Navigation and file operations on SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint • Microsoft Graph • Mindflow

Overview

This guide explains how to navigate SharePoint files and folders through Mindflow using Microsoft Graph steps (Sites + Files). It extends this page with the key identifiers you will see in Graph responses and how to chain them to list folders/files and download content.

Key concepts (Site ID, Drive ID, Drive Item ID)

When working with SharePoint content via Microsoft Graph, you will typically manipulate three identifiers:

• Site ID
  • Identifies a SharePoint site (example: a team site such as https://…sharepoint.com/sites/Demo).
  • You usually obtain it first (from a prior step or an input variable), then use it to list drives.
• Drive ID
  • Identifies a document library inside a site (Graph calls it a “drive”).
  • You obtain it by listing drives for a given site.
• Drive item ID
  • Identifies an item inside a drive.
  • A drive item can be:
    • a folder (that you can list children for)
    • a file (that you can download / read metadata for)
  • Special case: root is a valid drive item reference representing the top-level of the drive.

About @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl

Many Graph “drive item” responses include a @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl:

• It is a pre-authenticated direct download link generated by Microsoft.
• It typically expires, so you should avoid storing it long-term.
• Best practice: generate / use it close to the moment you need to download.
• In folder traversal flows, you will see fresh @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl values returned again when you list children and inspect individual items.

Note

Do not treat @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl as a stable identifier. Use IDs (site/drive/driveItem) for navigation, and use @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl as an ephemeral download convenience.

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Navigating sites and folders (typical chain)

Below is the most common navigation pattern:

1. List drives from a site (Sites)
2. Pick the correct drive ID (document library)
3. List children of a drive item (Files) starting from root or from a folder drive item ID
4. For each returned item:
   • If it is a folder: keep its drive item ID to list deeper
   • If it is a file: use its metadata (including @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl) for file operations

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Step 1 — List drives from a site

Mindflow step: Microsoft Graph - Sites → “Get drives from sites (sites_ListDrives…)”

Inputs

• Site id (required)
  • The SharePoint site identifier you want to browse.

Output (what to look for)

The response returns a list of drives (document libraries). Typical fields:

• value[n].id → Drive ID (this is what you will pass to the Files steps)
• value[n].name → Human-readable library name (example: Documents)
• value[n].webUrl → The SharePoint URL for that library
• value[n].driveType → Often documentLibrary

Example screenshots (sensitive data obfuscated)

• Screenshot 1 — List drives step (input): shows the “Get drives from sites …” step with the Site id field populated.

  

• Screenshot 2 — List drives step (output): highlights the returned value[0].id (Drive ID), name, and webUrl.

  

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Step 2 — List children from the drive root

Mindflow step: Microsoft Graph - Files → “List children of a driveItem”

Inputs

• Drive id (required)
  • Use the drive id returned by the previous step.
• Drive item id (required)
  • Use root to start from the top level of the document library.

Output (what to look for)

The response returns the items directly under that folder:

• value[n].id → Drive item ID
• value[n].name → File or folder name
• value[n].folder → Present when the item is a folder
• value[n].file → Present when the item is a file
• value[n].webUrl → Browser link in SharePoint
• value[n].@microsoft.graph.downloadUrl → Pre-authenticated download URL (ephemeral)

Example screenshots (sensitive data obfuscated)

Add the screenshot(s) below:

• Screenshot — Root children listing (input): shows Drive id = … and Drive item id = root.

  

• Screenshot — Root children listing (output): highlights the returned value array and at least one item’s id, name, and (when present) @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl.

  

• Screenshot — Additional children listing example (output with download URL): highlights the @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl field returned for a file item (example download link).

  

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Step 3 — Traverse into a folder (repeatable)

Mindflow step: Microsoft Graph - Files → “List children of a driveItem”

Inputs

• Drive id (required)
  • Same drive ID as before.
• Drive item id (required)
  • Set to the folder’s value[n].id returned by the previous listing.

Output

Same shape as the root listing, but scoped to that folder.

Example screenshots (sensitive data obfuscated)

Add the screenshot(s) below:

• Screenshot — Folder children listing (input): shows Drive item id set from the selected folder’s id (variable/token).

  

• Screenshot — Folder children listing (output): highlights the folder name (e.g., GRC Demo) and the items returned inside it.

  

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Downloading, uploading, and sharing files

This section shows common file operations you can implement once you can navigate to the correct drive item.

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Download a file (using @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl)

A common pattern is:

1. Identify the target file drive item (from a folder listing)
2. Read its @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl
3. Perform an HTTP GET on that URL to retrieve the binary content

Inputs

• @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl
  • Use the @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl returned by Microsoft Graph for the target file.

Output (what to look for)

• The HTTP response body contains the file bytes (content-type depends on the file: XLSX/PDF/etc.).

Note

@microsoft.graph.downloadUrl is time-limited. Generate it close to the download operation and avoid storing it.

Example screenshots (sensitive data obfuscated)

Add the screenshot(s) below:

• Screenshot — HTTP Request (input): shows an HTTP step configured with Method = GET and URL = MICROSOFT.GRAPH.DOWNLOADURL.

  

• Screenshot — HTTP Request (output) (Screenshot 2026-03-25 at 15.48.18.png): shows a successful response (code = 200, status = OK) and the returned binary content-type.

  

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Copy a file

When you need to produce an output file in SharePoint (for example, a result workbook based on a template), the simplest approach is often to copy an existing reference/template file into a destination folder, optionally renaming it.

This avoids dealing with raw upload/update semantics and keeps your flow based on drive item IDs.

Example: “Copy” a file into a folder

Mindflow step: Microsoft Graph - Files → “Copy”

Inputs

• Drive id
  • The drive (document library) that contains the source item.
• Drive item id
  • The source file drive item ID to copy.
• Name
  • The destination filename.
• Item reference.id
  • The destination folder drive item ID (where the copy should be created).

Output (what to look for)

• A response indicating the copy job has been accepted.
• In most cases, you then list the destination folder to retrieve the new file’s drive item ID.

Example screenshots (sensitive data obfuscated)

Add the screenshot(s) below:

• Screenshot — Copy step (input): shows Drive id, Drive item id (source), Name, and Item reference.id (destination folder).

  

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Retrieve the copied/new file (list children + filter)

After a copy/upload, you often need to retrieve the newly created file’s drive item ID.

Mindflow step: Microsoft Graph → Files → “List children of a driveItem”

Inputs

• Drive id
  • The drive where the destination folder lives.
• Drive item id
  • The destination folder drive item ID (example: RESULTFOLDERID).
• Filter (optional — enable via the Advanced button shown in the screenshot)
  • You can filter the results by file name using Microsoft Graph filter syntax.
  • Use the operator eq and wrap the expected name in single quotes.
  • The value must be the full file name, including its extension.
  • Example: name eq 'FILENAME'

Output (what to look for)

• The returned item entry for the file (capture its id, name, and optionally @microsoft.graph.downloadUrl).

Example screenshots (sensitive data obfuscated)

Add the screenshot(s) below:

• Screenshot — List children (input): shows the destination Drive item id and a Filter by name.