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If new SharePoint files or folders are missing in Power Query, first refresh the preview while viewing the raw Source step. Then check whether the query uses the right function: SharePoint.Contents exposes folders level by level, while SharePoint.Files returns a flat, recursive file list. A Microsoft Community case with the same symptom was resolved by refreshing the preview and switching from SharePoint.Files to SharePoint.Contents. If the item still does not appear, validate the site URL, permissions, authentication, API version, file metadata, filters and, for Power BI Service, refresh credentials and history.
What should I check first when a new SharePoint item is missing?
Start in Power Query Editor, select the first Source step and refresh its preview before changing any transformations. This separates a stale preview or navigation problem from a later filtering or shaping problem.
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- Open the workbook or report in Power Query Editor.
- In the Applied Steps pane, select the first step named Source (or the equivalent connector step).
- Use the preview refresh command and wait for the table to reload.
- Search the returned
Name,ExtensionandFolder Pathcolumns for the new file or folder.
Those columns are part of the documented SharePoint connector output. If the item appears at Source but disappears later, a filter, navigation step or custom transformation is excluding it. If it is absent at Source, investigate the connector function, URL scope, permissions and refresh state before editing downstream steps.
Do not treat a preview as proof that SharePoint lacks the item
Power Query’s preview can remain unchanged until it is refreshed. In a Microsoft Community case dated March 25, 2026, a contributor reported that folders added to SharePoint became visible only after refreshing the preview. The same case used hierarchical navigation with SharePoint.Contents. This is useful case evidence, not a guarantee that every tenant has the same cache behavior.
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Which SharePoint function should I use: SharePoint.Contents or SharePoint.Files?
Use SharePoint.Contents when you need to navigate a known library or folder and inspect each level. Use SharePoint.Files when the intended result is one flat inventory of files anywhere in the site and its subfolders.
| Aspect | SharePoint.Contents |
SharePoint.Files |
|---|---|---|
| Returned shape | A hierarchical, current-level table containing folders and files, with nested Content tables. |
A flat table of files found recursively across the SharePoint site and its subfolders. |
| Best use | Opening a known document library or folder, especially when a new folder is not visible in the existing navigation. | Building a site-wide inventory or combining files stored in many subfolders. |
| Diagnostic value | Shows the exact level where navigation stops and lets you open the next folder’s Content table. |
Shows whether a file exists anywhere in the recursive result, provided filters are not hiding it. |
| Typical failure point | Stopping at the wrong level, not opening a nested Content table, or starting with the wrong site URL. |
Hardcoded filename or path filters, a stale preview, or a source view that has not been refreshed. |
Navigate with SharePoint.Contents
Use the SharePoint site URL, not a page URL copied from a document view:
SharePoint.Contents("https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/Site", [ApiVersion = "Auto"])
The result is hierarchical. In the Navigator or query preview, select the row for Shared Documents, open its Content table, and repeat the same action for each subfolder until you reach the target location. A folder name alone is not the next query table; the nested Content value is what continues navigation.
Use SharePoint.Files for a flat recursive list
For a site-wide file inventory, use:
SharePoint.Files("https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/Site", [ApiVersion = "Auto"])
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Because this function searches the site and subfolders recursively, it is usually the simpler starting point for combining similarly structured files. Keep the query’s filters dynamic, such as filtering by a stable extension or folder-path prefix. Avoid filtering to one specific filename when new files are expected to arrive over time.
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Is my SharePoint URL valid for the connector?
The SharePoint folder connector expects the SharePoint site URL, for example https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/Site. A classic SharePoint page URL or a link copied from a single document can lead to the wrong navigation experience.
Use the site scope
Trim the address to the site level used by the library. Keep the tenant and site path, but do not paste a view, page, query string or document-specific segment into the connector’s site URL field. Microsoft documents classic SharePoint URL pages as unsupported for this connector.
Use a different connector for one file
If your goal is one document rather than a library or site listing, use the Web or Web API connector with the file’s URL. A single-file URL is not a substitute for the site URL required by the SharePoint folder connector.
How do I check folders, file extensions and hardcoded filters?
Temporarily remove or disable filters after the Source step, refresh, and compare the missing item with a known-good item. This reveals whether SharePoint returned the row but a query condition removed it.
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Check the filename condition
Look for steps that filter Name to one literal filename, a partial name that no longer matches, or a manually selected item from the Navigator. Replace a one-off filename condition with a rule that matches the intended pattern for future files.
Check the extension condition
Compare the missing file’s Extension value with the extension allowed by the query. A file saved as .xlsx, .xlsm, .csv or another format will be excluded if the query permits only a different extension. During diagnosis, remove the extension filter, refresh, and then restore a deliberate extension rule.
Check the Folder Path condition
Folder paths must match the value returned by the connector, including the library and trailing path structure. A filter tied to an old folder name or a single hardcoded path can hide a newly created subfolder. Compare the missing item’s path with a visible item’s path before writing a replacement condition.
Check hidden-item and attribute filters
Disable filters for hidden files or custom attributes while testing. Reapply them only after confirming that the new item has the expected metadata. The comparison should be made at the raw Source result, not only after later transformations.
Which API version and authentication settings should I use?
SharePoint.Contents supports ApiVersion = 14, 15 or Auto. Start with the option that matches the connector guidance for your environment, and test another documented version only when the current setting produces an error or incomplete navigation.
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Set the option explicitly when testing
Use a complete function call so the setting is visible in the formula bar:
SharePoint.Contents("https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/Site", [ApiVersion = "14"])SharePoint.Contents("https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/Site", [ApiVersion = "15"])SharePoint.Contents("https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/Site", [ApiVersion = "Auto"])
Do not infer that changing the API version will fix a filtered-out file. First establish whether the row reaches Source and whether the account can open the folder in SharePoint.
Recheck Organizational Account authentication
The connector supports Organizational Account authentication. Confirm that the signed-in account has access to the site, the document library and the newly added folder or file. If access was recently granted, sign out and authenticate again so Power Query is not using an older credential context.
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Why does Power Query Desktop show the item but Power BI Service does not?
When Desktop succeeds but the Power BI Service dataset does not, inspect the service refresh rather than rewriting the query immediately. Check refresh history, the schedule and the stored data-source credentials, then verify that the service identity has permission to the same site and library.
Review refresh history
- Open the dataset or semantic model settings in Power BI Service.
- Review the latest refresh entries and capture the exact error text and timestamp.
- Confirm that the schedule is enabled and that the last successful refresh occurred after the file or folder was added.
Re-enter credentials when necessary
Reauthenticate the SharePoint data source with an Organizational Account and verify permissions from the account used by the service. Desktop may be using your interactive credentials while the service uses separately stored credentials.
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Separate service errors from query errors
A failed service refresh can leave the report displaying an older successful result. Treat that as a refresh-state problem until a new service refresh completes; do not assume that an unchanged visual proves the Source table is missing the file.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is the complete recovery procedure?
Work from the connector outward so each test has a clear result.
- Record the symptom. Note the SharePoint site, library, folder, item name, extension and the time it was added.
- Open the query in Desktop. Select the first Source step and refresh the preview.
- Search raw metadata. Check
Name,ExtensionandFolder Pathbefore any filtering step. - Verify the URL. Replace a page or document URL with the site URL expected by the SharePoint folder connector.
- Test hierarchical navigation. Use
SharePoint.ContentswithApiVersion = "Auto", openShared Documentsthrough its nestedContenttable, and continue into the target folder. - Choose the intended shape. Keep
SharePoint.Contentsfor known-folder navigation; useSharePoint.Filesfor a flat recursive inventory. - Disable filters temporarily. Test filename, extension, folder-path, hidden-item and custom-attribute conditions one at a time.
- Compare metadata. Compare the missing item with a known-good item and then restore only the rules that match the intended file set.
- Reauthenticate. Confirm Organizational Account access to the site, library and item.
- Test the service separately. For Power BI Service, inspect refresh history, schedule and credentials after Desktop returns the expected row.
- Document the result. Record the function, site URL scope, API option, Applied Steps, refresh time and exact error text.
What symptoms point to each cause?
| Symptom | Most useful check | Likely corrective action |
|---|---|---|
| A newly created folder is absent from the Navigator. | Refresh the Source preview, then test SharePoint.Contents. |
Open the nested Content tables from Shared Documents down to the target folder. |
| The file appears at Source but not in the final table. | Disable filename, extension and Folder Path filters. | Replace hardcoded conditions with rules that match the expected future files. |
| No library or folder is navigable. | Inspect the URL pasted into the connector. | Use the site URL; use Web or Web API for a single-file connection. |
| Desktop returns the file but the service shows old data. | Review service refresh history, schedule and credentials. | Re-enter service credentials and run a new refresh with the correct permissions. |
| The connector reports an API or access error. | Capture the exact message and test the documented API options. | Verify the account, site permissions and API setting before changing transformations. |
What information should I capture before asking for support?
Microsoft Support recommends preserving the exact connection and query-step errors and distinguishing local workbook errors from remote service or resource errors. Include the connector function, site URL scope, API option, Applied Steps, refresh timestamp and whether the item is visible in SharePoint’s browser interface.
Also state whether the failure occurs in Power Query Desktop, Power BI Service or both. This context prevents a service-credential issue from being mistaken for a missing SharePoint row and makes the behavior reproducible for an administrator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell whether I opened the right nested SharePoint table?
In a hierarchical result, the row for a library or folder contains a value of type Table in the Content column. Open that table rather than stopping at the parent row; each additional folder level should expose another Content table until the files are listed.
Should I change from ApiVersion Auto to 14 or 15 immediately?
No. Keep the documented setting that works in your environment and change the option only as a controlled diagnostic when the connector reports an API or navigation problem. Test the same site URL and account with each documented value so an API change is not confused with a permissions or filter change.
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