If you find yourself doing the same digital tasks over and over, Power Automate is worth your attention. It is Microsoft’s workflow automation platform, included in most Microsoft 365 subscriptions, and it can handle a surprising range of repetitive work without requiring any coding knowledge.

This guide explains what Power Automate is, what kinds of tasks it handles well, and how to build your first automated workflow.

What Is Power Automate?

Power Automate, previously known as Microsoft Flow, is a cloud-based service that lets you create automated workflows between apps and services. When something happens in one application, Power Automate can trigger an action in another, without you having to intervene manually.

It connects with hundreds of services, including all the Microsoft 365 applications you already use, such as Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and Excel, as well as many third-party tools.

Common Tasks Worth Automating

The best candidates are tasks you do repeatedly, that follow a consistent pattern, and that do not require significant judgement on your part. Some of the most popular automations include:

• Saving email attachments automatically to a SharePoint folder
• Sending a Teams notification when someone updates a SharePoint list
• Creating a task in Planner when an email arrives with a specific subject
• Sending reminder emails before deadlines stored in SharePoint
• Collecting form responses from Microsoft Forms and adding them to an Excel spreadsheet
• Routing approval requests and capturing decisions automatically

How to Build Your First Flow

Start by going to make.powerautomate.com and signing in with your Microsoft 365 account.

1. Click Create in the left sidebar.
2. Choose Automated cloud flow for a trigger-based workflow, or Scheduled cloud flow if you want something to run on a timetable.
3. Give your flow a name and choose your trigger. For example, if you want to save email attachments, select When a new email arrives as the trigger.
4. Add conditions and actions. After the trigger, click the plus button to add actions. You might add a condition to check whether the email has an attachment, then add a Create file action to save it to SharePoint.
5. Test the flow using the built-in test function before turning it on.

Tips for Building Reliable Automations

Start simple and expand from there. A flow that does one thing reliably is more valuable than a complex flow that breaks occasionally. Add error handling to your flows so you receive a notification if something goes wrong rather than silently failing. Use descriptive names for your flows and document what they do, especially if other team members will rely on them.

Check your flow run history regularly when you first set up an automation. This shows you whether it is running as expected and helps you catch any issues early.

What Power Automate Cannot Do

Power Automate works well for structured, predictable tasks. It is not suited to processes that require significant human judgement, that involve highly variable inputs, or that need to interact with applications that do not have a connector. Some automations also require premium licences depending on the connectors involved.

For more complex automation needs, including full business process automation across multiple systems, a more comprehensive solution may be appropriate.

Visit our Microsoft 365 services page to see how we help businesses get more from their Microsoft investment, or explore our broader services for IT support and digital transformation. If your business needs help getting the most out of Microsoft 365 or keeping your IT running smoothly, talk to the Otto IT team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Power Automate included in my existing Microsoft 365 subscription?

Yes, with limitations. Most Microsoft 365 business plans include Power Automate with a restricted number of runs per month and access to standard connectors only. Premium connectors — including those for Salesforce, Dynamics 365, and some third-party services — require a standalone Power Automate licence. If you are building flows that only use Microsoft 365 services (Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, Forms), the included licence is usually sufficient for moderate volumes.

Can Power Automate connect to non-Microsoft applications?

Yes. Power Automate has hundreds of connectors for third-party applications including Google Workspace, Salesforce, Slack, Xero, Dropbox, Mailchimp, and many others. Some of these connectors are standard (included in the base licence) and some are premium (requiring a paid add-on). You can also connect to almost any application that has a REST API, even if there is no native connector available.

What is the difference between Power Automate and Power Apps?

Power Automate is for automating workflows and processes that run in the background without user interaction — sending notifications, moving data, triggering actions based on events. Power Apps is for building custom user-facing applications: forms, dashboards, and lightweight apps that staff interact with directly. The two tools complement each other well and are often used together, with Power Automate handling the backend logic and Power Apps providing the user interface.

Do I need help from IT to build Power Automate flows?

For simple flows using standard connectors, many business users can build and maintain their own automations without IT involvement. Microsoft’s interface is designed for non-technical users, and the template library provides starting points for common scenarios. More complex flows — particularly those involving premium connectors, data transformation, or connections to sensitive business systems — benefit from IT oversight to ensure security, governance, and maintainability. It is good practice to register business-critical flows with your IT team regardless of who built them.