Cheat sheet
Power Automate Date Formatting Cheat Sheet
Date and time expressions for email, SharePoint filters, approvals, time zones, filenames, and scheduled reminders.
Power Automate date formattingformatDateTimeconvertTimeZone
Who this helps
Flow builders who need date expressions that do not surprise users.
What to standardize
- Format dates for users, but store dates as dates.
- Be explicit about time zones.
- Use sortable date formats in filenames.
- Test daylight saving transitions when timing matters.
Examples
Sortable filename date
Add a stable timestamp to exported files.
Formula / code
formatDateTime(utcNow(), 'yyyy-MM-dd-HHmm')Expected result: Generated filenames sort chronologically.
Common mistakes
- Using slash characters in filenames
- Mixing local and UTC times
- Formatting too early before comparisons