Permission & Access Issues

Fix SharePoint List Item Permissions Not Working or Missing Items

John Wilson Oct 19, 2026 868 views

Question details

Users are unable to view or access SharePoint list items they created or were granted access to, resulting in permission errors or missing items.

How to Fix SharePoint List Item Permissions Not Working or Items Missing

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Users create new list items directly or through Power Automate flows, but subsequently cannot see their own items or open notification links. Administrators can still view all items without issue.
Observed behavior: Item-level permissions fail to apply correctly for standard users. Creators and mentioned users face access denied errors or see missing items, while administrators retain full visibility.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Administrator or Full Control privileges on the affected SharePoint list so you can view all items and modify advanced permission settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Verify Item-Level Permissions in Advanced Settings

Check if the list is configured to restrict read and edit access inappropriately, and recreate a test list to see if the issue persists.

SharePoint lists have built-in item-level permissions that can restrict users from seeing items they didn't create. Sometimes these settings malfunction or become overly restrictive.

Access list settings

Navigate to the affected SharePoint list. Click the Gear icon in the top right corner and select 'List settings'.

Open advanced settings

Under the 'General settings' column, click on 'Advanced settings'.

Review item-level permissions

Locate the 'Item-level Permissions' section. Check if 'Read access' is set to 'Read items that were created by the user'. Change it to 'Read all items' temporarily to see if the items appear for standard users.

Test with a new list

Create a completely new SharePoint list with default settings. Add a test item as a standard user to verify if the permission issue is isolated to the original list's configuration.

Verify Item-Level Permissions in Advanced Settings

Testing Direct Access: Always test item creation directly in the SharePoint interface first before testing forms or Power Automate flows to isolate the root cause.

Solution 2

Review Power Automate Flow Permissions

Ensure that automated flows are not accidentally overwriting the item creator or failing to grant access to mentioned users.

Solution 3

Escalate to Microsoft 365 Backend Support

If permissions are configured correctly but items remain missing for their creators, it is likely a backend service issue that requires Microsoft support.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can an administrator see my SharePoint list item but I cannot?

This usually happens when item-level permissions are set incorrectly, restricting read access, or when a backend synchronization error prevents creators from viewing their own submissions while preserving global admin access.

How do I fix Power Automate changing the creator of a list item?

Ensure your flow does not overwrite the 'Author' or 'Editor' fields during the 'Create item' step. If the flow runs under a service connection, you may need to add a 'Grant access' action to explicitly give the original user permission.

Does sharing a SharePoint list item via an @mention automatically grant access?

Normally yes, mentioning a user should grant them access. However, if the site's sharing settings are restricted or experiencing backend issues, the mentioned user will receive an email link but face an 'Access Denied' error when clicking it.

Document & File Issues