Power Automate Desktop

ApplicationMicrosoft Corporation

Also called pad, power automate, rpa desktop

Microsoft CorporationProductivity

Microsoft's RPA tool included with Windows 11. The process is PAD.Console.Host.exe. It is not AutoHotkey.

What you need to know

PAD.Console.Host.exe is Power Automate Desktop. AutoHotkey is a different script host.

Windows 11 includes Microsoft's RPA designer. AutoHotkey is community scripting. Cloud Power Automate is a browser service. The desktop console is this exe.

What is it?: Desktop automation
Still current?: Yes, see Current status
Official download?: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If PAD.Console.Host.exe is open, that is Microsoft RPA, not AutoHotkey. I would not debug a .ahk file to fix a desktop flow. I also would not reinstall Word to add this console.

What is Power Automate Desktop?

Power Automate Desktop is Microsoft's Windows RPA designer. PAD.Console.Host.exe is the usual console process. AutoHotkey is AutoHotkey.exe and a different language. Power Automate cloud flows live on make.powerautomate.com.

If you have never used it

If Windows 11 already has Power Automate, this is Microsoft's desktop RPA designer, not AutoHotkey. Open Power Automate from Start or install it from Microsoft's desktop-flows install article. PAD.Console.Host.exe is the console. AutoHotkey is a different scripting community tool with a .ahk file. Cloud-only Power Automate flows in a browser are a cousin, not this exe.

What is it used for?

Desktop flows

Record and play UI steps Microsoft calls desktop flows. An .ahk script is AutoHotkey, not this designer.

Connect to cloud Power Automate

Attended flows can call the service. That license story is Microsoft's, not an AutoHotkey forum pack.

In-box on Windows 11

Many PCs already have the console. You do not download AutoHotkey to get PAD.

Who is it for?

Windows 11 users exploring the in-box RPA tile
Citizen automators in a Microsoft 365 tenant
Anyone who should not paste AutoHotkey into this designer

Current status

Actively developed. This article is Power Automate Desktop on Windows, not only cloud flows.

How old is it?

Microsoft shipped Power Automate Desktop in 2020 (from WinAutomation roots) and included it with Windows 11. AutoHotkey is a long-running open-source hotkey language. They do not share a script format.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Power Automate Desktop (Windows 11)

Cloud Power Automate

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
PAD.Console.Host.exe	Power Automate Desktop console
PAD.Robot.exe	Flow runtime helper on some jobs

Startup components

PAD does not need to start with Windows unless you scheduled an attended flow. That is not AutoHotkey's #Persistent scripts.

File locations

Common Power Automate Desktop locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files (x86)\Power Automate Desktop\PAD.Console.Host.exe

File formats

desktop flowsPower Automate packages

Common problems

Flow needs a premium license

Some connectors and unattended runs are paid. That is a Microsoft license, not an AutoHotkey donation.

Recorder breaks after a UI change

Desktop flows are brittle. Rewriting in AutoHotkey is a different product choice, not a PAD repair.

Getting unstuck

Open Power Automate from Start on Windows 11 before you download a third-party RPA zip

Microsoft's install article is the source if the tile is missing.

Confirm PAD.Console.Host.exe, not AutoHotkey.exe

Open file location. Power Automate Desktop is this product. AutoHotkey is the sibling people swap.

Use Learn docs for desktop-flow errors

A cloud flow error on make.powerautomate.com is a different surface than this console.

Alternatives

AutoHotkey, PowerToys Keyboard Manager, and a cloud-only Power Automate flow overlap. AutoHotkey is the sibling this article is not.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	learn.microsoft.com/power-automate/desktop-flows/install Official installer or vendor page
Help	learn.microsoft.com/power-automate/ Vendor support
Official site	learn.microsoft.com/power-automate/desktop-flows/install Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

UI recording wants a stable display scale. A GPU does not run the flow logic.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Power Automate Desktop official site · Vendor product page
Power Automate Desktop help · Vendor support
Power Automate Desktop install · How Microsoft ships PAD on Windows 11
Power Automate docs · Cloud flows versus desktop flows
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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