How long can a flow keep running before it automatically times out in Power Automate?

Question

I've designed a flow that includes an approval step, which waits for a manager to either approve or reject a request. However, in some cases, managers take several weeks sometimes even close to a month to respond. I'm concerned about whether the flow will keep running that entire time or if there’s a limit to how long it can stay active.

I want to make sure that the flow won’t fail or stop working before the approval comes in.

Answer 1

Max duration for running flow in Power Automate

In Power Automate, each flow run has a maximum duration of 30 days. That means once the flow starts, it can stay active for up to 30 consecutive days, including any "Wait for Approval" or "Delay Until" actions. If the approval isn’t completed within that time, the flow will automatically time out, and the remaining steps won't execute.

To avoid issues with long response times, it's a good idea to:

• Clearly communicate deadlines to approvers.
• Use reminders or escalation steps if approval is not received within a few days.
• Handle timeouts gracefully by checking the flow's status and sending follow-up emails or logging the incident.

Note: This 30-day limit is fixed and cannot be extended even in premium plans. so it's important to design your flow logic with this in mind.