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We have customized a SharePoint list using Power Apps. Can someone explain where the published Power apps' files (app package) are stored?

https://make.powerapps.com/ does not seem to have these Apps listed: enter image description here

I have noticed that lists, customized with Power Apps have this folder created: {ListURL}/_PowerAppsCache/{AppID}/: enter image description here

I have looked into it and I am not sure if that's the entire PowerApps' files. Is there another location that contains all PowerApps files? Or maybe a Power App is actually created on the make.powerapps.com, but somehow hidden from the UI?

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I don't see any official documentation explicitly indicating where these files are stored.

But I seem to have found these files through SharePoint designer.

These files are tied together with lists, You can find it in the following way:

SharePoint designer - All files - Lists - list name - PowerAppsCache

enter image description here

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  • hi @Binggo_MSFT. I don't actually think this answer is correct. I've played around a little more with this. When I click on 'Customize this form with Power Apps', I am redirected to the following URL: "create.powerapps.com/studio/…{App id}" as you can see, there is no reference to the _PowerAppCache folder. Somehow, the Form Power Apps is stored inside Power App platform, not in SharePoint. Jan 22, 2020 at 2:23
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List Form Power Apps are stored in a default Power App envrionment

List forms Power Apps are in fact full-blown canvas apps with a few distinctive features:

  • Only available in the Default environment.
  • Do not require users to have a Power Apps license to work with them.
  • Hidden from the UI in https://make.powerapp.com
  • Can only be run from a context of SharePoint, via an iFrame.
  • Can't be explicitly shared. Permissions are "inherited" from a SharePoint list.

You can list all of these hidden Power Apps via PowerShell:

    Install-Module -Name Microsoft.PowerApps.Administration.PowerShell
    Install-Module -Name Microsoft.PowerApps.PowerShell -AllowClobber
    Add-PowerAppsAccount
    Get-AdminPowerApp

enter image description here

While the app is hidden, you can still open it via a direct link: https://make.powerapps.com/environments/{environmentID}/apps page.

Alternatively, if you have an App ID, you can navigate to it either via a direct URL: https://create.powerapps.com/studio/#action=sp-edit-formdata&app-id={appID} or https://make.powerapps.com/environments/{environment}/apps/{appID}/details

enter image description here

Since this is just a canvas app, we can also see all versions of this Power Apps in the "Versions" tab.

enter image description here

You can export this Power App as any other canvas app:

enter image description here

_PowerAppsCache folder

The _PowerAppsCache folder contains cached files related to the Power App player (Aka. AppMagic.PublishedApp.Player.js). The Power Apps player is hosted in a https://pa-content.azureedge.net site and is exposed in your SharePoint list via an iFrame.

enter image description here

You can delete the _PowerAppCache folder list and your Power App form will still load with no issues.

enter image description here

Long story short, Power Apps are not stored in SharePoint and the _PowerAppCache folder does contain any Power Apps.

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When you customize the form of SP list, it is not actually Power app so it won't be visible in powerapps. You can modify view and publish this form using only list from where it is created.

To change whether or not to use the custom form or default form, you can go to list settings->form settings and change it here. You can also delete custom form from here.

enter image description here

Text from below link If you customize the form for a SharePoint list, the form doesn't appear as an app in Power Apps Studio or Power Apps Mobile. You can open the form only from the list for which you created it.

Ref link - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps/maker/canvas-apps/customize-list-form

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  • 2
    I think the question is where this form is actually stored in SharePoint site?
    – Ravi
    Jan 20, 2020 at 5:43
  • I think he would understand.... :) Jan 20, 2020 at 5:53
  • 2
    Question and answer on this community is not limited to a single user, it should be clear enough to help all the users and I did not get the answer to the question that where it is stored in SharePoint. It would be great if you can update that too in your answer.
    – Ravi
    Jan 20, 2020 at 7:01
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While the original person may have no longer need this assistance, this problem still exists for users today, so I'll share what worked for me today when attempting to find PowerApps "location". My reason was to RECOVER my CANVAS PowerApp back to a previous working version. (My Canvas App also was NOT listed in make.powerapps.com > Apps.)

I found the directory I sought via the process below. From this location, if you want a copy of a file - you can recover it & export it.

INSTRUCTIONS:

HOW TO: View/Recover Sharepoint CANVAS Power App Versions, NOT listed in "Apps" on make.powerapps.com:

  1. Open sharepoint list
  2. Click Settings icon > List Settings
  3. Click Form Settings
  4. Under use a custom form created in PowerApps... there's a link to VERSIONS, click it
  5. On page load, click Versions tab
  6. To Recover > select a version and click RECOVER.
  7. To Export/Download > select Export --> it auto downloads a Zip

Visual guide of SharePoint UI of Steps written above

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