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How to Display SharePoint User Photos Instead of Hyperlinks in Power Automate

Maira Mehtab Oct 12, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to render actual user profile photos from SharePoint in an employee directory instead of displaying them as clickable URL hyperlinks.

How to Display SharePoint User Photos Instead of Hyperlinks in Power Automate

Product: Power Automate / SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Building an automated employee directory using Power Automate to fetch user photos from SharePoint via the userphoto.aspx URL.
Observed behavior: The retrieved userphoto.aspx URL renders as a plain text hyperlink in the destination application rather than displaying the actual image.

Before you start

Ensure that you have the appropriate permissions to access user profiles in your SharePoint environment and verify that your destination application supports image rendering controls.

Solution 1Recommended

Use an Image Control and Verify Direct Link Access

Replace standard hyperlink or text fields with image-capable controls to ensure URLs are properly rendered as pictures instead of text.

When fetching images via a userphoto.aspx URL, the destination app may default to a text or hyperlink control if not explicitly instructed to render an image. You must use a dedicated image control to display the photo properly.

Switch to an Image Control

In your destination application (e.g., Power Apps or HTML email builder), ensure the data field intended for the photo is mapped to an 'Image' control rather than a 'Text Input' or 'Hyperlink' control.

Test with a Direct Image Link

Upload a sample image (e.g., a PNG or JPG file) to a regular SharePoint Document Library. Copy its direct link and paste it into your control to isolate whether the issue stems from the control itself or the specific userphoto.aspx URL format.

Verify Access Permissions

Check that the destination application and end-users have the required SharePoint permissions to read the userphoto.aspx endpoint without being prompted for additional login credentials.

Troubleshooting Tip: If the direct document library image works but the userphoto.aspx URL does not, you may need to adjust the endpoint parameters or append an access token to bypass authentication blocks.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my SharePoint photo URL show up as plain text in Power Apps?

This typically happens if the data card or control is set to a Text Input or Label instead of an Image control. To fix this, insert an Image control and set its 'Image' property to the SharePoint URL.

Can I use the userphoto.aspx link directly in an HTML email body?

Yes, but you must enclose the URL within an HTML image tag (e.g., <img src='your-url' />). Make sure the email recipients have active authentication to your SharePoint environment, otherwise the image will appear broken.

How do I get a high-resolution user photo from SharePoint?

You can append the parameter 'size=L' to the end of the userphoto.aspx URL to retrieve a larger, high-resolution version of the user's profile picture.

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