Outlook Account Error

Question

I am trying to get power automate (on desktop) to do the action of retrieve an email from outlook. However, it cannot find my account that is connected to my outlook. I tried the two account names (two emails connect to the one account) and my display name as well. The only other action prior to 'retrieve email messages from outlook' is 'launch outlook' and it does launch my outlook fine. Please let me know

Answer 1

Hi @Makenna,

For your concern, refer to Outlook actions reference - Power Automate | Microsoft Learn, the "Retrieve email messages from Outlook" action does not simply look for your display name or alias. The Account field expects the Outlook account/data file name which exists inside the Outlook profile being opened by the Launch Outlook action.

Therefore, I suggest you check and ensure you use the correct actual account name in Outlook:

• In classic Outlook, go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
• Open the Data Files tab > note the exact Name of the mailbox/data file > use that exact value in Account field
• Try again to see if the action works properly now.

Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, you can try these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to find a way.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.    

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

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Answer 2

In the Retrieve email messages from Outlook action, the Account field must be the Outlook account data file name, not the SMTP email address or display name.

To resolve the “Failed to find Outlook account” behavior in Power Automate for desktop:

1. Ensure classic Outlook for Windows is used
   • Outlook automation actions do not support the new Outlook for Windows. Make sure the classic Outlook desktop app is installed and used.
2. Get the correct account (data file) name
   • Open classic Outlook.
   • Go to File → Account Settings → Account Settings….
   • On the Email tab, note the Name column for the account (this is typically the data file name shown in Outlook).
   • Alternatively, on the Data Files tab, note the data file name associated with the mailbox.
   • Use this exact name (including any spaces) in the Account field of the Retrieve email messages from Outlook action.
3. Verify the mail folder path
   • In the action, set Mail folder to a valid folder name, for example Inbox or a full path like Inbox\\Subfolder.
   • If the folder path is invalid, the action can fail with a “Mail-folder specified not valid in Outlook” error.
4. Confirm the flow sequence
   • Keep the sequence: Launch Outlook → Retrieve email messages from Outlook.
   • In Retrieve email messages from Outlook, set Outlook instance to the variable produced by Launch Outlook (usually OutlookInstance).

If the account name and folder path are correct and classic Outlook is used, the action should successfully find the account and populate the RetrievedEmails list for later processing.

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References:

• Outlook actions
• Retrieve email messages from Outlook
• The "Retrieve email messages from Outlook" action doesn't work as expected