Power Automate Desktop: Record Actions

Key insights

• Power Automate Desktop (PAD) includes a built-in Recorder tool that allows beginners to capture desktop and web actions quickly, creating automation flows without coding. The Recorder converts user interactions like clicking and typing into actionable automation steps.


• The process begins by creating a new desktop flow and selecting the Recorder button in PAD's toolbar. It captures UI steps such as browser control, window resizing, and data input, turning them into editable steps.


• No coding needed: Automate complex tasks through simple recording, supporting both desktop and web automation across various apps and browsers.


• The 2025 version features enhanced browser handling for Microsoft Edge, Chrome, and Firefox with automatic page detection. It also improves drop-down list interactions with multi-select support.


• An upcoming integration between the Recorder and Copilot AI is anticipated to enhance automation creation by combining AI-powered suggestions with recorded actions.


• This approach simplifies automation for users without technical backgrounds, allowing them to build reliable UI automations by recording tasks, cleaning flows, extracting data, and connecting flows to dynamic forms efficiently.

Overview: A Beginner’s Path to PAD Recording

In a new tutorial video, Anders Jensen [MVP] explains how the Power Automate Desktop Recorder helps beginners build UI automation without code. The blog post summarizes the session’s core steps, from capturing clicks and keystrokes to cleaning the generated flow. As a result, newcomers can turn everyday computer actions into repeatable automations. Moreover, the piece positions recording as the fastest on-ramp to practical desktop and web automation.

How the Recorder Works

The process starts in a new desktop flow, where users click the Recorder button and then perform the exact actions they want automated. PAD tracks interactions such as opening and controlling browsers, typing into forms, and selecting items from drop-down lists. It then converts these steps into editable actions that appear in the flow designer. Afterward, creators can refine the steps by renaming actions, adding variables, and adjusting selectors for more reliable runs.

Benefits and 2025 Updates

Because it removes the need to write code, the Recorder lets people move from idea to working automation quickly. The tutorial highlights support across desktop apps and browsers like Microsoft Edge, Chrome, and Firefox, provided the required extensions are in place. It also notes a smoother experience in 2025 for launching browsers and detecting pages, which reduces setup friction. In addition, improved handling of multi-select drop-down lists and a hinted link with Copilot AI suggest a more guided build experience ahead.

Practical Workflow: From Capture to Cleanup

Jensen shows a simple flow: start recording, perform browser navigation, enter data, and stop to generate actions. He then cleans up redundant steps, groups related actions, and wires in variables so the flow can use dynamic input instead of fixed values. The tutorial also demonstrates how to extract data during recording and pass it into forms, which turns one-off clicks into repeatable logic. Finally, he runs tests to confirm each step works reliably before saving the flow.

Tradeoffs and Challenges

While recording is fast, it can capture noisy or fragile steps that need cleanup. Relying on raw clicks may break if a page layout changes, so adding robust selectors and using variables becomes essential. Conversely, investing time in cleanup improves long-term stability but slows early momentum. The video acknowledges limits as well, such as certain mouse drags or complex UI states, which may require manual adjustments or alternative PAD actions for consistency.

Reliability, Skills Growth, and What to Watch

The tutorial urges users to balance speed with reliability: record for quick wins, then harden the flow with better element targeting, waits, and error handling. This approach builds skills step by step, helping beginners learn PAD’s core actions while keeping results practical. Looking ahead, the noted 2025 enhancements and potential Copilot AI guidance could further reduce manual cleanup, though teams should still plan for testing across browsers and environments. In short, Jensen’s video shows how the Recorder can turn simple demonstrations into durable automations when paired with careful editing and validation.

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