Modern controls in Power Apps: how to enable and use them

What are Modern Controls in Power Apps?

Modern controls in Power Apps are a real step forward in how user interfaces are built and experienced, especially within canvas apps. These controls are developed using the Microsoft Fluent 2 Design System—a framework designed to bring a sense of consistency, accessibility, and a fresh, modern look across Microsoft’s entire lineup. If you’re building apps for your business or just trying to make your team’s processes more efficient, these controls can help you deliver a cleaner, more appealing experience for everyone involved.

It’s worth considering that classic controls sometimes fell short when it came to theming options, styling, or meeting accessibility requirements. Modern controls were created to address these gaps. With them, Microsoft is offering a toolkit that’s easier to use, simpler to customize, and much more in tune with today’s business needs. Whether you’re working for a small business or a large enterprise, these controls help ensure your apps aren’t just functional—they look and feel up-to-date.

Another important thing to know is that modern controls are built for speed and accessibility. Apps that use them tend to load faster and are easier to use for people with disabilities. Thanks to the Fluent 2 Design System, your app will look consistent whether it’s on a desktop, tablet, or mobile device, which definitely makes life simpler when you’re supporting a diverse user base.

On top of this, modern controls make it easier to comply with accessibility standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act here in the United States. This is especially helpful for organizations in government, education, or healthcare, where meeting legal requirements for digital accessibility isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a must. If your company wants to reach all users, including those using assistive technologies, these controls are a smart choice.

How to Enable Modern Controls in Power Apps

Getting started with modern controls in Power Apps is pretty straightforward, but there are a few steps you’ll want to follow to make sure everything goes smoothly:

• Double-check that your Power Apps environment is up to date and supports the latest features, since modern controls and themes aren’t available everywhere just yet and sometimes require the most recent platform updates.
• Open up Power Apps Studio and head to the settings panel.
• Look for a section called “Upcoming features” or sometimes “Updates.”
• You’ll see the option for “Modern controls and themes.” Simply toggle this on.
• Refresh your app or restart the studio so the changes can take effect.

Once you’ve enabled modern controls, you’ll see them appear in the controls insertion menu. You can start adding them to your canvas app just like you would with classic controls. It’s possible to mix both modern and classic controls in one app, but if you want your app to look clean and professional, keeping a consistent style is the way to go.

For organizations, especially those with strict IT policies, it’s a best practice to test modern controls in a development or sandbox environment first. This gives your team a chance to check compatibility with existing data sources, connectors, and any custom components you might have. If your company has a formal change management process, you might need to coordinate with your Power Platform administrators or even reach out to Microsoft support before rolling this out to everyone. That way, you avoid any surprises and make sure you’re following company standards.

Complete List of Modern Controls Available

Power Apps keeps expanding its lineup of modern controls, making it easier for you to build apps that look sharp and work smoothly. Some of the most popular modern controls you’ll find include:

• Badge: great for showing quick status updates or labels.
• Button: lets users trigger actions and now comes with better customization.
• Checkbox: designed for clear and accessible yes/no input.
• Date Picker: makes picking dates easier and more intuitive.
• Dropdown: for offering a list of choices in a neat way.
• Text Input: for capturing user entries with improved validation and style.
• Radio Group: where users can select one option from a set.
• Slider: handy for choosing values within a range.
• Progress Bar: visually tracks how far along a process is.
• Table: perfect for displaying data in a way that adapts to any screen size.
• Toggle: a simple on/off switch with clear feedback.
• Link: for navigation or quick actions with a uniform look.
• Spinner: shows when something’s loading or processing.
• Chip: used for tags or selections in a compact format.
• File Attachment: makes uploading files more user-friendly.

More controls are always being added, so the possibilities keep growing. For example, Badge and Chip controls come in handy for business process automation, letting you display statuses or tags at a glance. The Table control is a favorite for dashboards and reports, especially when you’re pulling data from Microsoft Dataverse or SharePoint. File Attachment and Link controls simplify document management or approval workflows, which is a big plus for larger organizations. If you want to stay on top of new features, it’s worth checking the official Power Apps release notes regularly.

Modern vs Classic Controls: Key Differences

When you compare modern controls to the older, classic ones, there are a few key differences that can really impact how you build apps and how your users experience them. For starters, modern controls are built using the Fluent 2 Design System, while classic controls stick to older styling conventions.

One of the big wins with modern controls is how they handle theming. You get a consistent look for colors, fonts, and layouts across your whole app, making branding much easier to manage. Classic controls might let you tweak more details, but you often end up spending extra time trying to get everything to match.

Accessibility is another area where modern controls shine. They come with built-in features for keyboard navigation, screen readers, and high-contrast modes, so you don’t have to jump through hoops to make your app inclusive. With classic controls, you might need to do extra setup to get the same level of accessibility.

Performance is also improved. Modern controls are optimized to load quickly and feel responsive, which is especially important if your apps are complex or used by a lot of people.

That said, there are a few trade-offs. Not every feature from classic controls is available in the modern set just yet. For example, if you’re used to advanced customization, dynamic visibility, or special data bindings, you might find some limitations. Because of this, some developers mix both types of controls in one app, depending on what’s needed.

Take the Button control as a real-world example. With classic controls, you might have had more options for gradients, custom borders, or shadows. Modern controls simplify these options to support broader theming and accessibility. So, if your company has strict branding guidelines, you’ll want to weigh which control set works best for you.

Modern controls are also designed to be responsive, adapting easily to different devices and screen sizes. This is a big plus if your workforce is using a mix of desktops, tablets, and phones. The move toward modern controls fits with the bigger trend in business software—making sure apps are easy to maintain, accessible to all, and work smoothly across platforms, even if it means giving up some deep customization.

Working with Modern Themes

Modern controls really come to life when you use them with the new theming system in Power Apps. This feature lets you define themes that set the overall look and feel of your app, including colors, fonts, and spacing.

To apply a theme:

• Open the Themes pane in Power Apps Studio.
• Choose from several built-in themes or create your own to match your company’s branding.
• Once applied, the theme covers all modern controls in your app, so you don’t have to style each one individually.

You can customize themes by setting primary, secondary, and accent colors, as well as font choices. The theming system takes care of the relationships between these elements, automatically adjusting things to keep your app readable and visually balanced.

There are a few things to keep in mind, though. Sometimes, you might not get a perfect match for your corporate colors, since the theme engine interprets colors to maintain accessibility and consistency. Also, a few advanced visual effects may not be available yet. Even so, the theming system makes it much easier to keep your app’s look aligned with your organization’s brand and to make quick changes as needed.

For industries with strict branding or regulatory requirements—like banking, healthcare, or government—the ability to quickly align your app’s visuals with approved colors and fonts is a real advantage. Theming can also help you meet accessibility standards, like those set by the ADA or Europe’s EN 301 549, by enabling high-contrast or colorblind-friendly palettes. For instance, a bank might use custom themes to ensure every app matches its brand, while a hospital could use high-contrast themes to help patients and staff with visual impairments.

Modern Controls Properties and Configuration

Modern controls come with a set of shared properties that make it easy to configure and manage them across your app:

• Visibility
• Enabled state
• Color settings
• Size
• Alignment

Each type of control also has its own special properties. For example:

• Button: label, icon, action
• Date Picker: minimum and maximum dates, default values, display format

You set up and adjust these properties through the properties panel in Power Apps Studio. Changes appear right away on your canvas, so it’s easy to tweak your design as you go. The properties are organized so the most commonly used options are easy to find, making the process pretty smooth.

If you need more advanced functionality, you can:

• Bind properties to data sources or formulas
• Set controls to appear only under certain conditions
• Configure event handlers for more dynamic behavior

Just keep in mind that some of the detailed styling options you might remember from classic controls—like certain borders or shadow effects—aren’t always available in modern controls yet, so plan your app’s design with that in mind.

For example, you might set up a Progress Bar to show how far along a workflow is. By linking the Progress Bar’s value to a SharePoint list or Dataverse table, it can update automatically as users complete tasks. Or, you could use a Toggle control to show or hide parts of a form based on what a user selects, making your app more interactive and user-friendly. These kinds of setups help automate business processes and reduce manual work.

Limitations and Known Issues

Even though modern controls bring a lot of benefits, there are some limitations you’ll want to be aware of:

• Not all features from classic controls are supported yet (customization options, complex data bindings, specific event triggers).
• Focus on performance can sometimes mean less flexibility.
• Some controls are still in preview or not fully ready for production use.
• Mixing modern and classic controls in the same app can lead to inconsistent styles or behaviors.

Microsoft does a good job of documenting known issues and rolling out updates to fix bugs or add features, so it’s a good idea to check the latest documentation before using modern controls in critical apps.

If your organization is subject to regulatory requirements—like those in finance or healthcare—it’s especially important to confirm that the modern controls you plan to use meet all necessary standards before launching mission-critical apps. Say you need advanced auditing or logging tied to specific control events; make sure those triggers exist in the modern controls. If something’s missing, Microsoft often shares workarounds or a timeline for when to expect the feature.

Best Practices for Implementation

When you’re planning to use modern controls in Power Apps, keep these best practices in mind:

• Assess your app’s needs and the current capabilities of modern controls.
• For new apps, use modern controls for better performance, accessibility, and future-proofing.
• For existing apps, migrate controls that will benefit most from improved design or theming.
• Stick with either modern or classic controls within the same screen or app whenever possible for a consistent user experience.
• Use the theming system to apply your organization’s branding quickly and easily.
• Stay updated on new features and fixes from Microsoft.
• Test modern controls in a development environment before rolling them out to everyone.
• Document any workarounds or limitations you find during development.
• Connect with the Power Apps community or check Microsoft’s documentation for tips and best practices.

By following these steps, you’ll get the most out of modern controls and face fewer headaches along the way.

In larger organizations, it’s common to roll out modern controls gradually—maybe starting with a few apps or departments. This way, you can gather feedback, spot any integration issues, and train your team before a full launch. For example, a manufacturing company might try modern controls in internal workflow apps before moving on to customer-facing solutions. Also, using resources like Microsoft’s Power Platform Center of Excellence (CoE) Starter Kit can help you set standards, monitor adoption, and manage governance as you introduce modern controls across your business.

Elevate your Power Apps experience by partnering with our power platform consulting services. We tailor solutions to seamlessly integrate modern controls, fostering innovation and efficiency in your business processes.