If your company uses Microsoft 365, you probably already have Power Automate. It connects Outlook, Teams, Excel, SharePoint, Forms and OneDrive so routine tasks happen automatically: saving attachments, collecting form answers, sending reminders or asking a manager for approval. No coding needed.
Quick answer
- Go to make.powerautomate.com and sign in with your work account.
- Click Templates and search for what you want, for example “save attachments”.
- Choose a template, check the connections, adjust the settings, and click Create.
- Test it, then check Run history to see it working.
Key words
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Flow | One automation |
| Trigger | The event that starts the flow (a new email, a form response, a schedule) |
| Action | What the flow does next (save a file, add a row, send a message) |
| Connector | The link to an app such as Outlook or Excel; some “premium” connectors need extra licences |
| Cloud flow | Runs online, even when your computer is off |
Many Microsoft 365 business plans include Power Automate for the standard Microsoft connectors. Check with your IT team which features you can use.
Flow 1: Save email attachments to OneDrive
- Search templates for “Save Outlook email attachments to OneDrive”.
- Choose the folder in OneDrive where files should go.
- Optional: in the trigger settings, add a Subject filter such as “Invoice” so only those emails are saved.
- Save and send yourself a test email with an attachment.
Flow 2: Microsoft Forms answers into Excel
- Create an Excel file in OneDrive or SharePoint with headers that match your form questions, and format it as a Table (Ctrl + T). Power Automate can only add rows to tables.
- Create an Automated cloud flow with the trigger When a new response is submitted (Microsoft Forms) and choose your form.
- Add the action Get response details for the same form.
- Add Add a row into a table (Excel Online) and map each column to a form answer.
Flow 3: Get a Teams message for important emails
- Trigger: When a new email arrives (Outlook). In the settings, set From to your manager or a key client, or set Importance to High.
- Action: Post message in a chat or channel (Teams), sending yourself the subject and sender.
Now you will not miss important emails while working in Teams.
Flow 4: Weekly reminder to the team
- Create a Scheduled cloud flow, for example every Thursday at 10:00.
- Action: Post message in a chat or channel: “Reminder: please update the project tracker before Friday.”
Pairs well with our free project tracker.
Flow 5: Simple approval
- Trigger: a new item in a SharePoint list, or a new Forms response (for example a purchase request).
- Action: Start and wait for an approval, assigned to the manager. They can approve from email, Teams or the Power Automate app.
- Add a Condition: if the outcome is “Approve”, email the requester “Approved”; otherwise email “Rejected” with the comments.
Tips for reliable flows
- Start from a template and change it, rather than building from scratch.
- Name flows clearly, for example “Invoices – save attachments to OneDrive”.
- Check Run history when something does not happen; it shows each step and any error.
- Use tables in Excel and avoid renaming columns or moving files the flow uses.
- Think about ownership: a flow owned by one person may stop when they leave. Add a co-owner for business-critical flows.
Power Automate or Zapier?
If most of your tools are Microsoft 365, Power Automate is usually the best fit and may already be included. If you use many non-Microsoft apps, Zapier is often easier. See our Zapier for beginners guide.
FAQ
Can Power Automate automate my desktop apps?
Yes: Power Automate for desktop can automate clicks and typing in Windows applications. Cloud flows, covered here, are the best place to start.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. Most flows are built by choosing triggers and actions from menus. Some expressions are optional for advanced flows.