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Compare a SharePoint Date with Today in Power Automate

Bushra Parveen Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to correctly compare a date value retrieved from a SharePoint column against the current date (today) within a Power Automate flow.

How to Compare a SharePoint Date with Today in Power Automate

Product: Microsoft Power Automate
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating or troubleshooting a Power Automate workflow that evaluates a condition based on a date from a SharePoint list.
Observed behavior: Date comparisons often fail due to invalid date values, incorrect internal SharePoint field names, or mismatched time formatting between SharePoint and Power Automate.

Before you start

Verify that your SharePoint date column contains valid data and locate the exact internal name of the column, as using the display name in Power Automate expressions will cause the flow to fail.

Solution 1Recommended

Use formatDateTime and utcNow Expressions for Comparison

The most reliable method is to standardize both the SharePoint date and today's date into a uniform string format, completely eliminating timezone and timestamp discrepancies.

Power Automate stores the current time in UTC, while SharePoint may return dates differently based on regional settings. By formatting both to 'yyyy-MM-dd', you ensure an apples-to-apples comparison.

Add a Condition Action

Open your Power Automate flow and insert a 'Condition' action where you need the date comparison to occur.

Format the SharePoint Date

Click inside the left value box, go to the Expression tab, and enter: formatDateTime(triggerOutputs()?['body/YourInternalColumnName'], 'yyyy-MM-dd'). Replace 'YourInternalColumnName' with your actual SharePoint internal field name, then click OK.

Format Today's Date

Click inside the right value box, go to the Expression tab, and enter: formatDateTime(utcNow(), 'yyyy-MM-dd'). Click OK.

Set the Operator

Choose your desired logical operator from the middle dropdown, such as 'is equal to', 'is greater than', or 'is less than'.

Use formatDateTime and utcNow Expressions for Comparison

Formatting Success: Using the strict 'yyyy-MM-dd' format ensures that minute variations in time or server region do not falsely trigger a mismatch in your flow condition.

Solution 2

Convert Dates using the ticks() Function

If your workflow requires you to calculate the exact mathematical time difference rather than just matching dates, you can convert both timestamps into ticks.

Solution 3

Handle Empty SharePoint Date Columns

Prevent expression evaluation errors by verifying that the SharePoint date column actually contains data before attempting a date comparison.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Power Automate flow fail with a 'String was not recognized as a valid DateTime' error?

This error occurs when the SharePoint date column is empty or contains an invalid format. To resolve this, ensure you are referencing the correct internal column name and add a condition to check if the field is empty() before attempting to format the date.

How do I find the correct internal name of a SharePoint column for Power Automate?

Navigate to your SharePoint list settings and click on the column name you want to use. Look at the URL in your web browser; the internal name is the text at the very end of the URL, directly after 'Field='.

What is the difference between utcNow() and the local time in Power Automate?

utcNow() returns the current date and time in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). If your SharePoint site is in a different timezone, comparing utcNow() directly to a local date might cause a mismatch. Standardizing both to just the date using formatDateTime with 'yyyy-MM-dd' mitigates this issue.

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