Unattended mode execution in VM

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Posted on by AM-27020944-0

Hi Guys,

I am in rather a pickle right now with one of the flows that I have built which is supposed to run in unattended mode. The problem is that as per the IT team the VM's idle session timeout limit is 15 mins but when I am running the flow in unattended mode, after processing for a certain amount of time, a windows pop up comes saying:

Exactly 2 mins after this the machine gets disconnected and the flow fails. I have tried several methods like executing a VB script which will send a keystroke after every 20 seconds to keep the session alive/opening a note pad & sending keystrokes/mouse moves but nothing seems to work. Even though this process involves various input methods like clicks & text inputs on web page but still the VM refuses to detect those as some physical activity and this pop up comes up & as a result the machine gets disconnected. Alse, the flow runs flawlessly in attended mode so I can say that logically there isn't any issue.

I am out of solutions right now & if anyone can help me or give me some leads as to what exactly the problem can be; I WOULD BE OBLIGED!!!

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Power Automate Desktop

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SwatiSTW 809 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Your VM has a 15-minute idle timeout, and when running the Power Automate Desktop flow in unattended mode, Windows does not detect the automation as real activity. This causes a pop-up warning, and after 2 minutes, the session disconnects, making the flow fail. Even though the flow interacts with webpages, the system still sees it as inactive. The issue does not happen in attended mode, meaning it’s related to session inactivity detection.

Ask IT to increase the idle timeout or change settings to recognize automation as real activity. If IT cannot change policies, use a PowerShell script or a Mouse Jiggler tool to move the mouse slightly every few seconds. You can also modify your Power Automate flow to send periodic keystrokes or move the mouse using UI automation actions. Running the flow on a different VM or physical machine may also help.

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AM-27020944-0 10 on at

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Thanks for your reply but I have already used methods like opening a notepad and sending some keystrokes & closing the notepad, running vb script which sends keystrokes every 20 sec in admin mode, mouse moves but nothing seems to work. Is there anything in specific that I can tell my IT team to look into which may help me with this issue?

Also, is it like a known issue?

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eetuRobo 4,535 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Try using something else than scripting. I think windows does not see scripts as real activity. Use PADs own actions like Send keys and toggle the "Send Text as hardware keys" ON so it doesn't see them as virtual presses but actual keyboard presses.

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Deenuji_Loganathan_ 6,255 Moderator on at

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Hi there,

I would suggest creating a child flow, which you can call to run in parallel to handle this popup message. Microsoft recently introduced feature. Please follow the attached video to see if it helps resolve your issue.

https://youtu.be/Omxk9lv_ee8?si=vKKOq53hRJ6JjYn_

Thanks,
Deenuji Loganathan 👩‍💻
Power Automate Desktop Community Champion 🤖

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OW-29071318-0 12 on at

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Hi @SwatiSTW,

How can I change settings on my VM to recognize automation as real activity?

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