Attended vs unattended Power Automate Desktop automation
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Power Automate Desktop attended flows need human supervision, while unattended flows require paid capacity, clean machines, stable resolution and standard permissions.
TL;DR
Power Automate Desktop attended flows run with a person and are supported by the free Windows app. Unattended flows run on dedicated machines without user sessions, require paid capacity, and can fail when remote resolution differs or tasks need administrator privileges.
Original on M365 FM Podcast. Read the original · suggested by Mirko Peters
This is our own summary, not a republication or full translation.
Governance takeaway
- Makers: Choose attended flows when a person must supervise or trigger the work, because unattended execution cannot run alongside an active user session.
- Admins/CoE: Prepare dedicated machines, consistent display resolution and standard user permissions before scheduling unattended desktop flows.
- Leadership/Business: Separate attended and unattended licensing and infrastructure needs when estimating automation costs and operational scale.
Frequently asked questions
Can an unattended Power Automate Desktop flow run while someone is logged into the target computer?
No. The target machine must have no active user session, even a locked one, because the flow creates its own remote desktop session.
Does the free Power Automate Desktop app support attended desktop flows?
Yes. The free Windows app supports local attended execution, allowing users to run desktop flows on their own machines without a premium license.
Why can a Power Automate Desktop unattended flow lose buttons or fields?
A remote unattended session can use a different screen resolution from the design environment, moving interface elements off-screen and causing the flow to fail.