Example of power automate that finds files based on part of the name

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Posted on by ME-14102049-0

Does anyone have an example of a Power Automate that finds files in a folder based on part of the file name. I have a list of file names such as C1234. I need to find the corresponding file in a folder of files with names structured like "Applesauce_C1234_bbb123.pdf". So I need to scan the entire filename for the matching 5 characters.

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Ellis Karim 11,053 Super User 2025 Season 1 on at

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Example of power automate that finds files based on part of the name

If your files are stored in OneDrive, then you can use the pattern matching feature in the "Find files in a folder path" action:

How to Find Files in OneDrive That Match a Naming Pattern using Power Automate – Ellis Karim's Blog

But I suspect you want to use SharePoint. Unfortunately the current SharePoint connectors don't provide the same functionality as the OneDrive "Find files in a folder path" connector. For SharePoint you would need to use a combination of "Get files (properties only)" action and the "Filter array" using it with functions like:

startsWith() endsWith() contains()

Another method is to use Power Automate and the SharePoint Search REST API endpoint as explained in this video:
🔎 Search File Content 📃 in Power Apps from SharePoint Document Libraries (youtube.com)

Ellis

Ellis Karim's Blog – IT doesn't have to be complicated!