Prior to this feature, sometimes when you chat with Copilot in the designer, Copilot misinterprets your intent. For example, when you ask a question, Copilot shouldn't update your flow. With this feature, you get improved accuracy for Copilot to understand your question and intent.

The following list includes more benefits:

• You get a ChatGPT-parity chat experience in cloud flow Copilot. You can have a real conversation with more proactive follow-ups. Copilot can explain things to you in much more detail, with step-by-step guidance.
• You get a ChatGPT-parity quality on Q&A answers provided by Copilot.
• Copilot has a deep understanding of flow details. For example, it understands your parameters' values when you ask it questions.
• Copilot can suggest flow optimization and best practices to you.
• Copilot supports adding scope and parallel branches to your flow.

Before this feature, sometimes when you asked Copilot a question, it provided a hallucinated answer. For example, when you asked how to write an expression, Copilot might have provided an answer with a function that doesn't exist. With this feature, Copilot answers your questions with improved accuracy, leveraging better documentation grounding methods.

Prior to this feature, you were given a flow recommendation by Copilot after you described what you wanted. You had to either accept it or update your query to regenerate. With this feature, you don't need to update your query. Instead, you can select Regenerate to force a new variation to be generated. You can choose from different variations to select the one you like the best.

This feature allows you to use natural language to create a flow from scratch when the Workflows app in Teams doesn't have a template that supports your specific scenario. It uses AI to generate and suggest a flow based on your input. You can edit your prompt to generate a new flow suggestion if needed. Use this feature to take the guesswork out of creating a flow from scratch when you don't know where to start.

The AI Recorder leverages cutting-edge Generative AI to interpret voice, mouse movements, and screen sharing to create a desktop flow. It's like having a digital assistant that understands your process and automates it for you, making it an invaluable tool for any user looking to build automations.

To do so from Power Automate for desktop, open the console, navigate to the My flows tab, and locate the flow that you want to create a description. Then, go to flow properties and under the general flow properties tab, press the Let Copilot create description button. Copilot will then analyze your flow and generate the flow description.

You can also generate a flow description from the portal. To do so, locate the desktop flow that you want to create the description for and press on the details item from the flow menu. Then, press on the edit button in the details section of the flow and finally select the Let Copilot create description button.

The next best action suggestion feature has been designed to streamline the automation process, making it easier for you to create and automate workflows without requiring extensive flow creation knowledge.

With this new addition, you will be able to create more complex workflows with ease. The feature will suggest the next action that makes sense based on the context of the current workflow and the actions that have already been added.

With Copilot's generative answers functionality, you can easily find the information you need to create and manage your flows and any other aspect of Power Automate for desktop. The generative answers are integrated into the Power Automate for desktop UI in both the console and the designer, making it easy to access and use. Just type your question in natural language, and Copilot provides you with the most relevant information from our documentation. To use it, select the copilot icon in the console or designer UI and start getting answers to your questions.

Natural language to Code is a new AI capability that we are adding in Power Automate for desktop that allows you to quickly generate code that is used in the scripting actions by just describing it. This feature is available in the "Run PowerShell," "Run VBScript," "Run DOS command," "Run Python," and "Run JavaScript" actions. You can simply describe what you want to achieve, and the tool will generate the script for you. This feature makes it easy for users who are not familiar with scripting languages to automate their tasks.

Administrators, CoE teams, business users and makers with access to flow run histories can query past runs in natural language across their environment. They can ask, for example, how many flows ran yesterday, on which machines or groups, what did the success rate look like, and how do they compare to last month. Ask questions about recent runs, their durations, volumes, failures, failure frequency, machines, machine groups, parent flows and much more.

The voice command functionality for Power Automate's Copilot allows you to create and manage desktop flows using natural language spoken through a microphone. You can turn on voice commands by pressing the microphone icon in the bottom right of the Copilot side cart and start dictating automation steps hands-free. To finish, you press the stop icon, and your prompt is automatically submitted to Copilot. This feature reduces manual input, saving time and effort, and enhances Copilot's versatility and user-friendliness, contributing to improved productivity and streamlined operations.

This feature provides support for joining hosted machine group bots to both on-premises Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Entra ID when using custom virtual networks (VNETs).

• A custom virtual network (VNET) is configured using Azure Virtual Network. Access to the domain controller is required from the custom VNET.
  • A custom VNET allows you to access on-premises resources when running your automation.
• Microsoft Entra hybrid join is configured as part of Power Automate network connection setup.
  • Microsoft Entra hybrid allows your hosted machine group bots to enroll in both your on-premises Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Entra ID.

Logs will be sent to the cloud progressively, without waiting for the entire automation process to complete. This capability will enable quicker troubleshooting by determining why automation is taking longer than expected or identifying if it is stuck at a particular step.

In desktop flows, the 'Run desktop flow' action now includes a new toggle property that lets you set the child desktop flow to run in parallel. Existing actions in past flows aren't affected, as the toggle defaults to running the child flow in sequence.

Only one parallel run is allowed. If a second child flow is set to run in parallel, an error occurs, and any potential outputs of the child flow are ignored.

Allow customers to define lists of credentials and use them in the desktop flow connections. These lists allow customers to define which machine(s) can use these credentials. These lists can be used as login credentials in the desktop flow connections and will benefit from the same credential management feature, such as:

• Encryption and data protection
• Password rotation
• Application lifecycle management

During the public preview, only CyberArk credentials are supported for mapping.

The Access automation feature allows you to interact with locally stored Access databases. Start by creating an Access instance using the Launch Access action. This instance serves as the input parameter for the rest of the actions, allowing you to perform tasks on the desired Access database. The following actions are available:

• Launch Access
• Close Access
• Read Access table
• Run Access query
• Run Access macro

The new Copilot side panel feature in Power Automate for desktop enhances user experience by providing detailed explanations of automation flows and subflows. Users can easily navigate to the Copilot side panel, select the appropriate skill from the skill picker, and ask questions like "What does the subflow do?" or "What do actions from 3-12 do?". This feature delivers clear insights into automation processes, streamlining troubleshooting and maintenance of complex automation. This empowers teams to quickly identify and resolve issues, ensuring consistent operational efficiency and SLA compliance.

In the Power Automate for desktop console, you can switch between the default color mode and dark mode. This setting allows the console and flow designer to use a dark theme based on your preference. The functionality is available in the console settings.

Once allowed by users, the feature uses AI to locate elements on the screen at the execution time. The repaired selector is used in future executions. Plus, it's optional and can be disabled if you prefer.

• Self-healing refers to the case that a UI element cannot be found at the execution time.
• Self-healing can be applied only for UI and web automation scenarios, and subsequently for Desktop and web UI elements.
• With self-healing, Power Automate for desktop can detect UI elements on the screen.
• When a UI element and its selector are retrieved, the user must confirm to heal and save.
• This feature can be disabled by the user.

A new action named "Get Credential" in Power Automate for the desktop will allow you to securely retrieve and utilize credentials directly within your desktop flows. During the preview phase, this action will support credentials created via CyberArk, accessible within the specified section of the Power Automate portal. This feature ensures that credentials are handled securely, aligning with best practices for data protection.

1. Create a credential:

   • Credentials in Power Automate now support certificate-based authentication (CBA).
   • The experience mirrors that of using passwords stored in Azure Key Vault.
   • No certificate value is stored within the credential itself.

2. Use credentials with CBA:

   • CBA is supported for Windows session credentials (desktop flow connection).

The following connectors are now directly available in Power Automate for desktop flows, in addition to those previously available:

• Adobe Acrobat Sign
• Asana
• Azure Container Instance
• Azure Data Explorer
• Azure Data Factory
• Azure DevOps
• Azure Monitor Logs
• Azure Resource Manager
• Azure VM
• Box
• Content Conversion
• Docusign
• Dropbox
• Dynamics 365 Business Central
• Dynamics 365 Customer Insights
• Dynamics 365 Customer Voice
• Excel Online (OneDrive)
• Fin & Ops Apps (Dynamics 365)
• GitHub
• Google Calendar
• Google Drive
• Google Sheets
• Google Tasks
• Microsoft 365 message center
• Microsoft Bookings
• Microsoft Entra ID
• Microsoft To-Do (Business)
• MSN Weather
• Office 365 Groups
• Office 365 Groups Mail
• Office 365 Users
• Outlook.com
• Planner
• Power Apps for Admins
• Power Apps for Makers
• Power Automate for Admins
• Power Automate Management
• Power BI
• Power Platform for Admins
• Power Query Dataflows
• Project Online
• Project Roadmap
• Salesforce
• Shifts for Microsoft Teams
• Smartsheet
• Trello
• Viva Engage
• Webex
• X

The upcoming phase aims to unlock all connectors for direct use within desktop flows. This enhancement reduces logical loops, minimizes flow creation time, and ensures all action capabilities are fully supported for Power Platform connectors.

Users can now seamlessly integrate a hosted machine group (HMG) with their own VNet. This integration enables users to run desktop flows and execute RPA jobs that require access to on-premises networks. By leveraging their own VNet, users can ensure secure and reliable connectivity between the hosted machines and the on-premises networks.

Record with Copilot in Power Automate for desktop allows you to build desktop automations by sharing your screen and describing the task you want to automate—just as if you were explaining it to someone. During the recording, record with Copilot captures your voice, mouse, and keyboard inputs. It then processes and converts these inputs into a desktop flow that you can review, edit, and save before running. This makes automation accessible to everyone, regardless of technical expertise, and significantly speeds up the process of creating desktop flows.

Users can leverage credentials stored in Cyberark Central Credential Provider to connect to Windows sessions on desktop flow machines. Credentials are not stored in Power Automate but retrieved during runtime. This feature supports rotating passwords without the need to update the connection.

The automation center is available in the Power Automate portal and offers a comprehensive automation monitoring experience infused with the power of AI.

Copilot can answer cloud flow run history questions like:

• How many runs last month were triggered by another cloud flow?
• Who initiated flow runs during the last month?
• How many flows failed yesterday?

Copilot in the automation center delivers a versatile experience, allowing you to inquire about cloud flow and desktop flow activities, manage work queues, and explore various Power Automate features.

Copilot can answer questions such as:

• Which flows had the highest run count last week?
• What are yesterday's top five flows based on completed runs?
• How are flow run statuses distributed?

Copilot in the automation center offers a versatile experience, allowing you to inquire about cloud flows, desktop flows, work queues, and other Power Automate features.

Copilot can answer work queue-related questions such as:

• How many items are on hold?
• How many items are at risk of breaching SLA?
• What is the average handling time per processor and queue?

The automation center in the Power Automate portal delivers a comprehensive monitoring experience enhanced by AI. Copilot within the Automation Center allows users to inquire about cloud flows, desktop flow activities, work queues, and various Power Automate features.

Copilot can assist with questions such as:

• How do I add a condition in Power Automate Desktop?
• Can cloud flows manage approvals and decision-making processes?
• Where are deleted flows located in Power Automate?

With top-level automation monitoring, you can gain an end-to-end view of your automation status. The dedicated work queue monitoring area allows you to closely track SLA attainment, average processing time, and work queue throughout.

The automation center includes a multi-skilled copilot enabling users to ask questions about cloud flow and desktop flow activity, work queues, and features of Power Automate.

You can now share desktop flows containing connection references with co-owners. This feature introduces embedded connection references in desktop flows. On the details page of desktop flows, you can choose which connection references to embed. This provides enhanced control over what you share with co-owners and ensures seamless execution.

Power Fx is a low-code language for expressing logic across Microsoft Power Platform. It's a general-purpose, strong-typed, declarative, and functional programming language expressed in human-friendly text. Makers can use Power Fx directly in an Excel-like formula bar or Visual Studio Code text window. Its concise and simple nature makes common programming tasks easy for both makers and developers.

This feature is connected to the feature Support for delta-parquet data ingestion and extends the options that you can choose from, with respect to data ingestion. You're now able to ingest data through:

• Dataflows
• Bring your own Azure Datalake Gen2. Data can be in CSV, parquet, and delta-parquet format
• OneLake through Fabric Lakehouse. Files can be in CSV, parquet, and delta-parquet format

The feature is automatically turned on as an option in the Create process wizard. Its goal is to provide ingestion from Microsoft Fabric unified data platform for creating a data twin of an organization.

Process Intelligence Analytic Service offers analytical functions in the form of an Azure API. When the desktop application connects to Process Intelligence Analytic Service, you have access to the identical functionality as in the full Power Automate Process Mining desktop app.

You can turn this feature on in the Desktop App options.

With Power Automate Process Mining thin client app, there's no need to:

• Download the process model, which takes up your resources.
• Fulfill special hardware requirements when working with large process models.
• Install desktop application updates in case of analytical operation modifications.

Process simulations allow you to model various scenarios, run the simulation based on an existing process, and compare the simulation results with the original process (for example, duration of cases, and cost of cases).

You can model the following proposals by:

• Managing resources: Add and remove users, and change the performance and cost per resource.
• Managing durations and wait times for activities in business processes.
• Managing process flow: Define follow-up activities and their distribution.
• Managing working hours and timetables.

Simulation results offer a summary of global KPIs per process and detailed insights to analyze the impact of each activity.