This comprehensive beginner course by Thomas Janssen covers everything you need to get started with Microsoft Power Automate Desktop (PAD), the free Robotic Process Automation tool for Windows 10 and 11. Within the first 15 minutes, you’ll create your first automated flow, building confidence while learning practical skills.

The course begins with downloading and installing PAD, followed by automating a simple web browser process to introduce core concepts. Next, it dives into automating Excel, the most widely used business application, teaching you how to streamline business processes. You’ll also learn web scraping to extract structured data from websites and use variables to pass data within flows efficiently.

Advanced topics include working with date & time variables, automating files and folders, and interacting with desktop applications, including the Contoso app. Each chapter provides clear, step-by-step instructions with real-world examples, ensuring learners gain hands-on experience.

By the end of this tutorial, you will confidently design automated workflows, saving time on repetitive tasks, handling PDFs, emails, and desktop apps, and applying RPA techniques using PAD’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface. This course is ideal for beginners seeking practical, zero-to-hero skills in automation.