Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

Hello, I am considering using MS Power Automate to automate UI interactions( such as clicking UI objects) for an application developed with MFC.

However, the application is installed on a fully offline PC, and both the setup and execution of the automation need to be performed within this offline environment. I would like to confirm the following

1. Is an internet connection required only for the initial login, and can Power Automate be used continuously in an offline state afterward?

2. After login, is periodic internet connectivity required for license valication? IF so, how frequently does this valication occur?

3. For local automation tasks such as UI interaction(eg. clicking objects) and saving text files, is an internet connection(such as cloud connection) required?

4. Is it possible to execute local automation(Desktop Flows) in a completley isolated environment without any connection to the cloud or external databases?

Please let me know if there are any other considerations I should be aware of.

Thank you

Categories:

Power Automate Desktop

Hi @CU02040753-1

For a fully offline PC, you should use Power Automate Desktop (PAD), but there are important limitations around licensing and sign-in.

1. Internet required only for initial login?
No (not strictly only once).
Microsoft Power Automate Desktop requires internet for initial sign-in.
After that, you can run flows offline for some time, but it is not guaranteed indefinitely.

2. Periodic license validation?
Yes.
PAD periodically checks license status online.
Microsoft does not publicly specify exact intervals, but:
Expect regular revalidation (e.g., every few days or weeks).
If validation fails for too long → flows may stop running.

3. Internet needed for local UI automation?
No.
For tasks like:
Clicking UI (MFC app)
File operations (save/read text)
PAD works fully locally, no cloud required during execution.

4. Fully isolated (air-gapped) execution possible?
Not fully supported long-term.
You can:
Build and run Desktop Flows locally
But:
Sign-in + license validation requires occasional internet
Full air-gapped operation is not officially supported

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Best regards,
Piotr