can you transfer a primary owner of a power automate non solution flow

Question

Someone has created some cloud flows using power automate and is leaving the business so we need to find a way to transfer them to another user or another non user acct

Answer 1

Hello @Christian Farby

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Based on what I’ve researched, the following information may help you: 

To change the ownership of a non-solution-aware cloud flow, you must create a new flow via Export/Import, Save as, or Send a copy. In-place ownership change for non-solution-aware cloud flows isn't available because the owner is part of the flow identity. 

Export and Import the Flow 

This is the most straightforward workaround. The current owner of the flow can export it as a package (.zip), and the new user can then import it into their own environment to create a new copy of the flow under their account. This method is useful when the original owner is still available and can perform the export. 

For your reference: 

• Export and Import a Non-Solution Flow – Microsoft Docs 
• Change the owner of a cloud flow in Power Automate - Power Automate | Microsoft Learn 

I hope the information above is helpful to you. 

If you have any further questions or need to update me on your situation, please feel free to reach out, I’ll be happy to assist. 

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Answer 2

Hello Christian Farby,

A primary owner of a Power Automate non-solution cloud flow cannot be directly changed; ownership transfer is not a built-in feature for non-solution flows because the owner identity is tightly bound to the flow itself.

What you can do is instead is:
Solution Flows: Only flows added to a solution can have their owner changed via the Power Automate UI.​

Non-Solution Flows: For non-solution-aware flows, the main approaches are:

Export the flow and have the intended new owner import it, which sets the new user as the owner and disables the original.​

Use "Save As" to create a copy as the new user; this copy becomes owned by that user.​

Use "Send a Copy" to achieve similar results.

Sharing the flow gives other users permission to run and edit, but does not change the ownership, nor does it work for ownership removal in non-solution flows.​

Also the Steps to Transfer a Non-Solution Flow

• Export the desired flow from the maker’s Power Automate portal.
• The new owner then imports this flow into their account/workspace.​
• Alternatively, have the new owner go to "Save As" on the flow to make a copy under their profile.​
• Update all connections in the new flow to ensure the new owner has access and credentials required for its actions.

Please note:

• After transfer, the original flow remains under the departing user's account unless manually deleted.
• All connection references, licensing, and run history are tied to the new flow, not the old.​
• If premium connectors are used, the new owner must have the corresponding license.​

For true owner transfer and lifecycle management, consider always creating critical flows inside solutions for easier ownership migration in the future