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Power Platform Community / Forums / Power Automate / Cannot get file conten...
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Cannot get file content using path for PDF

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Posted on by Randa Prakasa 10
I try to get file content using path for PDF, when i test it shows success, but the output was empty. When i use excel file, it has output.
 
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    Jon Unzueta Profile Picture
    Jon Unzueta 1,834 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at
     
     

     It sounds like you're using a file path to read content from a PDF in Power Pages or Power Automate, and while Excel files return data correctly, PDFs return empty output. This is a common issue, and here’s a breakdown of what might be happening:

    🧾 Why Excel Works but PDF Doesn’t

    • Excel files are structured and can be parsed easily using connectors like “Excel Online (Business)” or “Get rows”.
    • PDF files, on the other hand, are binary and unstructured. Reading their content requires special parsing, which most standard connectors (like “Get file content using path”) don’t do automatically.

    When you use “Get file content using path” for a PDF, it returns the raw binary content, not the readable text. That’s why the output appears empty — unless you pass it through a PDF parser.

    ✅ How to Extract Text from a PDF

    To get readable content from a PDF, you need to:

    1. Use “Get file content using path” to retrieve the binary.
    2. Pass the binary to a PDF parser, such as:
      • AI Builder – Extract text from PDF
      • Encodian connector (if available in your environment)
      • Third-party APIs like Adobe PDF Services or Muhimbi

    🔍 Troubleshooting Tips

    • Check the file encoding: If the PDF is scanned or image-based, you’ll need OCR (Optical Character Recognition).
    • Use AI Builder: If your environment supports it, AI Builder’s “Extract text from PDF” action is ideal for this.
    • Inspect the output: Even if the output looks empty, try converting it to Base64 or saving it to a file to confirm it’s not just unreadable binary.
     
    🏷️ Tag me if you have any further questions or if the issue persists.
    ✅ Click "Accept as Solution" if my post helped resolve your issue—it helps others facing similar problems.
    ❤️ Give it a Like if you found the approach useful in any way.
  • Randa Prakasa Profile Picture
    Randa Prakasa 10 on at
    @jon Unzueta  Hi Jon thanks for the reply.. but in the get file content output (as i captured) is not show the result. if i click donwload they only show like this 

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