Want to send email in Power Automate without lifting a finger? A flow can alert your team the instant a form or ticket comes in.
Power Automate’s built-in Outlook connector handles most of that out of the box. But it ties every email to your Microsoft 365 tenant, with limits you can’t change.
In this guide, I’ll show you both ways to send email in Power Automate.
- How to Send Email in Power Automate
- Sending From a Shared Mailbox or as Another User
- What the Outlook Connector Can’t Do
- Sending Through Your Own SMTP Provider Instead
- Authenticating Your Sending Domain
- Choosing Between the Outlook and SMTP Connectors
- Troubleshooting Power Automate Email
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Send Email in Power Automate
Power Automate sends email two ways.
The Outlook connector sends from your Microsoft 365 mailbox using Send an Email (V2). The SMTP connector uses Send Email (V3) and sends from any address your provider allows.
We’ll wire up the Outlook connector first, since it’s the default choice for most flows. Then I’ll show you the SMTP route for everything the Outlook connector can’t do.
Prerequisites
You’ll need a few things in place before you start:
- A Power Automate plan with cloud flows enabled, since this isn’t a desktop-only flow.
- An Office 365 mailbox connected to your account for the Outlook connector.
- A trigger already in your flow. A form submission or a new file landing in storage both work.
- SMTP credentials from your provider, if you plan to use the SMTP connector too.
Step 1: Add the Send an Email (V2) Action
Select the + icon below your trigger to open the Add an action panel.
After that, search for Outlook, then choose Send an Email (V2).
Step 2: Fill In the To, Subject, and Body Fields
Enter the recipient’s address in To. Add a Subject and write the message in Body.
Body opens in a rich text editor. Use it to add bold text, color, and links, just like in Outlook.
To: [recipient email address]
Subject: [your subject line]
Body: [your message]
A data table works well for approval requests or summary emails. Add a Create HTML table action before this step. Then insert its output into Body as dynamic content.
Step 3: Pull Recipient Details From Your Trigger
Click inside any field, then select the lightning bolt icon to open dynamic content. Pick a value from your trigger or an earlier action.
Microsoft Forms needs one extra action. Its trigger only returns a response ID, so add Get response details next.
Then fill To with that action’s Responders’ Email value.
The same works for a new-file trigger. You can pull the uploader’s name into Subject, and the file link into Body.
Step 4: Test the Flow
Save the flow, then run it manually or trigger it for real. Check that the email lands, and check the sender name matches your connected mailbox.
Pro Tip: Test with your own address first, before you point the flow at real recipients. That way you catch a bad field mapping before anyone else sees it.
Sending From a Shared Mailbox or as Another User
You can send from a shared mailbox instead of your own inbox. Use the Send an email from a shared mailbox (V2) action.
It needs Send As permission on that mailbox, and an admin has to grant it. Your message lands in the shared mailbox’s Sent folder, not yours.
Want to send as a colleague or a group instead? Fill in the From (Send as) field on Send an Email (V2). It needs Send as or Send on behalf of rights to that address.
What the Outlook Connector Can’t Do
The Outlook connector is built for notifications, not bulk email. Two limits matter most: how much you send, and who you send as.
Recipient and Daily Sending Limits
Exchange Online powers the Outlook connector, and it sets two ceilings.
The recipient limit per message is customizable up to 1,000. The recipient rate limit is 10,000 recipients per day.
The connector itself throttles to 300 API calls per connection every 60 seconds. One email counts as one call. That holds regardless of how many recipients you put in To, Cc, or Bcc.
That’s fine for alerts and confirmations.
It’s not built for campaigns or mass mailings. A flow that tries will start failing once it hits the ceiling.
The From Address Is Tied to Your Microsoft 365 Tenant
Send an Email (V2) does have a From (Send as) field. But it only accepts addresses you already have rights to.
That means Send as or Send on behalf of permission. Your Microsoft 365 admin grants it. In practice, it covers mailboxes and groups inside your own tenant.
Maybe you send from a domain that isn’t in Microsoft 365. Or your admin won’t grant Send As rights. The Outlook connector can’t help with either.
Sending Through Your Own SMTP Provider Instead
Power Automate also ships an SMTP connector, so you’re not locked into one mailbox.
It works with any SMTP-compatible provider, not just SendLayer. The setup below carries over even if you use a different service.
Note: The SMTP connector is a Standard connector, available in every Power Automate region.
Add the SMTP Connector to Your Flow
To do so, select the + icon and search for SMTP in the Add an action panel. Then choose the Send Email (V3) action.
Enter Your SMTP Credentials
Fill in your provider’s connection fields. For SendLayer, they look like this:
SMTP Server Address: smtp.sendlayer.net
User Name: [your SendLayer SMTP username]
Password: [your SendLayer SMTP password]
SMTP Server Port: 587
Enable SSL?: Yes
After entering your SMTP credentials, click Create new to proceed.
The steps are the same for any SMTP provider. Just swap in that provider’s server address and credentials.
Power Automate saves this connection once. You can reuse it across multiple flows without re-entering credentials.
Warning: Microsoft’s own SMTP connector notes say networks can block port 25 further along the path. Microsoft calls port 25 usage “highly not recommended,” so stick with port 587.
Set Your Own From Address With Send Email (V3)
Send Email (V3) has a From field too. Unlike the Outlook version, it isn’t tied to Microsoft 365 Send As rights.
Set From to an address on a domain you control, even one outside Microsoft 365. Fill in To, Subject, and Body the same way you did in Step 2.
Make sure the domain in From matches the domain you’ll authenticate in the next section. A mismatch is a common reason inbox providers flag this kind of mail.
Authenticating Your Sending Domain
Add SPF and DKIM records so receiving servers trust your From address. They prove the mail really came from you.
SPF lists which servers your domain allows to send. DKIM adds a signature that proves nobody altered the message in transit.
Without them, inbox providers are more likely to flag or reject your mail.
SendLayer, like most SMTP providers, gives you exact SPF and DKIM records. Add them to your domain’s DNS.
Choosing Between the Outlook and SMTP Connectors
| Feature | Outlook connector | SMTP connector |
|---|---|---|
| From address | Connected mailbox, or tenant addresses you have Send As rights to | Any address you verify with your provider |
| Recipients per message | Customizable up to 1,000 | Set by your provider |
| Daily volume | 10,000 recipients | Set by your provider |
| Throttle | 300 API calls per connection per 60 seconds | 100 API calls per connection per 60 seconds |
| Connector class | Standard, Office 365 required | Standard |
| Best for | Internal alerts from your own inbox | Mail from your own domain, at your provider’s limits |
I’d keep the Outlook connector for quick internal alerts. I’d switch to SMTP once you need more volume or an address outside your tenant.
Neither connector turns Power Automate into a marketing tool. Both are built for transactional, one-to-one mail triggered by an event in your flow.
Troubleshooting Power Automate Email
Your Flow Succeeds but No Email Arrives
Check the recipient’s spam or junk folder first. Then open the flow’s Run history and look for a warning on the send step.
If the mail is in spam, your sending domain likely isn’t authenticated yet. Go back to the SPF and DKIM section above.
Your Send Step Fails
Check that your Outlook connection is still authorized, since the token can expire.
If you’re using the SMTP connector, double-check the server address and port. Also, check the password against your provider’s dashboard. A typo in any of those fields breaks the connection.
You Hit a Throttling or Rate-Limit Error
On the Outlook connector, you’re likely near the 10,000-recipient daily cap. Or you’ve hit the 300-calls-per-connection throttle.
Spread the sends out, or move high-volume mail to the SMTP connector.
On the SMTP connector, you’re past 100 API calls per connection per 60 seconds. Add a delay between actions, or split the work across more than one run.
Either fix is better than retrying immediately, which usually hits the same limit again.
Your Send As Address Fails
On the Outlook connector, From (Send as) fails if you lack the right permission. Ask your Microsoft 365 admin for Send as or Send on behalf of rights.
Need an address outside your tenant? Switch to the SMTP connector’s Send Email (V3) action. Its From field doesn’t depend on Microsoft 365 permissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are quick answers to common questions about Power Automate email.
Why is Power Automate not sending emails?
Check the recipient’s junk folder before anything else. An expired Outlook connection, a wrong SMTP password, or throttling is the next common cause.
For SMTP, confirm the server address and port match your provider’s documentation exactly.
Sometimes the flow shows success but nothing arrives. Check the run history for a warning on the send step.
Can Power Automate send emails as another user?
Yes. Fill in From (Send as) on Send an Email (V2). Or use the Send an email from a shared mailbox (V2) action.
You need Send As permission first. Your Microsoft 365 admin has to grant it.
With the shared mailbox action, the message lands in that mailbox’s own Sent folder. It won’t show up in the flow owner’s personal inbox.
Can Power Automate send an email based on a form response?
Yes. Trigger the flow from a form submission, then map the answers into the email fields.
With Microsoft Forms, add Get response details after the trigger. Its Responders’ Email value can fill To.
The email only appears if the form records who responded. Third-party form tools with their own connector work the same way.
How can I automate sending emails?
Build a cloud flow with a trigger. Use a new form response or a new file as the trigger.
Add Send an Email (V2) next, or use the SMTP connector’s Send Email (V3) instead.
Fill in the To, Subject, and Body fields, then turn the flow on. From there, the email goes out on its own every time the trigger fires.
That’s it! Now you know how to send email in Power Automate.
Power Automate isn’t the only automation tool that can send email this way. If you’re weighing your options, I’d read Send Email in n8n next. It walks through the same SMTP setup in a different flow builder.
