Top 2 Methods to Export SharePoint List to PDF

SharePoint’s one of the most highly used features is list. It helps to maintain large and complex data efficiently. Although, it is a collaborative platform where users can collaborate on the same list of items. But when there is a need to share the list with external users including clients or vendors. Then it is required to download and share it with the external user. The PDF file format is the best among all file formats when there is a need to share confidential information. Unfortunately, SharePoint does not offer any direct option to export SharePoint list to PDF.

But you can export SharePoint list items to PDF file format using the Power Automate and Designer Workflow. You will find both methods in detail in the upcoming section. But before them, let’s see why you should generate PDFs of your SharePoint list items.

Advantages of Exporting SharePoint List Items to PDF

PDF files are known for their security, ease of sharing purposes, and a lot more. Let’s dive into them.

1. Users can lock the PDF files so that users can share the data without being worried about a data leak.
2. PDF files keep the data intact and ensure the data integrity.
3. PDF files are universally supported and open on any device or software easily.
4. Users can also use the PDF files to generate a hard copy of the data.
5. Sometimes users also export SharePoint lists into PDF files to resolve their SharePoint Online storage quota exceeded issues.
6. PDF files can be organized efficiently into folders, enhancing searchability and document management.

How to Export SharePoint List to PDF Using Power Automate?

SharePoint Power Automate can automate SharePoint tasks efficiently. So, here we will take an example of a table in which order entries are maintained. So, we automate the task of creating PDFs for every order. Also, do not forget to remove the unnecessary data. For instance, if you are aware of how to delete a column in SharePoint list, then you delete the unwanted columns from the list. Let’s see how to export SharePoint list items to PDF.

• Step 1. Launch Power Automate on your machine.
• Step 2. Start creating a new automated flow.
• Step 3. Provide the name to the flow, and choose when an item is created as the trigger action.
• Step 4. Now, click on the Create button.
• Step 5. In the opened trigger action pop-up, enter the Site Address and List Name. Add the Convert HTML to PDF action.
• Step 6. Assign a name for the upcoming PDF file.
• Step 7. Copy and Paste the HTML code into the field.
• Step 8. For interlacing the list item data, place the cursor at the target location in HTML and select the essential response field from the dynamic data.
• Step 9. Now, add the Create File SharePoint action
• Step 10. Enter the target site address, destination folder path to save PDF,
• Step 11. Select the file name and file content from the convert HTML to PDF action
• Step 12. Tick the checkbox “I ‘ll perform the trigger action” and hit the Save & Test button.
• Step 13. Now, you can check the targeted PDF has been created in the destination location.

Use SharePoint Designer to Export SharePoint List to PDF

SharePoint Designer is used to customize the sites and workflows. It provides ease of modifying the SharePoint sites, lists, and libraries. Even if the user is not capable of using high-end coding skills. Follow the below steps to automate the process of creating PDFs using designer workflow.

• Step 1. Start creating a new workflow using the SharePoint designer.
• Step 2. From the workflow screen, enable the automatically start options and move to the Next screen.
• Step 3. After adding the Convert HTML to PDF action in the workflow, enter the SharePoint list URL.
• Step 4. Assign the pathname and filename to save the resulting PDF file.
• Step 5. You can change the orientation of the pages: Portrait or Landscape.
• Step 6. It’s your choice to set the username or password.
• Step 7. Finally, click on Publish to activate the SharePoint designer workflow.

Final Words

Creating a PDF file of the SharePoint list is a great choice when you are sharing it with another one. You can export SharePoint list to PDF using the Power Automate and SharePoint Designer workflow. After that, you can easily share it with anyone whenever required.