«What is Microsoft Power Automate Desktop and why do you need it»

What is Power Automate Desktop?

Microsoft acquired Softmotive last year and has been working on integrating it into their ecosystem ever since. The result is Power Automate Desktop, but what is it?

If you have, you already know what to expect from Power Automate Desktop. These are automation tools that connect web and mobile applications to create complex workflows that include tasks that execute when certain predefined conditions are met. Power Automate Desktop is Microsoft's take on Windows and the larger Microsoft ecosystem and integrates many third-party applications and services.

Microsoft first created macros that users could use, for example, to open a specific application using a combination of keys. A macro is a set of instructions that are grouped together as an instruction that expands when it starts to perform a specific function.

Think of Power Automate Desktop as an advanced version of macros that comes with a drag-and-drop interface, making it easy to create workflows that contain multiple actions, each leading to the next. It makes it easy to automate repetitive tasks that don't require your attention or time, allowing you to focus on more complex problems that require human intervention and attention.

How Power Automate Desktop Works

Step 1: Download the free version using the link we have shared above. Sign in using your Microsoft account. Use the one you use on your Windows computer.

Step 2: Once you are signed in click on the New Flow button to start the process.

Step 3: Choose a name for your flow, or the app will generate one automatically. Click Create at the bottom to continue.

Step 4: Your newly created flow will open in a new pop-up where you will find a list of actions on the left side. Double-click on any action category to expand it and you will find more related actions. Let's keep things simple for the sake of this guide. Drag-drop Excel to the Main tab under Excel.

Step 5: You can create and open a new Excel file or open an existing one. We create something new. Click Save.

Step 6: Now select 'Write to Excel Worksheet', write the message or value you want to input and select the row and column you want to enter. Save changes.

Step 7: Finally, select Close Excel. Your workflow should look like this. Clicking the play button helps you test the workflow and make sure everything is working as you planned.

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Step 8: If something goes wrong, you will see a message with the subflow number so you know which step you need to correct. In our case, this is the third step and we can watch the workflow running in real time. A new excel sheet is opened on the desktop, a message is written in the row/cell we input but the excel sheet is not closed properly.

Step 9: You must be specific. We asked Power Automate Desktop to save the Excel file but failed to select the path and file name. After we fixed that, everything worked as it should.