All methods to get content files in copilot studio are not working.

Question

I'm creating an agent in Copilot Studio and need to retrieve both the file content and file name when a user uploads a .txt file through the chat, then send it to a Flow for processing.

Previously, I used:

Text(First(System.Activity.ChannelData.OriginalAttachments).name) to get the file name

Text(First(System.Activity.ChannelData.OriginalAttachments).ContentUrl) to get the file content

However, Microsoft has now deprecated this structure, and I can no longer retrieve the information as before. I also tried using the File data type, but it didn’t work either.

I have tried many different ways but none of them work.

Is there any new method or workaround to achieve this?

Answer 1

Yeah this sucks, I found the same thing - Microsoft why

Answer 2

Hi Nha Tran Huu,

You're correct that Microsoft has deprecated the System.Activity.ChannelData.OriginalAttachments structure. Here's the current approach to handle file uploads in Copilot Studio:

Solution: Using the File Variable Type

1. Configure File Upload in Your Topic

In your topic, when you receive a user message with a file:

• The system should automatically detect the file upload
• Use the "Save user response as" option and select File as the variable type

2. Access File Properties

Once you have the file stored in a variable (e.g., VarFile), you can access:

• File name: VarFile.name
• File content URL: VarFile.contentUrl
• File size: VarFile.size
• File type: VarFile.contentType

3. Pass to Power Automate

In your Power Automate flow:

Add inputs for the file data:

• Add a text input for the file name
  • Add a text input for the content URL
  In Copilot Studio, when calling the flow:

  - Pass `VarFile.name` to the file name input
  
     - Pass `VarFile.contentUrl` to the content URL input
  

1. In Power Automate, retrieve the file content: HTTP Action: - Method: GET - URI: {contentUrl from input} - Authentication: Use appropriate auth based on your environment

Alternative: Direct File Handling in Power Automate

If the above doesn't work, try this approach:

In Copilot Studio, pass the entire activity context to Power Automate
In Power Automate, parse the activity JSON:{  "attachments": [    {      "contentType": "application/octet-stream",      "contentUrl": "https://...",      "name": "filename.txt"    }  ]}

Important Notes:

• Ensure your Copilot Studio environment is updated to the latest version
• The File variable type should automatically capture uploads
• If files aren't being detected, check your channel configuration (Teams, Web Chat, etc.)

If you're still having issues, please share:

1. Which channel you're using (Teams, Web Chat, etc.)
2. The exact error or behavior you're seeing
3. A screenshot of your topic configuration

Hope this helps!

Thanks,  

Karan Shewale. 

*************************************************************************  

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Answer 3

Hi Charle,

Here's a simple way to handle file uploads from Copilot Studio to Power Automate:

Step 1: Get the file in Copilot Studio Just ask the user to upload a file and save it to a variable (like VarFile). That's it - no extra work needed.

Step 2: Send it to Power Automate Pass that file variable directly to your Power Automate flow.

Step 3: Read the file content In your flow, add a Compose action and use this formula:

base64ToString(triggerBody()?['file']?['contentBytes'])

This converts the file data into readable text that you can actually work with.

Once you have that output, you can save it to another variable or do whatever processing you need.

This approach works with any file type and is much better than the old methods that Microsoft has phased out.

Hope this helps!

Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/logic-apps/expression-functions-reference

Answer 4

Hey guys, I found a way that might help you (at least for my .js file):

Upload the file via the agent and store it as variable.

pass the entire file to a flow, no need to do any steps before that.

Now inside the flow:
do a compose like so:

{
  "type": "Compose",
  "inputs": "@base64ToString(triggerBody()?['file']?['contentBytes'])",
  "runAfter": {
    "Verfassen": [ <-- This might be different in your studio language
      "Succeeded"
    ]
  }
}

and then read the output, you'll see the content of the file. You can also store that in a variable or do what ever you need to do afterwards