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How to Mark a Microsoft List Item as Completed in Power Automate

Chanuka Geekiyanage Oct 20, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to configure a Power Automate flow to update a specific Microsoft List item's status to 'Completed'.

How to Mark a Microsoft List Item as Completed in Power Automate

Product: Microsoft Power Automate
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Automating status updates in a Microsoft List following a Microsoft Forms submission, manager approval, and additional departmental workflow steps.
Observed behavior: The user needs the exact steps to map the flow logic so the target list item reflects the finished state automatically at the end of the process.

Before you start

Ensure you have 'Edit' permissions for the target Microsoft List and that you know the specific 'ID' of the item you want to update within your flow.

Solution 1Recommended

Use the SharePoint 'Update item' Action

Since Microsoft Lists run on SharePoint infrastructure, the standard method to change a list item's status is by using the built-in SharePoint 'Update item' action at the end of your workflow.

This action allows you to overwrite specific columns, such as a 'Status' choice column, while leaving the rest of the list item's data intact. You will need the dynamic ID of the item to ensure you are updating the correct record.

Add a new step

Open your Power Automate flow in edit mode, scroll to the bottom (after your approval and departmental steps), and click on 'New step'.

Select the SharePoint connector

Type 'SharePoint' in the search bar and select the 'Update item' action from the list of available triggers and actions.

Configure Site and List

Click the dropdown for 'Site Address' to select the workspace where your Microsoft List is hosted, then select the specific list from the 'List Name' dropdown.

Input the Item ID

Click inside the 'Id' field and use the dynamic content menu to select the 'ID' of the list item (usually retrieved from a previous 'Create item' or 'Get item' step).

Set Status to Completed

Scroll down the action card to find your specific status column (e.g., 'Status' or 'Progress'). Click the dropdown and select 'Completed', or type the exact text value required by your list.

Dynamic Content Tip: If you are updating fields that are marked as required in your Microsoft List, you must re-populate those required fields using dynamic content from the original item, otherwise the flow will fail.

Solution 2

Consult the Microsoft Power Automate Community

For highly complex workflows where variables, multiple branches, or complex departmental steps cause the update action to fail, the community forum is the best place to get flow-specific recommendations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my 'Update item' action not showing the custom columns from my Microsoft List?

This usually happens if the connection needs to be refreshed or if you have manually typed the Site Address instead of selecting it. Try reselecting the Site Address and List Name from the dropdowns to force Power Automate to fetch the latest list schema.

Can I update a Microsoft List item without using the SharePoint connector?

Because Microsoft Lists are fundamentally built on top of SharePoint architecture, using the standard 'Update item' SharePoint connector is the official, natively supported, and most reliable way to modify List items in Power Automate.

How do I get the ID of the list item I need to complete if it was created from a Form?

If your flow uses a Form response to create the item initially, use the dynamic 'ID' output from that specific 'Create item' step. If the item already existed, add a 'Get items' action using an OData filter query (like searching by email or name) to locate the item and retrieve its ID before updating.

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