Introduction to Power Automate Desktop

Power Automate Desktop (PAD) is Microsoft’s robotic process automation tool that enables users to automate repetitive desktop and web-based tasks without any coding. It belongs to the Power Automate family, allowing seamless connection between desktop automation and cloud-based workflows.

What Power Automate Desktop Does

PAD records and replays user actions such as mouse clicks, keyboard input, file operations, and navigation to create automated flows. Through a drag-and-drop interface, users can build flows to handle daily work like generating reports, reading Excel data, sending emails, or interacting with web pages. It works well with Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, browsers, and even legacy systems without APIs.

Integration with Cloud Flows

PAD connects with Power Automate cloud flows to enable hybrid automation. For example, when a file is added to SharePoint, a PAD flow can run on your desktop to process it locally. This approach combines local and cloud automation for a complete workflow.

Licensing and Cost

Microsoft offers different licensing options depending on the type of automation. The following pricing is based on the official Microsoft Power Automate pricing page.

Plan Approx. Cost (USD) Description
Free (Attended RPA) Free Included with Windows 10 and 11. Lets users run attended desktop automations on their own computer while logged in. Best for individual use.
Power Automate Premium (Per User) $15 per user per month Allows both cloud and attended desktop flows, includes AI Builder credits, Dataverse storage, and process mining capabilities.
Power Automate Process (Unattended Bot) $150 per bot per month Enables unattended desktop automation that runs without anyone logged in. Suitable for enterprise or 24x7 automation.
Hosted Process (Microsoft VM) $215 per bot per month Same as the unattended plan but runs on Microsoft-hosted virtual machines, removing the need to maintain infrastructure.

Attended RPA runs only when a user is logged in and interacting with the machine.
Unattended RPA runs automatically without user involvement, suitable for server or background automations.
Self-hosted bots run on your own devices or virtual machines.
Microsoft-hosted bots run on virtual machines managed by Microsoft for reliability and scalability.

Choosing the Right License

For individual or small-scale use, the free attended version included with Windows is enough. For business-grade automation that needs to run without user input, the Unattended Process or Hosted Process plans are recommended. Enterprises that use AI Builder or complex workflows benefit most from the Premium plan.

Main Components of Power Automate Desktop

1. Flow Designer

Visual workspace where you build automation flows using drag-and-drop actions. It lets you organize steps, loops, conditions, and sub-flows in a structured layout.

2. Recorder

Captures mouse clicks, keystrokes, and navigation on your desktop or web applications. Converts user actions into automation steps automatically.

3. Actions Pane

Contains hundreds of prebuilt actions, such as launching applications, reading/writing Excel files, sending emails, or interacting with web pages. Drag actions from this pane into the flow.

4. Variables Pane

Stores data used in flows, like filenames, extracted text, counters, or flags. Allows you to manipulate data dynamically within your automation.

Conclusion

Power Automate Desktop brings automation directly to your Windows system with minimal setup. The free edition helps individuals eliminate repetitive work, while paid plans unlock advanced automation that operates continuously and integrates deeply with Microsoft’s Power Platform. It is an effective way to combine desktop and cloud automation within one unified framework.

Scenario Questions and Answers

Q1: You have a daily Excel report that needs to be emailed to multiple recipients. How would you automate it using Power Automate Desktop?

  1. Use PAD to launch Excel and open the report.

  2. Read the required data using Excel actions.

  3. Save the file locally if needed.

  4. Use PAD’s Outlook actions to create an email, attach the report, and send it to recipients.

  5. Schedule this PAD flow through Windows Task Scheduler or trigger via a cloud flow for automation.

Q2: A SharePoint file is added daily. You need to process it in Excel and send a summary email. Which licensing plan is required if no user should be logged in?
You need Unattended RPA (Power Automate Process per bot or Hosted Process) because the automation must run without a user session. Attended licenses cannot run unattended flows.

Q3: You want to run two bots simultaneously to process multiple reports at the same time. What licensing is required?
Two Power Automate Process (Per Bot) or Hosted Process (Per Bot) licenses are required—one license per concurrent unattended bot.

Q4: A process involves both desktop Excel automation and triggering from a SharePoint cloud flow. How do you connect them?

  1. Create a PAD desktop flow to handle the Excel automation.

  2. Create a Power Automate cloud flow triggered by SharePoint file creation.

  3. Add a “Run a desktop flow” action in the cloud flow to invoke the PAD flow on the target machine.

Q5: Can you use the free PAD version to automate tasks while you are not logged in?
No. The free version only supports attended automation, meaning the user must be logged in. For unattended automation, a per-bot or hosted bot license is required.

Q6: What is Power Automate Desktop (PAD)?
PAD is Microsoft’s robotic process automation tool that allows users to automate repetitive desktop and web tasks without coding. It can interact with Excel, Outlook, browsers, and other applications to streamline workflows.

Q7: How does PAD differ from cloud flows in Power Automate?
PAD runs automation on your local desktop, replicating user actions, whereas cloud flows run in the cloud and connect online services. PAD can integrate with cloud flows for hybrid automation.

Q8: What types of tasks are suitable for PAD automation?
Repetitive tasks like data entry, report generation, file handling, web scraping, and email processing are ideal. PAD can automate processes across desktop apps and web interfaces.

Q9: What are the main components of PAD?

  • Flow Designer: Visual workspace to build automation.

  • Recorder: Captures mouse and keyboard actions.

  • Actions Pane: Prebuilt automation steps.

  • Variables Pane: Store and manipulate data used in flows.

Q10: What is the difference between attended and unattended automation in PAD?
Attended automation requires a user to be logged in while the flow runs. Unattended automation runs without any user session, suitable for 24x7 enterprise workflows.

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