Power Automate is a great tool for automating business processes, but no automation is perfect—flows can fail due to API limits, incorrect data, or unexpected system errors. Setting up real-time alerts for failed Power Automate flows ensures you can quickly troubleshoot and resolve issues before they disrupt operations.
This guide will cover:
How to monitor Power Automate flow failures
Setting up email and Teams notifications for failed flows
Best practices for error handling
1. Using Power Automate Flow Analytics to Track Failures
Before setting up alerts, it’s important to monitor flow performance.
How to Check Flow Analytics for Failures
1️⃣ Go to Power Automate (https://make.powerautomate.com)
2️⃣ Click on “My flows”
3️⃣ Find the flow you want to monitor and click on it
4️⃣ Navigate to the “Analytics” tab
5️⃣ Check the “Runs” tab for failed executions
Tip: If you notice frequent failures, review your flow logic and error-handling setup.
2. Setting Up Email Alerts for Flow Failures
Step-by-Step Guide to Sending Email Notifications for Failed Flows
To receive an email alert whenever a flow fails, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Your Flow and Add a Scope
1️⃣ Edit your flow in Power Automate
2️⃣ Select the actions that may fail
3️⃣ Click “Add an action” and search for “Scope”
4️⃣ Drag the actions inside the Scope
Step 2: Add Error Handling to the Scope
1️⃣ Click “New Step” below the Scope
2️⃣ Search for “Send an Email (V2)” (Office 365 Outlook)
3️⃣ Configure the email fields:
- To: Your email or a group email
- Subject:
" Power Automate Flow Failure: [Flow Name]" - Body: Include details like flow name, time of failure, and error message
4️⃣ Click on the ellipsis (…) of the email step → Configure run after
5️⃣ Enable “has failed”, “is skipped”, and “has timed out”
6️⃣ Click Save
Example Email Body:
Subject: 🚨 Power Automate Flow Failure Alert
Flow Name: [Insert Flow Name]
Failure Time: [Insert Timestamp]
Error Message: [Insert Error Details]
Please check and resolve the issue.
Now, if the flow fails, you will receive an email alert automatically.
3. Sending Failure Notifications to Microsoft Teams
If you prefer real-time alerts in Microsoft Teams, follow these steps:
Step 1: Create a Teams Channel for Flow Alerts
1️⃣ Open Microsoft Teams
2️⃣ Click “Teams” → Choose a team
3️⃣ Click “Add Channel” → Name it "Flow Alerts"
4️⃣ Click “More options (…)” → “Get email address”
Step 2: Add Teams Notification in Power Automate
1️⃣ Edit your flow and click “New Step”
2️⃣ Search for “Post message in a chat or channel” (Microsoft Teams)
3️⃣ Select:
- Post as: Flow bot
- Post in: Channel
- Team: Choose your team
- Channel:
"Flow Alerts" - Message:
Power Automate Flow Failure!
Flow Name: [Insert Flow Name]
Error: [Insert Error Message]
Time: [Insert Timestamp]
4️⃣ Click the ellipsis (…) → Configure run after → Check “has failed”
Now, any flow failure will send a real-time alert to your Teams channel.
4. Logging Failed Runs for Better Troubleshooting
Besides notifications, keeping a log of failed flows can help in debugging.
Option 1: Log Errors in a SharePoint List
1️⃣ Create a SharePoint List with columns:
- Flow Name (Text)
- Error Message (Multiline Text)
- Timestamp (Date/Time)
2️⃣ In your flow, add the action “Create Item” (SharePoint)
3️⃣ Use dynamic content to log the error message and timestamp
Option 2: Store Errors in Dataverse or an Excel File
If you use Dataverse, you can create a table to log failed flows.
For Excel, save failures in an OneDrive-stored spreadsheet.
This method ensures all failures are documented for future analysis.
5. Advanced Error Handling with “Scope” and “Try-Catch” Method
For better flow stability, use the Try-Catch method:
1️⃣ Add a “Scope” action named "Try" and place main flow actions inside it
2️⃣ Add a second “Scope” action named "Catch"
3️⃣ In the “Catch” Scope, add an email or Teams notification for failure
4️⃣ Click Configure run after for "Catch" → Enable “has failed”
This method ensures that even if the flow fails unexpectedly, the "Catch" scope runs and sends an alert.