Power Automate is Microsoft’s service for automating recurring tasks between apps, such as saving attachments, processing forms or sending approvals around. Within AI agents and automation, it is the obvious route for offices that already work in Microsoft 365.
An automation in Power Automate is called a flow: a trigger starts it, followed by fixed actions. Cloud flows run online between apps, while desktop flows mimic actions on a Windows computer.
In Microsoft 365, this lets you connect Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, Forms and Planner without writing code. Copilot helps you set up a flow in plain language, and built-in AI models extract data from documents.
The limits lie in systems outside Microsoft, logic that does not fit into fixed steps, and premium features that require a paid licence.
What is Power Automate?
Power Automate is a Microsoft cloud service for building workflows, called flows, that carry out recurring tasks between apps and services automatically, without programming.
Power Automate is part of the Power Platform, alongside Power Apps and others, and was called Microsoft Flow until 2019. According to Microsoft, since 27 July 2025 you sign in with a work or school account; personal accounts such as outlook.com are no longer supported.
A flow follows fixed rules: the same trigger always produces the same steps. At its core, Power Automate is therefore automation, not AI, and the difference between AI and automation determines where you add an AI step and where fixed rules are enough.
How does a flow in Power Automate work?
A flow in Power Automate consists of a trigger and one or more actions, linked through connectors. The trigger is the event that starts the flow, such as a new email.
The actions are the steps that follow, such as saving a file or sending a message. A connector is the link to an app or service.
An example: an email arrives in Outlook with an invoice attached. The flow saves the attachment to a SharePoint folder and sends a notification to the accounts team’s channel in Teams. You build a flow like this from scratch or from a template that Microsoft provides.
What types of flows are there?
Power Automate has two types of flows: cloud flows, which run online between apps and services, and desktop flows, which carry out actions on a Windows computer.
What is a cloud flow?
A cloud flow is a flow in Power Automate that runs online, independently of your own computer. Microsoft distinguishes three kinds:
- Automated cloud flow: starts when an event occurs, such as an email from a specific sender or a new file in a folder.
- Instant cloud flow: starts when you click a button, for example to send a reminder to the team.
- Scheduled cloud flow: starts at a fixed time, such as updating data in a SharePoint list every morning.
What is a desktop flow?
A desktop flow is a flow in Power Automate for desktop that mimics mouse and keyboard actions on a Windows computer. This approach is called robotic process automation (RPA) and is intended for older programs without an API or integration.
A desktop flow can, for example, fill in forms, retrieve data from a program or back up files. The flow only runs when that computer is switched on, and starting it automatically, without anyone clicking it, requires a paid licence.
What can you automate with Power Automate in Microsoft 365?
With Power Automate in Microsoft 365, you mainly automate the steps between apps that employees now handle by copying and pasting. Five common examples:
- Automatically saving attachments from Outlook to OneDrive or a SharePoint folder, with a fixed naming convention for each client or case.
- Passing responses from Microsoft Forms to an Excel file or SharePoint list, so that registrations and intake forms are all in one place.
- Sending approvals around in Teams or Outlook, for example for leave requests or purchase invoices, with a recorded sign-off at each step.
- Creating tasks in Planner as soon as a new row appears in an Excel list or a form comes in.
- Sending reminders or overviews at set times, such as a weekly list of open tasks to the team.
What is the difference between standard and premium connectors?
Standard and premium connectors in Power Automate differ in licensing: standard connectors work with the free licence and the licences included in Microsoft 365, while premium connectors only work with a paid Power Automate licence.
According to Microsoft, services such as Office 365, SharePoint and OneDrive are standard connectors, and Salesforce, SQL Server and Microsoft Dataverse are premium. For a system without an existing connector, you build a custom connector on that system’s API.
IT administrators use a data loss prevention (DLP) policy to decide which connectors may be combined in a flow within the organisation. This stops an office’s client data in SharePoint from ending up in an external service through a flow.
What AI is built into Power Automate?
AI appears in Power Automate in three places: Copilot for building flows, built-in AI models for documents and images, and text generation based on GPT models.
With Copilot, you describe in plain language what a flow should do, and Power Automate sets up a first version that you check and complete. Copilot in Power Automate shares its name with Microsoft Copilot in Word and Outlook, and is the version that builds automations.
With AI Builder, you extract data from invoices, forms or images. Since 1 November 2026, those features run on Copilot Credits; the old AI Builder credits have ended and are not converted automatically. As soon as output from an AI model is passed on in a flow, it needs a checking step, for example an approval before an extracted invoice amount enters the accounts. Agents that choose their own steps are built in Microsoft Copilot Studio, a separate service.
When is Power Automate not the right choice?
Power Automate is not the right choice when your work mostly takes place outside Microsoft or when the steps are not fixed. Four situations where a different route fits better:
- No Microsoft 365 environment: without a work or school account and without Microsoft apps, Power Automate loses its main advantage.
- Mainly systems outside Microsoft: where Power Automate requires premium connectors for those systems, n8n, Make and Zapier are alternatives worth comparing.
- Complex logic: a flow with many exceptions and branches becomes hard to manage and fits better in a custom integration.
- Work that differs case by case: fixed rules do not allow for exceptions, and that is where an AI agent comes in, with the oversight that goes with it.
I only consider a process for automation if the source system has an API or an export; without one, I do not start. For Power Automate, that means first checking whether a connector exists, and if not, whether a custom connector on an API is possible.
Is Power Automate free?
Yes, Power Automate is partly free: according to Microsoft, the free licence lets you build cloud flows with standard connectors, and you can use Power Automate for desktop with a work or school account at no extra cost. Microsoft also offers a 30-day trial.
According to Microsoft’s licensing documentation, Microsoft 365 licences include a limited set of Power Automate capabilities. Premium connectors, desktop flows that run automatically, and sharing and monitoring desktop flows require a paid licence.
Do you need programming skills for Power Automate?
No, you do not need programming skills for Power Automate, because you build flows in a visual designer or from a template. You do need to understand triggers, error handling and permissions.
Beginners often make three mistakes: no error handling, so a flow fails silently; a loop without a limit, so a flow keeps triggering itself; and a flow that runs with the maker’s overly broad permissions.
Frequently asked questions about Power Automate
Besides how Power Automate works, questions often come up about devices and licence costs.
Does Power Automate work on a Mac?
Only partly: on a Mac, Power Automate works for cloud flows, which you build in the browser at make.powerautomate.com. According to Microsoft, Power Automate for desktop, which you need for desktop flows, only runs on Windows and Windows Server. Devices with an ARM processor are not supported. If you want to use desktop flows alongside a Mac, you need a Windows computer without an ARM processor.
Is there a Power Automate app for your phone?
No, the standalone Power Automate app for iOS and Android has not been supported since 31 August 2026 and is being removed from the App Store and Google Play. Your existing flows keep running as normal. According to Microsoft, you now view and respond to approvals in the Approvals app in Teams. You start an instant flow through the Power Automate portal or from an app in Power Apps mobile.
How much does Power Automate cost?
Power Automate Premium, the entry-level paid licence, costs €13.00 per user per month on Microsoft’s Dutch pricing page, paid annually and excluding VAT. According to Microsoft, Premium gives you the full capabilities for cloud flows and RPA. Power Automate Process costs €130.00 per bot per month, also paid annually and excluding VAT. Microsoft states that the final price at checkout may differ.
How do you automate a work process with AI?
You automate a work process with AI by first choosing one process and checking whether the source system has a connector, API or export. Then decide on the checking step, and only then build a flow in Power Automate or another tool.
If you would rather not work this out on your own: in the AI Automation Course, you build a clearly scoped automation, with a checking step, for each work process whose source system has an API or an export.
