SharePoint Document Issues

How to Automatically Copy a SharePoint Person Name to a Text Column

Kushani Nimanthika Sep 25, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs a way to extract the display name from a SharePoint Person column and automatically save it as plain text in a separate column, typically for reporting tools like Power BI.

How to Automatically Copy a SharePoint Person Name to a Text Column

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Managing SharePoint list data where a readable display name is required for integration, export, or Power BI dashboards.
Observed behavior: SharePoint calculated columns cannot directly extract display names from Person columns, often resulting in errors or returning lists and numeric identifiers instead of text.

Before you start

Ensure you have created a standard 'Single line of text' column in your SharePoint list to receive the copied name, and verify that you have the necessary permissions to create and run Power Automate flows for your site.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Power Automate to Extract and Update the Name

Creating a Power Automate flow is the most reliable, no-code method to retrieve user details from a Person column and update the target text column automatically.

Because SharePoint restricts calculating complex fields like Person or Group columns directly, Power Automate bridges this gap by triggering an action every time an item changes.

Create a new automated flow

Navigate to Microsoft Power Automate, click 'Create' in the left sidebar, and select 'Automated cloud flow'.

Set the trigger event

Search for and select the trigger 'When an item is created or modified'. Connect it to your specific SharePoint Site Address and List Name.

Retrieve the user profile

Click 'New step' and search for 'Get user profile (V2)'. In the 'User (UPN)' field, insert the dynamic content for your SharePoint Person column's Email or Claims value.

Update the SharePoint item

Add another step and search for the 'Update item' SharePoint action. Select your Site and List again. Map the 'Id' and 'Title' from the trigger step, and for your target Text column, select the 'Display Name' output from the 'Get user profile (V2)' step.

Save and test

Save your flow. Go to your SharePoint list and create or edit an item to verify that the text column automatically populates with the user's name.

Use Power Automate to Extract and Update the Name

Automation Active: Once activated, the flow runs in the background seamlessly, ensuring your text column always matches the Person column's display name.

Solution 2

Deploy an SPFx Component for Advanced Requirements

For complex enterprise environments where Power Automate is restricted, a SharePoint Framework (SPFx) extension can be used by developers to handle data changes programmatically.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I use a calculated column to extract a Person name?

SharePoint calculated columns do not natively support complex field types like Person, Group, or Lookup columns. They cannot drill down into the user object to retrieve specific properties like the display name.

How do I fix Power BI showing SharePoint Person fields as '[List]'?

In the Power BI Power Query Editor, locate the Person column showing '[List]'. Click the expand icon (two diverging arrows) next to the column header, select 'Expand to New Rows' if necessary, and then click expand again to extract the 'title' or 'displayName' record.

Will the Power Automate flow update older list items automatically?

No, the 'When an item is created or modified' trigger only applies to new events moving forward. To update existing historical list items, you must create a manual one-time flow using the 'Get items' action to loop through all current items and update them.

Document & File Issues