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# SharePoint Alerts Are Gone: How to Get Notified Now
- URL: https://seanshares.com/sharepoint-alerts-replacement-rules/
- Published: 2026-11-12T18:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-12T18:00:00.000Z
- Description: SharePoint alerts were retired in July 2026. Here's how to get the same emails back with SharePoint rules, what rules can't do, and when to use Power Automate instead.
- Author: Sean Shares
- Tags: SharePoint, #user, #admin

If you used to click **Alert me** in a SharePoint library and get an email every time someone changed a file, you've probably noticed those emails stopped. Microsoft retired SharePoint alerts in July 2026, and existing alerts no longer work. The good news is that you can get the same notifications back, usually in a couple of minutes, with a SharePoint rule.

This guide shows you how to set up a rule that emails you when a file is added, changed or deleted, what rules can and can't do compared to the old alerts, and when it's worth moving up to Power Automate instead. It's written for regular SharePoint users, not admins, so you don't need any special permissions beyond being able to edit the library.

## What Happened to SharePoint Alerts?

Alerts were one of the oldest features in SharePoint. You could subscribe to a library, a list, a folder or a single file and get an email when anything changed. They were simple, and a lot of people relied on them without ever thinking about it.

Microsoft phased them out over about a year:

- July 2025: new tenants could no longer create alerts.
- October 2025: existing alerts started expiring 30 days after they first ran. You could extend them, but only 30 days at a time.
- January 2026: creating new alerts was turned off for all tenants.
- July 2026: alerts were fully retired, and existing alerts stopped working.

Here's the confusing part. In my test tenant, the **Alert me** and **Manage my alerts** options are still in the library menu. If you click **Alert me**, the old dialog still opens, but there's a banner across the top saying alerts are retired and will stop working. In my testing, the **OK** button stayed grayed out. So if you set one up recently and never got an email, that's why.

![SharePoint Alert me when items change dialog with the red retirement banner highlighted, saying SharePoint Alerts will be fully retired starting July 2026](https://seanshares.com/content/images/2026/11/sp-alerts-retirement-banner.png)

Microsoft's replacements are SharePoint rules for simple notifications and Power Automate for anything more involved. For most people who just want an email when a file changes, a rule is the right answer.

## What Are SharePoint Rules?

A rule is a small automation you build right inside a list or library. You pick something that should trigger it, like a file being added, and then pick what should happen, like sending an email. There's no flow designer and nothing to install. You build the rule by filling in a sentence.

For a document library, the triggers in the current version of SharePoint are:

- **A file or metadata is modified**
- **A new file is added**
- **A file is deleted**
- **A date approaches**

Lists have the same kinds of triggers, worded around items instead of files.

Rules started out as a notification tool only, but they can do more now. The actions in my test tenant are **send an email to**, **copy file to**, **move file to** and **set the value**. For replacing alerts, you'll mostly use the email action, but the others are handy once you get comfortable.

## Before You Start

There are a few things to know before you build your first rule.

- You need Contribute permission on the list or library. If you can upload and edit files there, you're fine. If you can only view, ask the site owner to set the rule up or give you edit access. Not sure what level you have? My guide to [SharePoint permissions](https://seanshares.com/sharepoint-online-permissions-explained-sites-libraries-and-files/) explains the differences.
- Rules apply to the whole library or list. Unlike alerts, you can't attach a rule to just one folder or one file. There's a workaround with conditions further down.
- Rules affect everyone. A rule lives on the library, not on your account. Other people with edit access can see it on the **Manage rules** page. That's different from alerts, which were personal.
- Emails come from SharePoint. Rule notifications are sent from `no-reply@sharepointonline.com`, not from the person who made the change.

## How to Get an Email When a File Changes

This is the closest thing to the old "alert me when anything changes" setup. I'll use a document library, but the steps are almost the same in a list.

1. Open the SharePoint site and go to the document library you want to watch.
2. Select the **...** (more options) button in the library toolbar.
3. Point to **Integrate**, then select **Rules**.

![SharePoint document library more options menu open with Integrate highlighted and the Rules option highlighted in the submenu](https://seanshares.com/content/images/2026/11/sp-integrate-rules-menu.png)

If the library doesn't have any rules yet, SharePoint goes straight to the **Create a rule** page. If it already has rules, you'll see the **Manage rules** page first, where you can select the option to create a new one. Some older screenshots and help articles show this menu as **Automate** instead of **Integrate**. It's the same feature, Microsoft just renamed the menu.

1. Under **Take action when**, choose a trigger. To match the old "something changed" alert, pick **A file or metadata is modified**.

![SharePoint Create a rule page with the four triggers highlighted: A file or metadata is modified, A new file is added, A file is deleted, and A date approaches](https://seanshares.com/content/images/2026/11/sp-create-a-rule-conditions.png)

1. SharePoint shows the rule as a sentence: *When a file is modified, if \[column\] changes and the new value \[condition\], send an email to \[person\]*.
2. Select **if** and change it to **always** if you want an email for any change. Leave it on **if (condition)** if you only care about certain changes. More on that below.
3. Next to **send an email to**, type your name or the names of the people who should be notified.
4. Optionally, add text under **Add a custom message**. You can type **/** in that box to insert dynamic content from the file, such as its name or a column value.
5. Select **Create**.

![SharePoint rule statement reading When a file is modified, always send an email to, with the always and send an email to options highlighted and the Add a custom message box below](https://seanshares.com/content/images/2026/11/sp-rule-always-send-email.png)

That's it. The rule turns on as soon as you create it, and it shows up on the **Manage rules** page for the library.

If you also want to know when files are added or deleted, create a second rule with **A new file is added** and a third with **A file is deleted**. The old alerts had one "all changes" option. Rules split it into separate triggers, so you need one rule per type of change you care about.

## Choosing the Right Trigger

Each trigger matches a different kind of old alert. Here's how I'd map them.

### A New File Is Added

This is the most useful one for most people. It's perfect for a shared drop-off library, an invoices folder or a library where a vendor or another team uploads files for you to review. You get one email per new file, which is usually what you want.

### A File or Metadata Is Modified

This fires when someone edits a file or changes one of its columns. Set to **always**, it can get noisy fast. With co-authoring and AutoSave, a single editing session in Word or Excel can count as several changes, so think about whether you really need every edit. Often it's better to use a condition, like "when the Status column changes to Approved."

### A File Is Deleted

Useful for libraries where files shouldn't disappear, like signed contracts or final reports. If you get one of these and the deletion wasn't supposed to happen, the file usually goes to the site's recycle bin first. My post on [how deletion works in SharePoint](https://seanshares.com/how-to-permanently-delete-file-sharepoint/) explains how long files stay recoverable.

### A Date Approaches

This one didn't really exist as an alert. It sends an email a set number of days before or after a date column, like a contract end date or a review date. Microsoft notes you can only have two date-based rules per list or library, so use them for the dates that matter most.

## Only Getting Notified About the Changes You Care About

This is where rules are actually better than alerts. Old alerts were all or nothing. Rules let you add a condition so you only hear about changes that matter.

Leave the rule on **if (condition)** and fill in the sentence. For example:

- When a file is modified, if *Status* changes and the new value is *Approved*, send an email to the project lead.
- When a file is modified, if *Assigned To* changes, send an email to the person in that column.
- When a file is modified, if *Amount* changes and the new value is greater than 5,000, send an email to the finance manager.

The second example is a nice trick. Instead of typing a name, you can pick a person column, and the email goes to whoever is listed in that column for that file. That's how you make a rule feel personal even though it's set up once for the whole library.

Conditions are also the workaround for not being able to target a single folder. If you only care about files for one client or one project, add a column like *Client* or *Project*, fill it in, and base the rule on that column instead of the folder. It's a better way to organize files anyway. If you're using SharePoint's [approvals](https://seanshares.com/how-to-create-a-sharepoint-approval-workflow/), the approval status column is a natural thing to build a rule around.

## Rules Can Do More Than Send Email

When you select **send an email to** in the rule sentence, you'll see the other actions available.

![SharePoint rule action dropdown with send an email to, copy file to, move file to, and set the value options highlighted](https://seanshares.com/content/images/2026/11/sp-rule-actions.png)

- **copy file to** copies the file to another folder or library when the trigger fires.
- **move file to** moves it instead, which is handy for a simple "incoming" to "processed" setup.
- **set the value** changes a column on the file automatically, like setting a status when a file is added.

You don't need any of these to replace an alert, but they're worth knowing about. A lot of small chores people used to handle by hand after getting an alert email can now just happen on their own.

## Managing, Editing and Turning Off Rules

Once a library has at least one rule, go back to **...** \> **Integrate** \> **Rules** to open the **Manage rules** page. From there you can turn a rule on or off, edit it or delete it.

Turning a rule off is the safer choice when you're going on vacation or a project goes quiet. You keep the setup and can switch it back on later. Since other people with edit access can see the rules too, give your rules recognizable recipients and messages so nobody deletes one thinking it's abandoned.

## What Rules Don't Do

Rules cover most of what people used alerts for, but they aren't a one-to-one replacement. Here's what's missing.

- No folder or single-file rules. A rule watches the whole library or list. Use a column condition or Power Automate if you need narrower scope.
- No daily or weekly summary. Alerts could send a digest. Rules send one email per event. If you want a summary, you need Power Automate.
- No "only changes made by others" option. Alerts could skip your own edits. Rules can't filter by who made the change.
- No group email addresses. You can send to individual people or a person column, but Microsoft says you can't send to a group email address.
- No multi-line text conditions. Rules based on a multi-line text column aren't supported.
- Not on every library. The **Site Pages** library, where SharePoint pages live, doesn't offer rules. To get notified when a page changes, you need Power Automate.
- No text messages. Alerts had an SMS option that most tenants never used. Rules are email only.

## When to Use Power Automate Instead

If you hit one of those limits, Power Automate is the next step. It's more work to set up, but it can watch a specific folder, skip changes you made yourself, send a daily summary, or post to a Teams channel instead of sending email.

You don't have to build a flow from scratch. Microsoft's retirement guidance points to ready-made Power Automate templates that match the old alert types:

- **Send an email when a SharePoint list item or file is updated** (replaces "changes to an item")
- **Send an email for changes by others to a SharePoint list item or file** (replaces "someone else changes an item")
- **Send an email for changes to a SharePoint list item or file created by me** (replaces "someone else changes an item created by me")
- **Send an email when a new SharePoint file is created** (replaces "item created" for libraries)

Search for those names in the Power Automate template gallery, or start from **...** \> **Integrate** \> **Flows** in the library. A couple of things to keep in mind with flows:

- A flow belongs to the person who created it. If that person leaves, the flow can stop working, so for anything important, make sure someone else is a co-owner.
- Flows check for changes on a schedule, so the email may arrive a few minutes after the change, and several quick edits may come through together.
- Your organization may limit who can create flows. If Power Automate is blocked for you, talk to your IT team.

My rule of thumb: try a rule first. If a rule can do it, it's simpler, it lives with the library, and it doesn't break when someone changes jobs. Use a flow only when you need something a rule can't do.

## Setting Up Rules with Copilot

If your organization has Copilot in SharePoint, there's a shortcut. In a document library, select the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner and choose **Set up rules**. You can then describe what you want in plain English, something like "Email me when a new file is added and the Status is Ready for review." Copilot builds the rule and shows it to you before you select **Create**.

It's the same rule feature underneath, so the same limits apply. It just saves you from clicking through the sentence builder. You still need to save the changes to the library for the rule to start running.

## Tips for Living Without Alerts

- Start small. One **A new file is added** rule covers most real needs. Add more only if you find yourself missing something.
- Filter the emails. Since every rule email comes from `no-reply@sharepointonline.com`, an [Outlook rule](https://seanshares.com/how-to-create-and-manage-rules-in-outlook/) can move them into their own folder so they don't bury your inbox.
- Use @mentions for people. If you need a specific person to look at a file, @mention them in a comment in Word, Excel or PowerPoint. They get an email with a link to that exact spot, which is usually better than a generic change notification.
- Check the file activity. If you just want to know what changed recently, open the library's details pane. It shows recent activity on the library or the selected file without any setup.
- Clean up old alerts. If **Manage my alerts** still lists alerts on your sites, they won't do anything now. Recreate the important ones as rules and let the rest go.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Why did my SharePoint alerts stop working?

Microsoft retired SharePoint alerts in July 2026\. Existing alerts no longer send email, and you can't create new ones. Recreate the ones you need as SharePoint rules or Power Automate flows.

### Can I still use Alert me in SharePoint?

The **Alert me** option may still appear in some library menus, but it no longer works. The dialog shows a retirement banner, and you won't get notifications from it.

### Who can create a SharePoint rule?

Anyone with Contribute (edit) permission on the list or library. You don't need to be a site owner or an admin. If you only have view access, ask the site owner to create the rule or give you edit permission.

### Can a SharePoint rule watch a single folder?

No. A rule applies to the whole library or list. To narrow it down, base the rule on a column value, or use Power Automate, which can filter by folder path.

### Do other people see my rules?

Yes. Rules belong to the library, so anyone with edit access can see them on the **Manage rules** page and turn them off or change them. That's different from alerts, which were private to each person.

## Final Thoughts

Losing alerts felt like a step backward for a lot of people, but rules end up being a better tool once you set them up. You can notify the right person based on a column, skip the noise with conditions, and even have SharePoint move or update files for you. The trade-off is that rules belong to the library rather than to you, so they're a shared setup instead of a private subscription.

If you relied on alerts, take ten minutes this week to rebuild the two or three that really mattered as rules. For anything a rule can't handle, like a single folder or a daily summary, that's when Power Automate is worth the extra effort.

*Sources:* [*SharePoint Alerts retirement*](https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/SharePoint/admin/sharepoint-alerts-retirement?ref=seanshares.com)*,* [*Create a rule to automate a list or library*](https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/SharePoint/lists/documents-and-library/create-a-rule-to-automate-a-list-or-library?ref=seanshares.com)*,* [*Automate workflows in a SharePoint document library*](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/copilot-in-sharepoint-automate-workflows?ref=seanshares.com)*,* [*Microsoft SharePoint Connector in Power Automate*](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/business-apps/power-automate/sharepoint-connector-actions-triggers?ref=seanshares.com)*,* [*MC1072889*](https://mc.merill.net/message/MC1072889?ref=seanshares.com)*.*