Sharepoint Alerts being discontinued

Question

Sharepoint Alerts being discontinued

Dorothy Sanseverino 0

I rely heavily on this sharepoint alert and now it's being eliminated with no immediate work around. It was suggested that using Rules is the new go to, but once I set it up, it is now sending me emails for every document being modified in the entire Sharepoint rhelm and not the speificic document I want to be notified about. There is there specific documentation that gives step by step instructions on how this can be done. I only want to be notified on specific documents.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Dear @Dorothy Sanseverino,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concern. I completely understand how important document‑specific notifications are to your daily workflow.

The new notification Rules work differently from the classic Alerts experience. These Rules are created at the list or library level and operate based on column conditions. Because they evaluate changes across the entire library or selected folder, they currently don't allow selecting one specific file. This is why you are receiving emails whenever any document is modified, instead of only the file you want to track.

To help you achieve the closest experience to the classic per‑file alert behavior, I recommend using Power Automate. This approach gives you full control so notifications are sent only when a specific file is updated.

Here is a simplified setup you can follow:

Go to Power Automate and select Create > Choose Automated cloud flow.
Select the SharePoint trigger When a file is created or modified (properties only) > Pick your Site Address and Library Name.
(Optional) Specify the Folder path if the file is in a subfolder.
Open the trigger settings and add a trigger condition that checks for the exact file name or ID so the flow only runs when that specific file is updated.
Add an action such as Send an email (V2) and include details like the file name and link to the document.

This method provides targeted notifications so you only receive updates for the document you want to track.

If you would like more detailed assistance with Power Automate, I recommend posting your question in the Microsoft Power Platform Community Forum.This is the best place to receive accurate and effective guidance, especially for scenarios involving Power Automate.

In this forum, you'll get the most qualified group of respondents and other partners who read the forums regularly can share their knowledge or learn from your interaction.

As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our tools and access are limited to Microsoft 365 areas, and we don't have the ability to retrieve or modify Power Automate’s built‑in assets. Our primary responsibility is to guide users toward the correct resources so you can get the help you need as efficiently as possible.

I apologize for redirecting you; however, since this community focuses on Microsoft 365 products, the Power Automate Community will be your best avenue for quick and specialized support for your specific concerns.

I hope this helps you move forward smoothly. I’m glad to assist and truly hope this information is useful. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need additional guidance within our scope.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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Answer 2

SharePoint Alerts are being retired, and Microsoft recommends replacing them with SharePoint Rules or Power Automate-based notifications.

To track only specific documents, classic Alerts can still be used until retirement, and they support per-document notifications:

Go to the SharePoint document library that contains the file.
Select the specific document you want to track.
On the command bar or from the ellipses (...) menu, choose Alert me.
Select Set alert (or Alert me when items change depending on the UI).
In the New Alert / Alert me when items change dialog, configure:
- Delivery method (email or SMS, if available).
- Change type (e.g., when existing items are modified, when items are deleted).
- Frequency (immediately, daily, or weekly summary).
Select OK to save.

This configuration scopes the alert to that single document instead of the entire library.

Important retirement details and alternatives:

From July 2025: creation of new SharePoint Alerts is gradually turned off for newly onboarding tenants.
From January 2026: creation of new SharePoint Alerts is gradually turned off for all tenants.
From July 2026: SharePoint Alerts stop working entirely and cannot be extended.

Because of this timeline, long-term replacement should be based on:

SharePoint Rules for modern lists/libraries where rules meet the scenario.
Power Automate flows for more precise or document-specific notifications, especially when Alerts are no longer available or when Rules are too broad.

For legacy lists (such as Links, Events, Announcements) where the automate-rule feature is not supported, Power Automate must be used instead of Rules.

References:

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Sharepoint Alerts being discontinued

2 answers