Power Automate flow help

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Posted on by MT-26061919-0

Hi there, Power Automate Community! I'm wrapped around the axle trying to get a Power Automate flow to work properly and need some help from the experts. I'm trying to automate a flow that follows the steps below:

A Microsoft Word document is uploaded to a specific SharePoint document library
The contents of that Word document are sent via HTTP to a 3rd party using their APIs (not as an attachment, preferably as HTML but plain text would be fine)

I have tried using Copilot to assist with creating the flow, but am running into inconsistent feedback from Copilot, including the recommendation to use what appears to be actions no longer offered (an example being Word Online (Business) → Get document content to extract the contents of the Word document).

IMPORTANT: Due to company policy, I am not allowed to use any connectors not offered / supported by Microsoft, including any that would come with a cost or require an account to be created with a 3rd party.

Initial Trigger: SharePoint: When a file is created (properties only)

Action: SharePoint: Get file content

...

Action: HTTP

What would you recommend I use after Get file content to extract the contents of the Word document to be able to send using the HTTP action (where I'll configure the subsequent 3rd party API configs)?

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide!

Categories:

Building flows

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sannavajjala87 388 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi,

The challenge is that "Get file content" returns the DOCX file itself (binary content), not the readable text or HTML inside the document. That's why you won't find a Microsoft action that directly extracts the document body after this step.
If your third-party API supports it, I'd recommend sending the DOCX file directly using the HTTP action and letting the API handle the extraction. If the API requires plain text or HTML, you'll need an intermediate Microsoft-supported service to extract the content before sending it.
Could you clarify whether your API accepts the Word document itself, or does it specifically require text/HTML? That will help determine the best approach.

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11manish 3,210 on at

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If you're restricted to only standard Microsoft connectors and cannot use Azure Functions or Graph, then there is currently no native Power Automate action that

extracts text or HTML from an existing Word document.

Given your constraints, the best approach is:

Preferred: Use Microsoft Graph API (if permitted by your organization) to retrieve the document content.

Enterprise: Use an Azure Function with the Open XML SDK to extract the content.

Native Power Automate only: Unfortunately, there is no supported Microsoft action that converts an uploaded DOCX into plain text or HTML for use in an HTTP action.

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Vish WR 3,730 on at

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@MT-26061919-0

Hi,

Unfortunately, there isn’t a native Microsoft Power Automate action that extracts the text or HTML from an existing Word (.docx) document. The Get file content action only returns the binary content of the file.

If using Microsoft-only connectors is a strict requirement, your options are:

If the third-party API accepts a .docx file, send the file content directly using the HTTP action.

If the API requires plain text or HTML, you’ll need an intermediate service (such as Microsoft Graph or an Azure-based solution, if permitted by your organization) to extract the document content before sending it.

Under the stated constraints (Microsoft connectors only, no third-party connectors, and no additional services), there isn’t a supported way in Power Automate to convert a Word document into text or HTML.

If you can confirm what format the third-party API expects (DOCX, HTML, or plain text), the community may be able to suggest the most appropriate approach.

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