The Teams workflow command /createworkflow is one of those Microsoft updates that looks small on paper but could genuinely shift how your organisation uses automation day to day. In this post I walk you through what it does, when it rolls out, who it affects, and what you should know before it lands in your tenant.
What Is the Teams Workflow Command?
The Teams workflow command is a new slash command that appears directly in the message compose box in Microsoft Teams. When a user types /createworkflow while writing a message in a chat or a channel, they are taken straight into the workflow creation experience without having to leave the conversation or dig through app menus.
A workflow in Teams is an automated process built on Power Automate. It can do things like send a notification, create a task in Planner, or kick off an approval when something happens in Teams. Until now, starting that journey meant users needed to know where to look. That usually meant navigating to the Workflows app through the Apps section or the messaging extensions area. For most end users, that extra navigation is enough friction to stop them from ever trying.
The Teams workflow command removes that barrier by putting the starting point exactly where people already work: the compose box. It is tied to Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 558544 and applies to Teams for Windows desktop, Teams for Mac desktop, and Teams for the web.
How the Teams Workflow Command Works
Using the Teams workflow command is simple. While composing a message in any chat or channel, a user types /createworkflow. Teams shows the command in the suggestion pop-up above the compose box, and selecting it opens the workflow creation panel.
From there, users can pick a prebuilt template that matches their use case, describe what they want to automate and let the AI-assisted builder suggest a flow, or build from scratch if they already know the Power Automate setup they need.
The Teams workflow command is enabled by default. No admin action is required to make it available. It appears in the compose box automatically once the rollout reaches the tenant.
There is one edge case worth flagging. If the Workflows app has been blocked for certain users via Teams app permission policies, the Teams workflow command will still be visible to those users in the compose box. They can see it and try to interact with it, but they will receive an error dialogue explaining that the Workflows app is not available to them. Whether you consider that acceptable depends on your communication approach. More on that in the admin tips section below.
Rollout Timeline
| Phase | Region | Start | Expected Completion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Targeted Release | Worldwide | Late April 2026 | Late April 2026 |
| General Availability | Worldwide | Late April 2026 | Mid-May 2026 |
According to Microsoft, this should be rolling out around late April to mid-May 2026. If you are on Targeted Release you should see it first, with the broader rollout completing by mid-May.
Who Is Affected?
All Microsoft Teams users are affected by the Teams workflow command update. There is no specific licence restriction on seeing the slash command. Whether users can successfully complete a workflow after using it depends on whether the Workflows app is available in their tenant and which Power Automate plan they hold.
Licenses You Need
The Workflows app in Teams is powered by Power Automate. To create and run workflows, users need a Microsoft 365 business or enterprise subscription that includes Power Automate standard connector access. Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, E1, E3, and E5 plans all include this.
If your organisation uses premium connectors inside your flows, those require a standalone Power Automate licence. The Teams workflow command itself adds no new licence requirements. It is an entry point, not a feature that changes what users can build with Power Automate underneath.
Step-by-Step: Using the Teams Workflow Command
How to Create a Workflow With the Teams Workflow Command
Here is the full process once the Teams workflow command reaches your tenant:
- Open a chat or channel in Microsoft Teams.
- Click in the message compose box to start composing.
- Type /createworkflow. The slash command will appear in the suggestion list above the compose box.
- Select /createworkflow from the list.
- The workflow creation panel opens inside Teams.
- Choose a prebuilt template, type a description of what you want to automate, or start from scratch in Power Automate.
- Configure your triggers and actions, then save the workflow.
No app switching. No navigating away from the conversation. The entire starting experience lives in the compose box.
Microsoft has full documentation on slash commands at Use commands in Microsoft Teams and an overview of the broader Workflows experience at Overview of workflows in Microsoft Teams.
Admin Tips
Three things to check before the Teams workflow command lands in your tenant.
First: check if the Workflows app is blocked. If you have restricted the Workflows app through Teams app permission policies, users will see the Teams workflow command in the compose box but will hit an error when they try to use it. That is a support ticket waiting to happen. Decide now whether you want to update your policy, communicate proactively to affected users, or accept the error as an outcome.
Second: review your Power Automate governance. The Teams workflow command makes it easier for users to discover and start creating automations. That is good for adoption, but it also means more flows being created by people who may not be familiar with your governance standards. Check your Power Automate environment settings and your data loss prevention policies. Make sure connectors are scoped appropriately and that flows are being created in the right environments.
Third: use this as a moment to educate. Microsoft says no admin action is required, and technically that is true. But if your users have never interacted with workflows in Teams before, this is a natural opening to run a short session on what automation can do for them, and to set expectations around which use cases are supported and which need IT involvement.
If you are thinking about how other recent Teams changes affect your governance posture, my post on Teams Channel Agent and the new in-channel collaboration features is worth a read. And if you are managing Teams meeting security more broadly, the Teams bot detection controls post covers how to handle automated participants in your meetings.
The Paul-Take
Here is what I actually think about the Teams workflow command.
It is not solving a technical problem. Power Automate integration with Teams has been there for a while. Workflows have been available for a while. The problem has always been discoverability, and that is exactly what this update addresses.
Most Teams users have no idea that automation exists inside the app they use all day. The only people creating workflows were the ones who already knew about it, went looking for it, or were pointed to it by an admin or a consultant. The Teams workflow command changes that equation by putting /createworkflow in the place where everyone already spends their time.
That is a meaningful nudge. And nudges in the right place matter more than most people assume.
My concern is step two. Getting someone to type /createworkflow is easy. What happens after that is the real test. If the workflow builder experience is still too complex, too technical, or too overwhelming for a non-technical user to complete without dropping off, all you have done is move the failure point one step forward. Microsoft has added AI-assisted workflow descriptions that help bridge that gap, but there is still room to improve the end-to-end experience for first-time users.
For organisations that have been trying to drive automation adoption and not seeing it take off, this is a good moment. Use the Teams workflow command rollout as a conversation starter. Run a short internal demo. Show people what a simple workflow looks like. The timing could not be better.