How to Update SharePoint Multiselect Column in Power Automate?

Last week, I was working on a SharePoint project where I needed to update a multi-select column using Power Automate. SharePoint multi-select columns allow users to select multiple values from a predefined list, but updating them through Power Automate can be tricky.

In this tutorial, I will tell you how to update SharePoint multiselect column in Power Automate.

Update SharePoint Multiselect column in Power Automate

For this example, I created a SharePoint list called Project Details with the below column:

I have an item titled ‘Employee Onboarding and Training System‘ in my SharePoint list,’ with the ‘Technologies Used’ column showing Power BI, Python, SharePoint, Power Automate, Power Apps, and SQL. I want to update the ‘Technologies Used’ column only to include SharePoint, Power Automate, and Power Apps.

Now follow the below steps to do this:

1. In the Power Automate, click the Instant Cloud flow, enter the Flow name, and choose the trigger flow (i.e., manually trigger a flow).

2. Inside the manual trigger, provide an input variable called Technologies Used.

3. Add a ‘Get items‘ action to retrieve the items we need to update. Configure the ‘Get items’ action with the following parameters:

• Site Address: Provide a specific site address from the drop-down
• List Name: Select a specific list from the drop-down
• Filter Query: Provide the below code:

Title eq 'Employee Onboarding and Training System'

4. Next, add a compose action, and inside the compose action, provide the below expression:

split(triggerBody()?['text'],',')

5. Next, add an action ‘Initialize Variable‘ and provide the properties below parameter:

• Name: varTechnologiesUsed
• Type: Select Array from the drop-down
• Value: leave as blank

6. Now, add an ‘Apply to each’ action and set the output of the ‘Compose’ action in the ‘Select an output from previous steps’ field.

7. Inside the Apply to each action, add an action ‘Append to array variable’ action and Provide the below parameter:

• Name: Select the initialized array variable
• Value: Provide the below expression:

{
"Value":"@{items('Apply_to_each')}"
}

8. Outside of the apply to each add update item action provide the below parameters:

• Site Address: Select the site address from the drop-down
• List Name: select another sharepoint list onboarding from the drop-down
• Id: Provide ID from the get items dynamic content
• Technologies Used: Click on the ‘T‘ on the right, then put the Initialize Variable

Run the Flow to Update the SharePoint Multiselect Column

Now save the flow and click Test. Select Manually -> Click Test inside the Test Flow tab. When it asks for ‘Technologies Used,’ I enter ‘SharePoint,Power Automate,Power Apps‘ After that, click Run flow.

After the flow runs successfully, go to the SharePoint list and refresh it. You will see that the ‘Technologies Used’ multi-select column has been updated.

Update Multiple Choice Column Using Power Automate

In this example, I will show you how to update a multi-choice column value from one SharePoint list to another SharePoint list using Power Automate.

I created two lists for this example: Onboarding Records and New Hires. I want an item to be made in the Onboarding Records list whenever an item is created or modified in the New Hires list.

The New Hires and Onboarding Records list contains the same column:

Now follow the below steps:

1. Create an automated cloud flow. Give the flow name and select the trigger When an item is created or modified. Also, provide the Site Address and List Name.

2. Next, add an action ‘Initialize Variable‘ and provide the properties below parameter:

• Name: varSkills
• Type: Select Array from the drop-down
• Value: leave as blank

In this variable, I will store the choices from the New Hires SharePoint list.

3. Add an action ‘Append to array variable’ action and Provide the below parameter:

• Name: Select the initialized array variable
• Value: Provide the value of the skills from dynamic content

Then you can see it will automatically add a for each loop.

4. After ‘for each‘, add a Select action and Provide the below parameter:

• From: Put the varSkills initialized variable
• Map: First column Value and the second column item()

5. In the last Add a ‘Create Item’ action and Provide the below parameter:

• Site Address: Select the site address from the drop-down
• List Name: select another sharepoint list onboarding from the drop-down
• Title: Title
• Position: Position
• Department Value: Department Value
• Skills: Click on the ‘T‘ on the right, then put the output of the Select action
• Start Date: Start Date

Run the Flow to Update MultiChoice Column Value From One SharePoint List to Another SharePoint List

Now, it’s time to save the flow. Click on Test -> Select Manually. After that, add an item to the New Hires SharePoint list.

Once the flow runs successfully, go to the Onboarding Records SharePoint list, and you can see the updated multichoice column value.

I hope this Power Automate tutorial taught you how to update SharePoint multi-select and multiple-choice column values. We explored how to update a multi-select column by triggering a flow manually and how to transfer multiple-choice column values from one SharePoint list to another.

The same method can be used to update any SharePoint multi-select column using Power Automate.

Additionally, you may like some more Power Automate tutorials:

• Update SharePoint Columns in Power Automate
• Update SharePoint list items using Power Automate
• Update a SharePoint List Item from another SharePoint List Using Power Automate
• Update SharePoint list item only one field using Power Automate
• Get Microsoft 365 Usage Reports Using Microsoft Graph in Power Automate

Bijay Kumar

After working for more than 18 years in Microsoft technologies like SharePoint, Microsoft 365, and Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI), I thought will share my SharePoint expertise knowledge with the world. Our audiences are from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc. For my expertise knowledge and SharePoint tutorials, Microsoft has been awarded a Microsoft SharePoint MVP (12 times). I have also worked in companies like HP, TCS, KPIT, etc.