How can I create a Power Automate flow to update Excel data when a new item is added in a SharePoint list?

Question

Hello,

I want to set up a flow using Power Automate that updates a row in an Excel file stored in OneDrive for Business whenever a new item is added to a SharePoint list.

Details:

• The Excel file contains columns: Name, Email, Status.

• The SharePoint list has the same fields.

• I need the new data to be inserted into the next available row in the Excel table automatically.

What I’ve tried:

• Used the built-in connectors (Excel Online and SharePoint).

• Tried the action “Add a row into a table”, but I faced issues selecting the correct table inside the file.

Question: What is the best way to ensure the data is inserted correctly into the Excel table? Do I need to define the table in advance inside the file? Are there any limitations on data size or number of rows?

Answer 1

Thanks for sharing the details! Actually you're just missing a key step. Which is to create a table in Excel.

Power Automate cannot add data to a plain range in Excel, it only works with tables. So define your table in the Excel file (with headers matching your SharePoint columns) and give it a clear table name.

• Open your Excel file stored in OneDrive for Business.
• Select your data (or headers if starting empty).
• Go to Insert → Table.
• Make sure “My table has headers” is checked.
• Give your table a meaningful name in Table Design → Table Name (e.g., ContactsTable).

This ensures Power Automate can identify the table.

Then your existing flow using “Add a row into a table” should work perfectly and automatically append new items.

After that, the rest like mapping fields from SharePoint to Excel is straightforward.

As for the limitations, Excel Online connector works well for moderate lists (< 5,000 rows). For very large datasets, you may hit timeout or concurrency limits.

Best regards,

Kimberly