Slack) and you want the simplest possible setup
- switch n8n, you want full control, high volume, or to keep everything on your own infrastructure
Saving email attachments into SharePoint by hand is the kind of small, constant task that quietly burns an hour a week and occasionally gets forgotten. Power Automate does it for you, and because it is part of Microsoft 365, it is usually sitting right there in your account with nothing to install. This is the cleanest automation win for anyone working inside a Microsoft shop.
What this does
- A new email with an attachment arrives.
- Power Automate saves the attachment to a SharePoint document library.
- It posts a short note in a Teams channel so the team knows.
What you need
- A Microsoft 365 work account (check for Power Automate in your app launcher).
- A SharePoint site with a document library to save into.
- A Teams channel for the notification (optional).
Step by step
Step 1, start from a template
Open Power Automate and search the templates for “save email attachments to SharePoint.” Starting from a template saves you the fiddly parts (like looping over multiple attachments). Pick one that matches Outlook plus SharePoint.
Step 2, set the trigger
The trigger is “When a new email arrives (V3)” in Outlook. Add a condition so it only runs when “Has Attachment” is yes, and optionally filter to a folder or a sender so it does not fire on everything.
Step 3, save to SharePoint
In the “Create file” action, choose your SharePoint site and document library, set the file name to the attachment’s name, and the file content to the attachment’s content. If the template already includes an “apply to each” loop, every attachment on the email gets saved.
Step 4, notify Teams
Add a “Post message in a chat or channel” action for Teams. Pick the channel and write something like: “New file filed to SharePoint: [attachment name] from [sender].” Now the team sees it without checking the folder.
Step 5, save and test
Save the flow and send yourself a test email with an attachment. Within a minute the file appears in SharePoint and the Teams note posts. Turn it on and forget it.
Why this is the right tool here
For an employee, the best automation is one IT already trusts. Power Automate is first-party Microsoft, included in your license, and needs no install, which is why it beats reaching for an outside tool when your stack is Microsoft. If your apps are not Microsoft, Zapier is the simpler choice; if you need full control and volume, n8n is the power option.
Make it yours
- Route by sender: invoices from finance to one folder, contracts from legal to another.
- Log it: add a row to an Excel file or SharePoint list for an audit trail of what arrived when.
- Approvals: for sensitive files, add an approval step before the file is filed.
Want this built for your exact SharePoint structure and routing rules? Drop it in the request queue.
Frequently asked
Do I need to pay for Power Automate?
For this flow, almost certainly not. Standard cloud flows using Outlook, SharePoint, and Teams are included with most Microsoft 365 business plans. You only hit paid (premium) territory when you use premium connectors like Salesforce, SAP, or custom HTTP calls, which this workflow does not need.
Will IT allow this?
Power Automate is a first-party Microsoft tool, governed by the same data protections and admin controls as the rest of your Microsoft 365 tenant. That is exactly why it is the safe default for employees: there is nothing to install and no outside vendor. If in doubt, your admin can confirm it is enabled.
Can it file attachments into different folders based on the sender?
Yes. Add a condition that checks the sender or subject and routes the attachment to the matching SharePoint folder. Start with one folder to get it working, then add the branching once you trust it.
What if an email has several attachments?
Power Automate handles that with an "apply to each" step that loops over every attachment and saves each one. The flow templates include this, so you rarely have to build it from scratch.
Want this one done for you?
Get the enriched version with the importable workflow file, or have me build and hand over the whole thing, tested, with a walkthrough.