How to Download Dataverse File from Gallery in PowerApps – Complete Step-by-Step Guide

When building apps with PowerApps and Dataverse, displaying and downloading documents stored in file columns can be tricky — especially when those files are stored in Azure Blob Storage behind the scenes. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to:

✔️ Display files in a PowerApps gallery
✔️ Show the file name from a Dataverse file column
✔️ Add a Download button that uses the Dataverse Web API
✔️ Make your app portable using environment variables

Let’s dive in!

📊 1. Setting Up the Dataverse Table

We start with a Dataverse table named Case Document having the following columns:

🔹 Case Number (AutoNumber)
🔹 Title (Text)
🔹 File (File data type – where uploaded documents are stored)

Our goal is to preview file names in a Canvas App and provide a button to download the file.

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🖼️ 2. Displaying Files in PowerApps Gallery

In the PowerApps Canvas App:

1. Add a Vertical Gallery
2. Set its data source to the Case Document table
3. Show:
   • ThisItem.CaseNumber for the Case ID
   • ThisItem.File.FileName for the file name

🔧 Use the dot operator (.) to access file properties like FileName and Value.

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⬇️ 3. Creating the Download Button

Add a Download Icon/Button next to each file.

In its OnSelect property, use:

Download("YOUR_WEB_API_URL_HERE")

To find the Web API URL, go to the record in Dataverse, right-click the file, and copy the link.

But this is a static link! Let’s now make it dynamic 👇

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🔗 4. Constructing the Dynamic Web API URL

The pattern for the URL is:

<environment_url>/api/data/v9.0/<plural_table_name>(<GUID>)/<column_name>/$value

To construct this dynamically:

Download("https://<env>.crm.dynamics.com/api/data/v9.0/case_documents(" & ThisItem.case_documentid & ")/file_column/$value")

Replace case_documents, case_documentid, and file_column with your actual table and column names.

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🧠 5. Making the Environment URL Dynamic

Instead of hardcoding the environment URL, use an Environment Variable:

🔸 Go to Power Apps > Solutions
🔸 Create a new Environment Variable (e.g., EnvironmentURL)
🔸 Set its current value to your environment URL

Then, in PowerApps, connect to:

✔ Environment Variable Definitions
✔ Environment Variable Values

Use this Power Fx to retrieve the environment URL dynamically:

LookUp(
  'Environment Variable Values',
  'Environment Variable Definition'.'Display Name' = "EnvironmentURL"
).Value

Combine it with your download URL logic using string concatenation.

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✅ 6. Final Test

Now, clicking the download icon on any file:

✔ Dynamically constructs the API URL
✔ Downloads the file instantly
✔ Works across environments with no hardcoding

👏 Success!