#PowerPlatformTip 154: ‘Preserve Author, Editor & Dates on Copied SharePoint Files’

TL;DR: After a create-and-delete copy, one MERGE HTTP request restores the original AuthorId, EditorId, Created and Modified so the migrated file matches the source.

Sometimes a straight Copy file isn’t possible and you have to recreate a document with Create file + Delete file. The problem: the new file gets you as author, today as the created date, and loses the original history. With a single REST MERGE call you can write the original AuthorId, EditorId, Created and Modified values back onto the new item, so the migrated file is indistinguishable from the source.

💡 Challenge

You migrate or rebuild files across libraries where Copy file won’t work (different site, content type change, etc.), so you use Create file + Delete file. The recreated item now shows the flow’s identity as Created By / Modified By and the current timestamp as Created / Modified. Audit trails, “sort by newest” and compliance views are all broken.

✅ Solution

Author and Editor are person fields you set via their ID columns AuthorId and EditorId; Created and Modified are date fields you set directly. Read these values from the source item before deleting it, then write them onto the new item with a MERGE request via Send an HTTP request to SharePoint. MERGE only touches the fields you send, so nothing else changes.

🔧 How it’s done

1. Capture the original metadata before deleting the source.

🔸 From Get files (properties) / Get item keep: Author (Claims/Email), Editor, Created, Modified.

2. Resolve the user to a numeric ID. AuthorId/EditorId need the site user ID, not the email.

🔸 Send an HTTP request to SharePoint → Method POST, Uri:

_api/web/ensureuser

Header Content-Type: application/json;odata=verbose, Body:

{ "logonName": "i:0#.f|membership|jane.doe@contoso.com" }

🔸 Read the returned Id (e.g. body('Ensure_Author')?['d']?['Id']). Repeat for the editor.

3. Get the target library’s entity type once:

_api/web/lists/getbytitle('Documents')?$select=ListItemEntityTypeFullName

🔸 e.g. SP.Data.DocumentsItem.

4. Add the MERGE request on the new item.

🔸 Method POST, Uri _api/web/lists/getbytitle('Documents')/items(ID)

🔸 Headers:

Accept: application/json;odata=verbose
Content-Type: application/json;odata=verbose
IF-MATCH: *
X-HTTP-Method: MERGE

🔸 Body, dates in ISO 8601 UTC:

{
  "__metadata": { "type": "SP.Data.DocumentsItem" },
  "AuthorId": 12,
  "EditorId": 15,
  "Created": "2022-03-14T08:15:00Z",
  "Modified": "2022-06-01T10:42:00Z"
}

5. Run this MERGE last. Any later write to the item resets Modified/Editor to now.

🔸 A 204 No Content response means the metadata was applied. Verify in the library’s Created / Modified columns.

🎉 Result

The recreated file shows the original Created By, Modified By, Created and Modified, exactly like the source. Audit trails stay intact, chronological sorting is correct, and compliance views remain trustworthy, even though the file was rebuilt via create-and-delete.

🌟 Key Advantages

🔸 Faithful migration: original author, editor and timestamps are preserved.

🔸 Standard action only: Send an HTTP request to SharePoint, no premium connector.

🔸 Selective by design: MERGE writes only the four metadata fields, leaving everything else untouched.

🛠️ FAQ

Q1: Why AuthorId instead of Author?

Author and Editor are person/lookup fields. Via REST you set them with the numeric site user ID on the AuthorId / EditorId columns, which you get from _api/web/ensureuser.

Q2: What date format do Created and Modified expect?

ISO 8601 in UTC, e.g. 2022-03-14T08:15:00Z. Convert your source values with formatDateTime(..., 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssZ') if needed.

Q3: My Modified date keeps resetting to today, why?

Any subsequent update to the item overwrites Modified and Editor. Make this MERGE the last write to the item so your values stick.

Q4: Does this need special permissions?

The connection must have permission to write to the library. Setting Author/Editor requires the account to be able to update those fields (site member/owner-level access).

🔗 Related Tips

• #PowerPlatformTip 153: Rename a SharePoint File with Power Automate, the companion rename trick using FileLeafRef.
• #PowerPlatformTip 133: SharePoint Updates with Power Automate, updating only the fields you need.
• #PowerPlatformTip 47: Batch-Method within SharePoint, bulk REST operations for large migrations.