- What Is Power Automate and Who Is It For?
- Getting Started with Microsoft Power Automate
- How to Create Your First Flow on Power Automate
- Understanding Advanced Features in Power Automate
- How to Integrate with Other Microsoft Services
- How Does Power Automate Compare with Other Tools?
- Microsoft Automate Best Practices
- Common Mistakes to Avoid in Power Automate
- Resources for Learning More about Power Automate
- Final Word: Take Your Power Automate Skill to the Next Level
- FAQ
Power Automate is part of Microsoft’s more extensive Power Platform, designed for enterprises and users who want to automate redundant processes across various services. However, mainstream users can also apply the suite to daily cloud and desktop activities.
I’ll explain the fundamentals of Power Automate, what it is, how to navigate its interfaces, and how to create your first flow. I’ll also provide insights into the types of advanced flows you can make, the best practices to internalize, and the learning resources you need to become a pro.
What Is Power Automate and Who Is It For?
Power Automate is a Microsoft cloud-based service that allows users to automate repetitive tasks across various applications, platforms, and services. It was formerly Microsoft Flow, and it’s been around since 2016. The current iteration is a powerful suite designed for people and organizations.
The tool primarily helps employees and users without coding skills to create complex automations. However, developers, data scientists, advanced users, and large organizations can deploy the program to their benefit.
It is also used in every sector, from tech and healthcare to hospitality and governance.
Getting Started with Microsoft Power Automate
You can access the main interface of MS Power Automate through web browsers on any operating system. However, there are Android and iOS apps that offer limited access to your flows and a desktop app for creating and manipulating desktop flows.
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How to sign up for Power Automate
Power Automate has no unique sign-up process if you have a Microsoft account. You can simply sign in to the service using your account.
However, users without Microsoft accounts can sign up and use Microsoft Power Automate free of charge. Here’s how:
- Select Try for free.
- Enter your email address and follow the subsequent prompts to complete the registration.
According to Microsoft’s pricing page, you can use premium features in Microsoft Power Automate free of charge for the first 30 days after signing up. However, you can purchase any of the plans mentioned on the page. Organizations with Dynamic 365 and Microsoft 365 packages can also grant access to employees, members, and students.
Navigating the power automate interface
The interface you’ll work with depends on the platform you use. The Android app has a different look and feel to the desktop and web versions.
As mentioned, the desktop app, also called Power Automate Desktop, works for desktop automations. It has a more straightforward interface, with the New flow button docked at the top-left corner and the Settings, Help, and Search Flows buttons pinned to the top-right.
The Home tab shows you the Get started tour and Build desktop flows banners that allow you to start creating new flows (more on that later). Scrolling down, you’ll find examples, tutorials, and other helpful links.
My flows is where you get to see and manage the flows you’ve created. You can also start building new flows here.
The Examples tab shows you different templates you can use to create new flows.
The web app has a more comprehensive interface, with a sidebar that makes it easier to navigate Power Automate. These are the items you can access from the left sidebar:
- Home: Contains the welcome banner, which includes the Create button. Also contains tutorials and links to the community forum, Power Automate documentation, pricing, and common issues page.
- Create: This is where you can create new flows. You’ll also find templates that can get you started.
- Templates: Access hundreds of templates that help you create flows.
- Learn: Redirects you to Microsoft’s documentation on Power Automate.
- My flows: Where you can view and edit the flows you’ve created or shared with you.
- Pinned items: Other items in the navigation pane are features and options that you can pin and unpin, most of which are exclusive to work and school accounts. These include Approvals, Connectors, Process mining, and more. You can click More to view items that you can pin to the navigation menu.
- Power Platform: Where you can access products like Power Apps, Power BI, Power Pages, and Copilot Studio.
The mobile application (Android and iOS) looks more minimalistic. It has three tabs that you can access from the bottom of the screen. They include Flows, Instant Flows, and Approvals. You can select the profile icon at the top-left corner to manage your account and change application settings. The top-right corner features the Refresh and Environments buttons and notifications icon.
Basic terminologies you need to know about
These are the elements you’ll be working with when using Power Automate to create automated tasks:
Flows: Flows are the pre-defined sequence of actions that make up an automated task (workflow). These are the items you’ll be working with the most. Creating a flow involves setting triggers, actions, and connectors. There are different types of flows, such as Cloud, Desktop, and Business process flows. Let’s cover them:
| Automated cloud flows | Instant cloud flows | Scheduled flows | Business process flows | Desktop flows |
| Triggered by specific actions on various platforms: for example, you can create a flow that automatically sends an email or creates a file whenever you add an event to Google Calendar | Triggered by manual actions like the Run flow button | Designed to run at specified times and can be configured to run repeatedly | Created to guide people through a series of steps to complete a business process, typically used for processes that require human interaction, approvals, or data input across different stages: for example, a flow could be designed to log a customer’s complaint, assign it to the right team, and notify the customer via an automated email response | Exclusively work within Windows for robotic operations like copying, deleting, and moving files, launching programs, and extracting data from applications |
Triggers: These are events that start different flows. Examples of triggers are form submissions, emails, and file creations.
Actions: Actions are the events and processes within a flow that occur when triggers are activated. For example, a form submission can trigger sending a pre-written email to an applicant. A flow can contain multiple actions.
Connectors: Connectors allow you to use prebuilt actions and triggers with other third-party platforms, like Gmail, Twitter, and Outlook. For example, you require the Gmail connector to create a flow that sends an email notification through Gmail.
You’ll now see the hundreds of platforms that connect to Power Automate. Selecting your preferred connector opens a new browser window that loads the platform’s sign-in environment. Enter your credentials and authorize Power Automate.
How to Create Your First Flow on Power Automate
There are different ways to start a flow, depending on your platform. However, the New flow and Create buttons are hard to miss on the homepage of any Power Automate app.
Generally, you can create flows from scratch or use templates made by others. Using templates may be the fastest way to set up your automation, but knowing how to create from scratch has its perks.
Here’s a quick snapshot on creating new flows:
- Web app: Here, you can click the Create button on the Home tab or select Create in the left navigation menu. You should see options under Start from blank for different types of flows and Start from a template.
- Mobile app: Once you log into the app, click the plus sign at the bottom-left corner to create a new flow. You’ll be automatically redirected to the Create flow page, which shows different templates you can use.
- Power Automate for desktop: Click the New flow button in the top-left corner of the home screen or switch to the My flows tab and select the New flow option.
I’ll show you examples of creating various types of flows through the Microsoft Automate platform to give you practical ideas about creating and testing flows.
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How to create automated cloud flows
Let’s start with an automated cloud flow, which involves using connectors. In this example, we’ll create a flow that sends an email notification whenever a file is created in a OneDrive folder:
First step: Creating the flow and trigger
- Click the Automated cloud flow button after going to the Create tab.
- The Build an automated cloud flow dialog will pop up.
- Enter a name for the new flow under Flow name.
- Next, go to Choose your flow’s trigger to select a trigger.
- Scroll down and select When a file is created for OneDrive
- Click the Create button.
- You will be required to sign in to OneDrive.
- After signing in, select the folder where you want to place the trigger.
- You can also expand the Show advanced options dialog to choose whether to include subfolders and select how many files to return.
Second step: Creating the action
- Select New step to create an action for the trigger.
- Use the search bar to find the connectors. In this case, I’ll be using Gmail. Now, type “email” into the search bar and select Gmail.
- Select Send email.
- You must now sign into your Gmail account and authorize Power Automate.
- Once connected, add the email address to the To box, enter a subject, and type the email body in the corresponding boxes.
- Select Save after creating the action.
You can always create new steps (actions) within your flow to complete specific tasks.
Now, click the Flow checker to confirm that there are no errors. You can also use the Test button in the top-right corner to test your flow or activate the trigger to check if it works.
- In my case, I created a new OneDrive file in the designated folder to check.
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How to create instant cloud flows
As explained earlier, instant cloud flows are flows that rely on manual triggers. You can start them by clicking the Run button from the web or mobile platforms.
In our example, we will be setting up a flow that sends a notification using Gmail once a task has been completed. Let’s begin:
First step: Creating the flow
- Select Instant cloud flows in the Create tab.
- Enter a name for the instant flow and select the trigger. You may have to select the Manually trigger a flow option.
- Click the Create button.
- Once the flow has been created, click the trigger and select the Add an input button to enter your inputs.
- For this example, we’ll be selecting the Text and Date inputs.
Second step: Creating the action
- Now, click the New step button.
- Type the name of the connector you want to use. In our case, it’ll be “Gmail.”
- Go to the Actions tab and select the action you want. We’ll be choosing Send email.
- The next step involves signing into the platform you want to connect to, whether it’s Gmail, Teams, Slack, or Excel.
- Enter the recipient’s email address and the email’s subject and body. Like the automated flow, you can add dynamic content, such as the inputs you indicated. In our example, they are Task name and Finish date.
- Click the Save button once you’re done.
- Now, let’s test the flow:
a. Click the Test button in the top-right corner, just under the profile icon.
b. Select Manually and click Test.
c. Power Automate will now sign in to your connected platform to check if everything works. Click the Continue button once you see the green checkmark.
d. It’s now time to enter your inputs. Click Run flow once you’ve entered them.
- Here’s a confirmation that our flow works.
You can open Power Automate, go to the My flows tab, and click the play button to manually run the flow anytime. If the flow was created by someone else and shared with you, go to the Shared with me sub-category to run it.
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How to create scheduled cloud flows
You can be flexible with scheduled cloud flows, as you can repeat tasks every minute, hour, day, week, or month. If you want to do a weekly schedule, you can choose which days in the week to repeat the flow.
In our scheduled flow example, we’ll be creating a Google Task item every Monday and Friday at 8 am. Let’s start:
First step: Creating the flow
- Click the Scheduled cloud flow button.
- Enter the flow name.
- Go to the Run this flow section to select when the flow will start and how it will repeat. In our case, it will start on Monday at 8 am and repeat on Mondays and Fridays.
- Click the Create button.
Second step: Creating an action
- Now that the flow has been created, click the New step button to set up your action.
- Once the Choose an operation dialog opens, type the action you want to execute into the search box. In our case, we want to use Google Tasks, so we’ll type “tasks” and select Google Tasks.
- Click the action you want and sign in.
- Now, enter details about the action you want to initiate and click the Save button.
- Once it successfully saves, you can click the Test button to check if it works.
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How to create flows on Power Automate Desktop
The desktop version of MS Power Automate focuses on creating and executing flows within Windows rather than the cloud. It allows you to perform various simple and advanced operations within Windows, from copying, moving, and deleting files to running processes within specific applications.
I’ll be walking you through examples to help you understand how various elements within Power Automate for desktop work.
First, let’s show you how to install Power Automate:
- Go to the Microsoft Store.
- Search for Power Automate Desktop.
- Click the Get button to install the application.
You can also go through the Power Automate web platform:
- Launch the Power Automate website on your browser and sign in.
- Go to the Create tab.
- Now, click the Install button in the top-right corner.
- Click Power Automate for desktop.
- The tool will now be downloaded. Open it to complete the installation.
Sign into your Microsoft account after the app opens. You can go to the Examples tab to view hundreds of pre-made solutions that can help you automate numerous desktop processes.
However, our example is a straightforward process that shows you how actions and variables work. It explains how to create a flow that copies every file in a specific folder to an external drive:
- Click the New flow button at the top of the screen or under Build desktop flows.
- Enter your flow name and select the Create button. Since our example involves copying files, let’s name the flow “Copy files to external drive.”
- The Actions dialog will now pop up. This is where you create the actions and conditions that make the flow work.
- To create our flow, we have to start by selecting the folder whose files we want to copy whenever we click Run in Power Automate. Here’s how to do that:
a. Go to the left navigation pane and expand the Folder tree.
b. Drag the Get files in folder action to the main page.
c. Once the small dialog pops up, click the Destination folder field and select the folder icon to choose a folder.
d. After selecting the folder, you can use the file filter field to choose the types of files you want to copy to the external drive. For example, typing “*.mkv” will automatically copy every file with the MKV extension. However, in this case, we’ll be using only the * option, which copies every single file in the folder.
e. You should now see that a variable called Files has been created. It is used to refer to the files in the folder you intend to copy. Keep this in mind.
f. Click the Save button.
- Now, follow these steps to select the files you want to copy and their destination:
a. Go to the left navigation bar again, expand the Files tree, and drag the Copy file(s) action to the main page.
b. When the Copy file(s) dialog appears, go to the File(s) to copy field and click the variables icon.
c. Next, select the Files variable that was created earlier. This tells the flow to copy all the files in the folder you previously selected.
d. Now, click the Destination folder field and select the folder icon to choose a folder within the external drive.
e. Select Do nothing or Overwrite in the next field, depending on your preference.
f. Click the Save button.
- You can now click the play button to run the flow and check if it works.
- Now, click the Save icon next to the play button.
To delete or move multiple files within specific folders, you can use the Move file(s) and Delete file(s) actions and follow the same method explained earlier for selecting files and their intended destinations.
Understanding Advanced Features in Power Automate
We’ve established that this article’s scope covers basic processes, such as creating simple flows and navigating the Power Automate interface. However, these are the advanced operations you should expect to handle whenever you want to go deeper:
A. Conditions
Conditions are rules that prompt flows to take specific actions when certain criteria are met. When setting conditions, you need to configure If/Else parameters. For example, you can set a condition that instructs the flow to automatically move emails to your spam folder IF the subject line contains certain keywords.
To create a condition in the web platform, click the plus to add an action, select Condition, and then add actions under the If yes and If no boxes.
B. Loops
Microsoft Automate loops help you repeat actions for items in a list or until a specific condition is met or for each item in a list. These are the two types of loops:
- Apply to each: Runs actions for each item in a collection. For example, you can iterate through a list of files in a OneDrive or Windows folder.
- Do until: This type of loop executes actions until a condition is satisfied. For example, a loop can be configured to stop once a specific task is complete.
To create a loop, select the Control option once you click the New step button, and then choose between Do until and Apply to each.
On Power Automate Desktop, you’ll find the loop option in the left sidebar when configuring your desktop flow.
C. Parallel branches
These are actions that run simultaneously within the same flow. Creating a parallel branch involves clicking the plus sign between the trigger and step or between two steps and selecting Add a parallel branch.
D. Other advanced features
As mentioned, there are constellations of advanced features that you can explore within Power Automate and other Power Platform tools like Power BI and Power Apps. Here’s a list of such features:
- Data operations.
- SQL query execution.
- HTTP with Azure AD.
- Custom connectors (creating connectors that lack native Power Automate support, such as APIs).
- Advanced error handling and logging.
- Creating and manipulating solutions through Power Apps.
- Utilizing AI Builder.
How to Integrate with Other Microsoft Services
One of the greatest selling points of Power Automate is the ease of integrating it with other Microsoft products, like Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and other Microsoft cloud services. Since you can sign into Power Automate using your Microsoft account, creating flows that include Microsoft cloud apps and services, from Office apps to OneDrive and SharePoint, will not require additional sign-in processes like third-party platforms.
As such, you can seamlessly connect to services such as Dynamics 365 Sales. However, you may need to approve authorizations for other Microsoft platforms like Azure.
In cases where you need to use enterprise tools and solutions to create business flows, you’ll require a Power Automate or Power Apps per-user license plan or a Dynamic 365 license.
How Does Power Automate Compare with Other Tools?
While Power Automate is one of the most advanced and powerful automation tools for small to big businesses, other platforms like UiPath, Zapier, and Blue Prism offer similar services. However, Power Automate’s seamless integration with other Microsoft applications like Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, and OneDrive and its no-code implementation are its greatest selling points.
Let’s cover how Power Automate stacks up against the main alternatives:
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Microsoft Automate Best Practices
These are the best practices you should adopt while using Power Automate:
| Start simple, scale gradually | Your flows should be simple at the initial stages to allow you to better manage complex elements that will be introduced later. |
| Use clear naming conventions | The names you assign to flows, actions, and variables should be descriptive and recognizable. That way, you can easily identify elements when creating and managing your flows. |
| Organize actions logically | You can use scopes to group and categorize actions if your flow is complex and contains numerous steps. Using this technique makes your flows cleaner and easier to manage. To create a scope, hover your mouse around the arrow between two steps and select Create an action. Type “scope” in the search bar and select the Scope Control option.
Rename the scope to your preferred group name. You can now drag and drop related actions into the scope you created. |
| Test with sample data | Always test your flows before you move on to the next major step. For example, if you’re creating a complex flow that involves sending copying files and then sending email notifications after, you can test up to the file creation phase before moving forward. |
| Use Flow checker | The Flow checker tool shows you whether you have errors within your flow. There’s also a Warnings tab that shows you potential errors, especially when you’re still creating your flow. You can locate the Flow checker button in the top-right corner of the Power Automate interface when adding steps to your flows or after you open existing flows. |
| Use Run history for debugging | Every flow has a Run history field that shows details of previous sessions, such as status (whether the flow ran or not), duration, and time (including date). You can click the date to find more details about that specific run instance. Accessing the Run history page involves opening a flow or clicking the flow’s three dots and selecting Run history.
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| Limit flow permissions | If you’re sharing a flow with colleagues, ensure you only assign the minimal permissions necessary to perform the intended tasks. If there are cases where you must authorize access, ensure you use approvals or authentication. |
| Use environment variables | Environment variables are elements in Power Automate that can be used to securely store and manage sensitive information, such as API keys. You should use them whenever you want to assign such values.
Environment variables can only be created in Solutions, which are containers used to manage components like flows, tables, and more. The kicker is that you need a license to create Solutions, as it requires going through the Power Apps interface. |
| Use data encryption when possible | You can encrypt files that are manipulated via Power Automate to ensure unauthorized parties do not have access. |
| Maintain regular data protection and security practices | You should cultivate habits like using multi-factor authentication, using encryption services like BitLocker for your hardware, using robust firewall and internet security solutions, and deleting saved passwords from unsecure cloud services. |
| Set flow notifications for failures | It helps to get notifications whenever your flows fail. That way, you can check in to resolve whatever issue may be interrupting any process. Thankfully, Power Automate makes it easy to set up such notifications. Here’s how:
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| Regularly review flows and connectors | Sometimes, you have to check your flows and connectors regularly to ensure processes are still running as they should. Sometimes, access to certain third-party platforms will be revoked when passwords are changed or new multi-factor authentication policies are applied. |
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Power Automate
| Common mistake | Description | Tip |
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| Overcomplicating flows too early | Creating complex, multi-step flows without mastering the basics | Start simple with one or two steps, such as sending a notification when a new email arrives, then gradually add complexity as you gain confidence |
| Not testing flows thoroughly | Deploying a flow without testing it with different data or scenarios | Always run your flow with sample data or test it in different conditions to catch errors or unexpected results before full deployment |
| Ignoring flow limitations | Trying to create flows that exceed Power Automate’s limits, like too many flow runs or API calls | Familiarize yourself with Power Automate’s usage limits, such as the number of runs per month, and monitor your flow history to stay within those limits |
| Forgetting to set up error handling | Skipping error handling leaves your flows vulnerable to failures when something unexpected happens | Use error-handling actions like Configure run after to manage what happens when a flow fails, so you’re notified or the flow gracefully handles the failure |
| Not using descriptive names for flows and actions | Using default or vague names that complicate flow management | Assign meaningful names to your flows and actions so you can easily identify their purpose later: for example, you can use New Order Email Notification instead of Flow 1 |
Resources for Learning More about Power Automate
As I mentioned earlier, this article focuses on the basics of MS Automate. There are worlds of advanced workflow automations that you can deploy using the platform. You’ll need more learning resources to learn advanced features and possibly pick up certifications like the Microsoft Certified Power Automate RPA Developer Associate.
| Resource | Description |
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| Microsoft Learn | Microsoft has in-depth documentation and articles designed to guide beginners and advanced learners. You can access these tutorials via the home page of Power Automate, through the Learn tab, or by browsing courses and modules on Microsoft’s website. |
| Power Platform community | Microsoft Power Automate has an active community – Power Platform – where you can ask questions about complex steps that may be causing confusion. You can also learn from shared experiences, conversations, and workshops. |
| Online courses | Platforms like Udemy and Coursera offer Power Platform courses that target learners at various levels. |
| YouTube tutorials | Numerous YouTube accounts like Pragmatic Works provide beginner-to-advanced Power Automate tutorials that show visual steps and examples of using the platform. |
Final Word: Take Your Power Automate Skill to the Next Level
That’s how to navigate the Power Automate platform and create basic cloud and desktop flows. Remember that you can always learn about advanced and complex flows using the resources I’ve recommended. You can also refer to this article whenever you need to brush up on the basics.
Head to the comments sections to share your Power Automate skills level and ask any questions.
