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How to import a Power Automate flow
Every flow package on this site is a .zip you import into your own Power Automate. This is the walkthrough: upload the package, connect Outlook, Forms or Excel, and turn the flow on.
By Nur Islam- 5 min read
- 8 steps
Jump to a step (8)
You downloaded a flow package (.zip) from a guide or the members area and want it running in your own Microsoft 365, with your own accounts and files.
A flow package is a .zip file exported from Power Automate. Importing it creates a copy of the flow in your account. The steps are the same for every package on this site, free or members-only. It takes about five minutes.
What you need
- A Microsoft 365 work or school account with Power Automate (the standard licence included in Business Basic, Standard and Premium is enough)
- The .zip package from the guide, saved on your computer (do not unzip it)
- Access to the accounts the flow uses, for example the Outlook mailbox, the Forms form or the Excel file
Step by step
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01
Open Power Automate and go to My flows
Go to
make.powerautomate.comand sign in with your work account. In the left menu, click My flows.If you have more than one environment, check the environment name at the top right. Import the flow into the environment where you want it to run, usually the default one.
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02
Click Import, then Import Package (Legacy)
On the My flows page, click Import in the toolbar and choose Import Package (Legacy).
The packages on this site are legacy packages (.zip), not solutions. If you only see "Import solution", open the drop-down arrow next to Import; the legacy option is there.
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03
Upload the .zip file
Click Upload, pick the .zip you downloaded and wait for the package details to appear. Do not unzip the file first; Power Automate needs the whole package.
If the upload fails with "file is not a valid package", the download was probably renamed or unzipped. Download it again from the guide.
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04
Set the flow to Create as new
Under Review Package Content, the first row is the flow itself. Click the wrench icon on that row, set Setup to Create as new, give it a name if you like, and click Save.
Choose Update only if you are importing a newer version of a flow you already imported before.
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05
Select a connection for each app
The rows under Related resources are the connections the flow needs: Office 365 Outlook, Microsoft Forms, Excel Online (Business) and so on. For each one, click Select during import, pick your own connection from the list and click Save.
If the list is empty, click Create new, sign in with your account, then come back to this tab and pick the new connection. Every row needs a green tick before the Import button turns on.
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06
Click Import
When every row shows a green tick, click Import at the bottom. After a few seconds you get "All package resources were successfully imported". Click Open flow to see it.
The imported flow is switched off by default. That is normal.
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07
Point the flow at your own files and folders
Open the flow in edit mode and check every action that refers to something in my demo: the Forms form ID, the Excel file and table, the SharePoint site if the guide uses one, the mailbox folder, the Teams channel. Change each one to your own.
The guide the package came from lists exactly which actions to change. Save the flow when you are done.
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08
Test it, then turn it on
Click Test in the top right, choose Manually, and trigger the flow (send yourself an email, submit the form, add a row). Check the run history: every step should show a green tick.
Go back to the flow details page and switch the flow On. From now on it runs by itself.
Tips and common problems
- A flow keeps running on the account that owns the connections. Import it with the account that should own it, not a test user.
- Names in the package (folders, tables, columns) must match yours exactly. Rename yours or change the flow, but do not leave both different.
- If you import a second copy of the same package, Power Automate adds \"(1)\" to the name. Delete the copy you do not need so only one flow runs.
- Imported flows do not carry over run history or trigger settings such as the schedule. Check the trigger before turning the flow on.
Questions
The Import button stays grey.
One of the rows still has no connection selected. Scroll through the whole list; every row under Related resources needs a green tick, including the ones you do not expect, such as Office 365 Users.
I get "connection not found" when I open the flow.
The connection you picked during import belongs to another user, or its sign-in expired. Open the flow, click the action with the warning, and choose or create a connection with your own account. Then save.
Can I import a package into a personal Microsoft account?
No. The packages use the Office 365 Outlook, Forms and Excel Online (Business) connectors, which need a work or school account. A free Power Automate plan on a personal account does not have them.
Do the packages need a premium licence?
No. Every flow on this site uses standard connectors only. If a guide ever needs a premium connector, AI Builder credits or SharePoint, it says so at the top.
Can I change the flow after importing?
Yes. It is a normal flow in your account. Edit it, rename it, or delete it any time. The original package on this site stays the same.
