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How to Extract a Specific Line from an Email in Power Automate

Aamir Naveed Akram Sep 25, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to extract a dynamic value from a consistent line in an incoming email and save it to Microsoft Lists using Power Automate, even when there are no explicit delimiters.

Extracting a Specific Line from an Email in Power Automate

Product: Microsoft Power Automate
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Parsing automated emails without clear delimiters to extract variable text data and automatically populate a Microsoft List.
Observed behavior: The goal is to successfully isolate the target text string from the email body regardless of changing values and dynamically pass it to the next workflow action.

Before you start

Ensure you have an active Microsoft Power Automate account and a destination Microsoft List already configured to receive the extracted data.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Text Functions to Isolate the Email Line

Use built-in string expressions like split and substring to parse the plain text email body and extract the targeted line.

When an email has a consistent structure but no clear delimiters (like commas or colons), converting the email to plain text and utilizing the split() function is the most reliable way to extract a specific line or value.

Add an Email Trigger

Start your flow by adding the 'When a new email arrives (V3)' trigger. Configure the folder and sender filters to target the specific emails you want to parse.

Convert to Plain Text

Add the 'Html to text' action to your flow. Map the dynamic content 'Body' from your email trigger into this action to remove complex HTML formatting and normalize the text.

Create a Compose Action for Splitting

Add a 'Compose' action. Use the split() expression to divide the text string. For example, if the value always follows 'Name:', use the expression split(outputs('Html_to_text'), 'Name:') to create an array.

Isolate the Target Value

Add another 'Compose' action and use the last() or first() function combined with another split() to remove the trailing text (such as a line break). An expression like split(last(outputs('Compose_1')), decodeUriComponent('%0A'))[0] will isolate the exact line.

Update Microsoft Lists

Add a 'Create item' action for Microsoft Lists. Map the output from your final Compose action into the appropriate list column to save the extracted value.

Use Text Functions to Isolate the Email Line

Community Support: For highly specialized guidance or complex expression troubleshooting, consulting the Microsoft Power Platform Community forums is highly recommended.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What if the email formatting changes frequently?

If the email structure is inconsistent, basic split functions may fail. Consider using AI Builder or premium third-party parsing connectors in Power Automate to extract entities from variable text intelligently.

Can I extract multiple lines from the same email?

Yes, you can use multiple 'Compose' actions with different split expressions to extract various data points from the same converted plain text body simultaneously.

How do I handle blank spaces in the extracted text?

You can wrap your extraction expression in the trim() function. For example, trim(outputs('Compose')) will remove any leading or trailing whitespace from the extracted value before saving it.

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