Hello Mitch! Welcome to the community.
here is what we are going to build:
* The Trigger: "When a file is modified (changed) or created in SharePoint..."
* The Action: "...convert that Word document to PDF..."
* The Result: "...and save the new PDF into a folder."
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preparation:
In your SharePoint library, I highly recommend you create a specific folder named "PDFs". We will tell the system to save the new files there so they don't get mixed up with your Word documents.
1. Open Power Automate
* Go to Office.com and log in.
* Click the "Waffle" icon (the nine dots in the top left corner).
* Look for Power Automate (a blue arrow icon). If you don't see it, click "All Apps."
2. Create a New Flow
* On the left menu, click + Create.
* Click the box that says Automated cloud flow.
* Give your flow a name (e.g., "Mitch's Word to PDF Converter").
* In the search box under "Choose your flow's trigger", type: modified.
* Select the SharePoint option that says: When a file is created or modified (properties only).
* Click Create.
3. Configure the Trigger (The "Start" Button)
* You will see a box on the screen.
* Site Address: Select your SharePoint site from the dropdown list.
* Library Name: Select the document library where your Word docs live.
* (Note: This tells the "robot" where to watch for changes).
4. Get the File Content
* Click the + New Step button.
* Type Get file content in the search bar.
* Select the SharePoint action called Get file content.
* Click in the File Identifier box. A menu will pop up on the side. Select Identifier from the list.
5. Convert the File
* Click + New Step.
* Type Convert Word in the search bar.
* Select the Word Online (Business) action called Convert Word Document to PDF.
* Location: Select your SharePoint site again.
* Document Library: Select your library again.
* File: Click inside the box and select Identifier from the side menu (Dynamic Content).
6. Save the PDF
* Click + New Step.
* Type Create file in the search bar.
* Select the SharePoint action called Create file.
* Site Address: Select your site.
* Folder Path: Click the folder icon and choose that "PDFs" folder we created earlier.
* File Name: Click the box. From the side menu, look for File name with extension. Important: You might need to manually replace the ".docx" at the end with ".pdf", or just select "Name" and type ".pdf" after it.
* File Content: Click the box and select PDF Document (this comes from the "Convert Word" step we did just before).
7. Save and Test
* Click Save in the top right or bottom corner.
* To test it, go to your SharePoint, open a Word document, make a small change, and save it. Wait a minute or two, and check your "PDFs" folder!
A Crucial Tip
Make sure your "Create file" step (Step 6) saves the PDF into a different folder than where your Word docs are.
* Why? If you save the PDF in the same place, the system might see a "new file," try to convert the PDF to a PDF, and get stuck in an infinite loop!
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