How to Fix Microsoft Forms and Power Automate Flows Stuck on Running
Question details
Users need to fix an issue where a Microsoft Form successfully collects responses, but the connected Power Automate flow remains indefinitely stuck on 'Running' or shows an email retry status.
- Product
- Microsoft Forms and Power Automate
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Automating workflows or email notifications based on Microsoft Forms responses using Power Automate.
- Observed behavior
- The Power Automate flow hangs in a 'Running' state or enters an email retry loop, failing to complete the automated actions despite the form collecting data properly.
Check your Power Automate 28-day run history to identify the exact step, such as an email action or approval, where the flow is currently paused or failing.
Troubleshoot via the Power Automate Community
Since advanced flow execution and input validation are managed within Power Automate rather than Microsoft Forms, consulting specialists in the official community is the most effective way to resolve stuck runs.
Power Automate flows often get stuck due to invalid input formats (like spaces in phone numbers) causing downstream actions, such as sending emails, to continuously retry without failing outright.
Take screenshots of your complete flow design, the specific trigger configuration ('When a new response is submitted'), and the details of the email action that is stuck on retry.
Navigate to 'My flows', select your problematic flow, and document the run history logs for the executions that remain in progress.
Visit the Microsoft Power Automate Community forums, create a detailed post explaining the issue, and attach your screenshots and run history.
Work with community specialists to add data validation steps to your flow or enforce stricter restrictions on your Microsoft Form to prevent spaces or invalid characters in critical fields.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do Power Automate flows get stuck in a 'Running' state?
Flows typically get stuck when they enter infinite loops, wait indefinitely for an approval action that has not been completed, or continuously retry a failed action, such as attempting to send an email to an improperly formatted address.
How can I restrict answer formats in Microsoft Forms to prevent flow errors?
You can enable the 'Restrictions' setting on text questions in Microsoft Forms. Selecting 'Number' ensures that respondents cannot enter text or unwanted characters, reducing the chances of downstream data errors in your flows.
Where do I check which step of my flow is stuck?
Log into Power Automate, click on 'My flows', select the flow in question, and look at the '28-day run history'. Clicking on a specific running execution will open a visual map highlighting the exact step that is holding up the process.
