Power Apps connectors: What they are and how to use them

Connectors are the bridge between Power Platform apps and the outside world.

They let Power Apps, Power Automate, and other Power Platform products talk to services like SharePoint, Dataverse, Office 365, Google services, YouTube, and hundreds more.

Exploring the Power Apps connectors catalog

You can browse the full connector list from Power Automate. In the left navigation, choose Connectors to see what’s available, search by name, and open documentation for each connector.

The catalog includes Microsoft services such as Office 365, Outlook, SharePoint, Dataverse, and OneDrive, as well as third‑party options like Google Calendar, Gmail, X, YouTube, and Google Drive.

Tip: Use the search bar to quickly check if a specific service (e.g., Oracle Database) has a connector. Clicking a connector’s page provides details and links to its documentation.

Connector types and licensing

• Standard: Connectors without a premium label. They work with standard licenses.
• Premium: Marked with a “Premium” tag (e.g., Dataverse, SQL Server). These require a premium license.
• Custom: Build your own connector if the service isn’t in the catalog but exposes a REST API that uses JSON and supports one of the available authentication methods.

If you plan to use premium connectors, ensure your environment and users have the appropriate premium licensing.

Understanding connector documentation

Each connector’s documentation lists its actions and triggers. For example, the SharePoint connector includes actions like Copy file, Create item, Delete item, Get attachments, and Get file content. Reviewing these helps you understand what operations are available and how to structure your app or flow.

Using connectors in Power Apps

Example 1: SharePoint list in a gallery

1. Add connector: In Power Apps, open Data → Add data, search for SharePoint, and select your connection.
2. Choose site and list: Pick the SharePoint site (e.g., “Mars hotel”) and connect to the target list (e.g., Bookings, with columns like Customer name, Home planet, Preferred food, and Room).
3. Insert gallery: Add a Vertical gallery to a screen and set its Items to the Bookings list.
4. Configure fields: Choose a layout, then map the fields you want to show (e.g., Room).

For a field that stores structured values, you might reference it like:

Code

Text = ThisItem.Room.Value

Once configured, the gallery will display live data from the SharePoint list.

Example 2: Dataverse table in a gallery

1. Add connector: In Data → Add data, choose the Dataverse table (e.g., Books with columns Title, Author name, Publisher year).
2. Bind the gallery: Change the gallery’s Items from the SharePoint list to the Dataverse Books table.
3. Select fields: Display the Title and Author fields in the gallery layout.

Your gallery now reads directly from the Dataverse table.

Example 3: Office 365 Users profile in a label

1. Add connector: In Data → Add data, select Office 365 Users.
2. Insert label: Add a label to the screen and set its Text to call the profile API.

For the signed‑in user’s display name:

Code

Text = Office365Users.MyProfileV2().displayName

The label will show the name from the user’s Office 365 profile.

Building a custom connector

If the service you need isn’t in the catalog but exposes a REST API that uses JSON and supports one of the available authentication mechanisms, you can create a custom connector and call those endpoints from Power Apps or Power Automate.

Steps:

1. Open Custom connectors: In Power Apps, go to Custom connectors.
2. Create new: Click New custom connector.
3. Choose a source: Create from blank, or import an OpenAPI file, a Postman collection, or from GitHub.
4. Provide the definition: Upload the JSON specification describing the API’s endpoints, requests, and responses.
5. Map operations: The connector maps to each endpoint, making them available to call across Power Platform products.

Key takeaways

• Connectors connect everything: Power Apps, Power Automate, and more can integrate with hundreds of services.
• Licensing matters: Standard connectors work with standard licenses; premium connectors require premium licenses.
• Docs are your guide: Use connector documentation to discover actions, triggers, and usage patterns.
• Custom is possible: If there’s a REST API with JSON and supported auth, you can build a custom connector.
• Hands‑on is simple: Add the connector, bind a data source, and reference fields and functions in controls.