Microsoft is making it easier for organizations to turn form submissions into automated business actions inside Microsoft Teams. Beginning in September 2026, the Teams Workflows app will introduce a new “A form is submitted” trigger, allowing users to build workflows around forms backed by SharePoint Lists.
The change may sound small, but it could have a meaningful impact on how teams collect information, share updates, and automate routine processes. Instead of manually checking form responses and copying information into Teams conversations, users will be able to create workflows that react automatically whenever someone submits a response.
The rollout is scheduled to begin with Targeted Release in early September 2026, followed by General Availability later in September. Microsoft expects the worldwide rollout to be completed by late October 2026.
For organizations already using Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Power Automate, the new capability fits into an environment many IT administrators and employees already understand.
What is the new “A form is submitted” trigger?
The new trigger is being added to the Microsoft Teams Workflows app. When users create a workflow from scratch, they will see “A form is submitted” as an available trigger.
Its purpose is straightforward: start an automated workflow whenever somebody submits a response through a form built on a SharePoint list.
The important detail here is that these aren’t isolated forms storing information somewhere outside an organization’s existing Microsoft 365 environment. The forms are backed by SharePoint Lists, and every submitted response is stored as a SharePoint list item.
That gives organizations a familiar foundation for managing the information they collect.
For example, imagine an IT department creating a simple equipment request form. An employee could submit a request for a laptop, monitor, or other equipment. Once the form is submitted, a Teams workflow could automatically post the relevant information into an IT support channel.
A similar approach could be used for HR requests, project updates, facilities issues, internal surveys, approvals, onboarding tasks, or customer-service processes.
Why this matters for Microsoft Teams users
One of the biggest advantages of the feature is that it reduces the gap between collecting information and acting on it.
Forms are useful because they provide a structured way to gather information. Teams is useful because it gives people a place to communicate and collaborate. Workflows connect the two.
Previously, a team might collect information through a form and then rely on someone to manually review the responses before sharing them with colleagues. With the new trigger, the response can become the starting point for an automated process.
Individual answers from the submitted form become available as workflow variables. This means creators can decide which pieces of information should be used in subsequent workflow actions.
For instance, a workflow could take the name of an employee, the type of request, the priority level, and a description from a form response and use those values when creating a Teams message.
That could make internal processes faster and, perhaps more importantly, more consistent.
Teams messages can include threaded details
Another interesting part of the update is the ability to organize form responses within Teams conversations.
Creators can post one response value as the parent message in a Teams channel and then publish the remaining response information as threaded replies.
This could be particularly useful for teams that deal with a large number of requests.
Instead of creating a long message containing every field from a form submission, a workflow could post the most important information first. Additional details could then appear as replies underneath the main message.
For example:
New IT Request: High Priority
The initial Teams message could identify the employee and request type, while threaded replies could contain the device requested, business justification, location, and additional comments.
That structure could make busy Teams channels easier to scan while still keeping the underlying information accessible.
SharePoint remains at the center of the experience
The use of SharePoint Lists is an important part of Microsoft’s approach.
Because the forms are backed by SharePoint, organizations can continue using familiar SharePoint capabilities for data management, governance, compliance, retention, and exporting information.
The backing SharePoint list can also be pinned as a tab in a Teams channel.
That creates another useful connection between the data and the conversation surrounding it. Teams members can have direct visibility into the underlying list while workflows help bring important updates into the channel.
For businesses already relying on SharePoint Lists for structured information, this could make the new Teams workflow capability particularly attractive.
Rather than introducing a completely separate data store, Microsoft is extending automation around resources organizations may already have in place.
Existing permissions still matter
For IT administrators, governance is likely to be one of the most important aspects of this announcement.
Microsoft says access to form responses follows the existing SharePoint site and list permissions.
In other words, the new feature doesn’t create a separate permission model for accessing submitted responses. Users still need appropriate access to the underlying SharePoint resources.
This is important because organizations can continue to manage access through controls they already understand.
The same principle applies to retention, compliance, and information governance. Form responses are stored as SharePoint list items, meaning existing SharePoint policies continue to apply.
For organizations with strict data-management requirements, this familiar governance model could make adoption easier.
No administrator action is required
Microsoft says the feature will be enabled automatically and that no admin action is required for the rollout.
However, “no action required” does not necessarily mean administrators should ignore the change.
Microsoft recommends that administrators notify users about the new trigger and update internal documentation covering Teams Workflows and form-based business processes.
This is especially relevant for larger organizations where users may create forms and workflows independently.
IT teams may want to provide guidance on where employees should create forms and their backing SharePoint Lists. Keeping these resources inside appropriately governed SharePoint sites can help ensure that collected information remains subject to the organization’s existing policies.
Existing controls will continue to apply
Organizations that already restrict SharePoint site or list creation will continue to have those restrictions.
Likewise, organizations that limit access to the Workflows app or use Power Automate Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies will continue to have those controls applied.
This is an important distinction because the feature isn’t intended to bypass existing administrative policies.
If an organization’s DLP configuration prevents the trigger from being used, the new capability won’t simply override that configuration.
Workflow executions will also use the connections and permissions of the workflow creator. That makes it important for organizations to think carefully about who is creating workflows and which SharePoint resources those workflows can access.
What happens to existing Power Automate workflows?
There is also good news for organizations already using Power Automate.
Microsoft says existing workflows that use the equivalent trigger in Power Automate are not affected by this change. They will continue to operate as they do today.
The Teams Workflows update is therefore better viewed as an additional way for users to build automation around forms rather than as a replacement for existing Power Automate workflows.
For experienced Power Automate users, the distinction may be less significant. For everyday Teams users, however, bringing the capability directly into the Teams Workflows experience could make automation more approachable.
Potential real-world use cases
The new trigger could support a wide range of business processes.
An HR department could use it to collect employee requests and automatically notify the appropriate HR Teams channel.
A facilities team could collect maintenance requests and immediately create a Teams notification containing the issue and location.
A project team could use a SharePoint-backed form for weekly status updates and automatically post submitted updates into a project channel.
IT departments could collect support requests, equipment requests, or access requirements and route them to the appropriate team.
Sales teams could potentially use structured forms for internal handoffs, while operations teams could collect incident reports and automatically notify relevant stakeholders.
The common thread is simple: a structured submission can become an automated collaboration event.
What organizations should do before rollout
Although administrators don’t need to manually enable the feature, this rollout is a good opportunity to review existing Teams and SharePoint processes.
Organizations should consider reviewing:
- Who can create Teams Workflows.
- Which users can create SharePoint Lists and sites.
- Where business-critical forms and lists are stored.
- Existing SharePoint permissions.
- Retention and compliance policies.
- Power Automate DLP policies.
- Internal guidance for creating workflows.
- Existing manual processes that could benefit from automation.
The goal isn’t necessarily to automate everything. Instead, organizations should identify repetitive processes where a form submission routinely triggers the same notification, routing, or collaboration action.
Rollout timeline
Microsoft’s current schedule divides the rollout into two phases.
Targeted Release worldwide is scheduled to begin in early September 2026 and is expected to finish by late September.
General Availability worldwide is scheduled to begin in late September and is expected to complete by late October 2026.
That means organizations may see the feature appear at different times depending on their release configuration.
Users who have access to create workflows in Teams are the primary group affected by the change.
The bigger picture
Microsoft Teams has increasingly evolved beyond being simply a chat and meeting application. With SharePoint, Power Automate, Lists, and Workflows working together, Teams is becoming a place where information can be collected, processed, discussed, and acted upon.
The new “A form is submitted” trigger is another step in that direction.
Its real value won’t necessarily come from the trigger itself. The bigger opportunity is what organizations build around it. A simple form can become the entry point for a complete business process, with SharePoint providing the data foundation, Teams providing collaboration, and Workflows handling the automation.
For employees, that could mean fewer repetitive tasks. For managers, it could mean faster visibility into incoming requests. For IT teams, it provides another automation option while retaining existing governance controls.
As the feature rolls out through September and October 2026, organizations should start thinking about where structured form submissions could replace manual handoffs.
Microsoft Teams is making it easier to turn collected information into action—and the combination of SharePoint Lists and Workflows could make that automation accessible to far more everyday users.
Extra posts:
Microsoft Teams Rooms Gets Smarter: AI-Powered Facilitator Brings Real-Time Meeting Notes to Physical Meeting Rooms 
Microsoft Teams Gets a Workflow Upgrade: Multiple Steps Could Transform Everyday Automation 
Introduction to SharePoint Agents AI-Powered Automation for Smarter Workflows 
Microsoft Teams Is Getting a Smarter Way to Manage Channel Notifications 
Microsoft Teams Gets Smarter With Personalized Multilingual Meeting Recaps 
Microsoft Teams Is Getting a Smarter Meeting Assistant: Facilitator Can Now Join Channel Meetings