How to Manually Start a Power Automate Flow by Selecting an Email in Outlook
Question details
The user is looking for a way to manually trigger a Power Automate workflow by selecting a specific email in Outlook, rather than using an automatic trigger for all incoming emails.
- Product
- Power Automate and Microsoft Outlook
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- The user wants to decide exactly when to forward specific emails to employees, save their attachments to a predetermined SharePoint library, add a link and due date, and automatically generate a Trello card.
- Observed behavior
- Power Automate currently lacks a native, direct manual trigger (like a custom button) that allows users to manually select any arbitrary email in Outlook to start a flow.
Ensure you have active credentials and appropriate permissions for Microsoft Power Automate, Outlook, SharePoint, and Trello connected to your Microsoft 365 environment before building this workflow.
Use the 'When an email is flagged' Trigger as a Manual Workaround
Since Power Automate lacks a direct 'manual select' trigger for Outlook emails, flagging an email serves as the most effective workaround to give you manual control over when the flow executes.
By building your flow around the flagged email trigger, you can browse your inbox and simply click the flag icon on any email you wish to process. This provides the manual decision-making capability you need without firing automatically on every new message.
Log in to Power Automate, click on 'Create' from the left navigation pane, and select 'Automated cloud flow'.
In the trigger search box, type 'Outlook' and select the trigger named 'When an email is flagged (V4)'. Connect your Outlook account if prompted.
Click 'New step', search for 'SharePoint', and choose 'Create file'. Configure the site address and folder path, using dynamic content from the email to save the attachments.
Add another step using the Outlook connector 'Send an email (V2)' or 'Forward an email (V2)'. Include the dynamic SharePoint folder link in the body of the message.
Add a final step and search for the 'Trello' connector. Select 'Create a card', then populate the board, list, card name, and due date fields using information from the initial email or custom inputs.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add a custom button directly in Outlook to trigger a flow?
Currently, Power Automate does not support adding a custom 'trigger flow' button directly into the native Outlook desktop or web interface for arbitrary emails. The flagged email method remains the officially supported workaround.
Will the flow run immediately when I flag an email in Outlook?
Yes, once your Power Automate flow is saved and turned on, clicking the flag icon on an email in the designated folder will trigger the automation to run shortly after.
Does the Trello connector in Power Automate require a premium license?
The standard Trello connector is generally available without a premium Power Automate license, but you will be required to securely authenticate and link your Trello account during the flow creation process.
