Timeout expired – Flow exceeded the allowed execution time.

Power Automate flows are designed to automate business processes efficiently, but sometimes they encounter execution limits. A “Timeout expired” error occurs when a flow or a specific action takes longer than the allowed execution time. This can lead to failures in critical workflows, especially when dealing with long-running operations such as looping through large datasets, calling APIs, or waiting for external system responses.

This guide explores the causes, limitations, and step-by-step solutions to fix timeout errors in Power Automate flows.

Step 1: Understanding Power Automate Timeout Limits

Power Automate has execution time restrictions based on the flow type:

1. Flow Duration Limits

Flow Type	Execution Time Limit
Cloud Flows (Standard)	30 days (but actions may time out sooner)
Approval Flows	30 days (before automatic cancellation)
Child Flows	No defined timeout, but parent flow may timeout
HTTP Actions	Default: 120 seconds (can be extended to 10 minutes)

2. API Request & Response Limits

HTTP requests in flows have a 120-second default timeout and can be extended to 10 minutes.
Some connectors like SQL, Dataverse, and SharePoint have their own execution limits.
Loops (such as Apply to Each or Do Until) may timeout if iterating through large datasets.

Step 2: Identifying the Root Cause

Where is the Timeout Occurring?

Check the Flow Run History
- Open Power Automate → Go to My flows → Select the failing flow → Click Run history.
- Look for the exact action that timed out.
Review Action Details
- Expand the failed action to see error details.
- Look for messages like “Request timed out”, “Loop exceeded time limit”, or “Execution exceeded 30 days”.

Step 3: Common Causes & Fixes

1. Long-Running Loops (Apply to Each, Do Until)

Cause: Loops processing thousands of items may exceed execution limits.
Fix:
✅ Use parallelization:
- Click on “Apply to Each” → Enable Concurrency Control (set degree >1).
  ✅ Filter data before looping using OData queries.
  ✅ Use batch processing instead of processing one record at a time.

2. HTTP Requests Taking Too Long

Cause: An API call takes longer than the 120-second default timeout.
Fix:
✅ Increase timeout settings (for Premium HTTP connector).
✅ Optimize API response (e.g., request only needed data).
✅ Use Azure Functions or Logic Apps for long-running API calls.

3. SQL Queries or SharePoint Actions Taking Too Long

Cause: Queries retrieving too many records or inefficient filtering.
Fix:
✅ Use Delegation-friendly functions (e.g., Filter() instead of Search()).
✅ Apply pagination for large data sets.
✅ Optimize SharePoint or SQL indexes for faster retrieval.

4. Approval Flows Expiring After 30 Days

Cause: If no action is taken within 30 days, Power Automate cancels the approval.
Fix:
✅ Use timeout properties: Set a custom timeout using "timeout": "P29D" (ISO 8601 format).
✅ Send reminder emails before expiration.
✅ If needed, restart the approval process within a new flow.

5. Power Automate Limits on Large Files

Cause: Processing large files in OneDrive, SharePoint, or Blob Storage may timeout.
Fix:
✅ Use chunking to split files into smaller parts.
✅ Store files in Azure Blob Storage for more efficient handling.
✅ Compress files before processing.

Step 4: Optimizing Flow Execution

1. Reduce Execution Time with Filtering

Instead of retrieving all records, use OData queries to filter only relevant data.
Example (SharePoint Get Items action): textCopyEditFilter query: Status eq 'Pending'
Instead of looping through 1000 records, pre-filter to only process necessary ones.

2. Use Parallel Processing

Enable “Concurrency Control” in loops to process multiple items at once.
Be careful with data consistency (avoid conflicts when writing back data).

3. Offload Long Tasks to Azure Logic Apps

For actions exceeding 10 minutes, use Logic Apps, which allow longer executions.
Trigger the flow from Power Automate and let Logic Apps handle the heavy lifting.

4. Split Large Workflows into Child Flows

If a flow is too complex, split it into multiple smaller flows.
Call the child flow using “Run a Child Flow” action to improve execution time.