How to Schedule Power Automate Desktop Flows (Full Setup Guide), by Anders Jensen on YouTube. 11 min 17 s.
- Video length
- 11 min 17 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
In Power Automate in the browser, pick the environment you want and create a Scheduled cloud flow. Name it and set it to repeat once a week on Fridays.
Open the Recurrence trigger and set the time zone, then the exact hours and minutes you want the flow to run.
Search for Power Automate machine runtime in the Windows Start menu and register the machine in the same environment as the cloud flow.
Build the desktop flow in Power Automate for desktop. The demo uses a single action, Display input dialog, that asks the user a question.
Add an output variable so the answer typed into the dialog is sent back up to the cloud flow.
Add an input variable, such as Message, so text from the cloud flow appears inside the dialog.
Save the desktop flow, return to the cloud flow and add the action Run a flow built with Power Automate for desktop.
Create the connection, sign in, then choose the machine, the desktop flow and the attended run mode.
Test the run. It starts about 20 to 25 seconds after the scheduled minute and the dialog opens on the registered machine.
Open the run history, which keeps 28 days, and check the input message and the typed answer in the action outputs.
Tips and common mistakes
Register the machine in the same environment as the cloud flow or it will not appear in the machine list.
Save the desktop flow before going back to the cloud flow, otherwise you cannot find it in the dropdown.
Attended runs need a signed-in user and a premium license, while unattended runs need a stored username and password plus an unattended license.
Set the minutes on the Recurrence trigger, not just the hour, so the flow does not run at an unexpected time.
Questions
Why can't I see my desktop flow in the cloud flow action?
The desktop flow was probably not saved before you left Power Automate for desktop, or the machine is registered in a different environment. Save the flow and check the environment selector.
When exactly does the scheduled run start?
Expect it to start roughly 20 to 25 seconds after the minute you set on the Recurrence trigger. It does not fire at the exact second.
Can the cloud flow send text to the desktop flow?
Yes. Define an input variable in the desktop flow, then fill it from the cloud flow. Use an output variable to send data back the other way.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
