Permission & Access Issues

How to Restrict SharePoint List Items by User or Email Address

Huda Qurayshi Oct 10, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user needs to restrict access to items in a SharePoint list so that individuals can only view and edit records that match their specific name or email address after migrating data from Excel.

How to Restrict SharePoint List Items by User or Email Address

Product: Microsoft SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Migrating property information from Excel to a SharePoint list and setting up item-level security based on user identity.
Observed behavior: SharePoint does not provide an out-of-the-box feature to automatically restrict existing list items based solely on a specific user or email column value without manual intervention or third-party logic.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or Full Control permissions on the SharePoint site to modify list settings, and verify that your Microsoft 365 subscription includes access to Power Apps and Power Automate.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Power Apps to Filter List Views by Current User

Create a customized Power Apps application or form to securely filter SharePoint list items based on the logged-in user's email address.

Because SharePoint cannot inherently secure items based on custom column values, wrapping the list in a Power App is the standard workaround. The app can check the current user's credentials and only display data where the email column matches.

Note that this method secures the data within the app interface. If users have direct URL access to the backend SharePoint list, they could still bypass this filter.

Customize Forms in Power Apps

Open your SharePoint list, click the 'Integrate' dropdown menu, select 'Power Apps', and then click 'Customize forms'.

Locate the Data Gallery

In the Power Apps studio, locate the Gallery or Data Table control that is displaying your SharePoint list items.

Apply User Filter Formula

Modify the 'Items' property of the gallery to filter by the current user using a formula similar to: Filter('YourSharePointList', EmailColumnName = User().Email).

Publish the App

Save your changes and publish the app. Share the Power App link with your team so they interact with the data exclusively through this filtered interface.

Use Power Apps to Filter List Views by Current User

Community Support: For complex filtering logic involving multiple user roles, the Microsoft Power Apps community forums offer excellent templates and guidance.

Solution 2

Utilize Default Item-Level Permissions via Power Automate

Configure the list so users can only see items they created, and use Microsoft Forms and Power Automate to log them as the creator.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I manually restrict access to a single SharePoint list item?

Yes, you can manually stop inheriting permissions for individual items. Select the item, click 'Manage Access', click 'Advanced', and select 'Stop Inheriting Permissions'. You can then grant access only to specific users. However, doing this manually is highly impractical for lists with hundreds of items.

Can I just filter a standard SharePoint view by [Me] instead of using Power Apps?

Yes, you can create a standard list view and set a filter where a 'Person or Group' column is equal to the dynamic variable [Me]. However, this is only a convenience feature, not a security boundary. Users can easily change the view or remove the filter to see all other items.

Will users still see the SharePoint list if I build a filtered Power App?

If users navigate directly to the native SharePoint list URL, they can bypass the Power App filter. To prevent this, you must either restrict access to the backend list or enforce item-level permissions natively.

Does the 'Created By' column automatically restrict list views?

Not by default. To restrict views based on creation, you must explicitly navigate to List Settings > Advanced Settings, and change the Item-level Permissions so users can only read and edit items they created.

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