If you are hunting for an Import JSON command in Power Automate, stop. Microsoft does not document a supported way to paste arbitrary raw JSON from a text editor, email or forum post into the cloud flow designer.
What Power Automate does support is copying an action that already exists in Power Automate and pasting that action elsewhere. If you need to move or share a complete flow, use Send a copy, a flow package or a Power Platform solution instead.
Fact-checked against Microsoft Learn on 24 August 2026.
The quick answer
| What you have | What to use |
|---|---|
| An action you want to duplicate in the same flow | Copy action and Paste an action in the new designer |
| An action in the classic designer | Copy to my clipboard, then My clipboard |
| Raw action JSON from a text file, Teams message or forum | There is no documented native raw-JSON import; rebuild the action or ask for a supported flow package |
| A complete flow you want to give to another person | Send a copy |
| One non-solution flow moving between environments | Export and import a .zip package |
| Flows moving through development, test and production | Put them in a Power Platform solution |
That distinction matters. Copying a Power Automate action is not the same as importing arbitrary JSON.
How to copy and paste an action in the new designer
Microsoft's current instructions for the new cloud flow designer are:
- Open the flow containing the action you want to reuse.
- Right-click the action and select Copy action.
- Right-click the + where you want the copy to appear.
- Select Paste an action, then Paste an action again.
- Review the new action before saving and testing the flow.
The pasted action normally receives -copy at the end of its name. Microsoft also documents Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V as keyboard alternatives.
See Microsoft's illustrated copy-and-paste instructions for the cloud flow designer.
Check the pasted action before relying on it
A successful paste only proves that an action appeared on the canvas. It does not prove that the copied logic is ready for production.
Check:
- the connector and connection reference;
- dynamic content from earlier steps;
- expressions containing action names;
- Run after settings;
- environment-specific URLs, list names, table names and IDs; and
- the result of a controlled test run.
If the copied action depends on an earlier step that does not exist at the destination, repair that reference rather than assuming Power Automate has mapped it for you.
Where did My clipboard go?
My clipboard belongs to the classic designer workflow. In the classic designer, open the action's ellipsis menu, select Copy to my clipboard, add a new step and open the My clipboard tab.
The new designer uses a different interaction: right-click the action to copy it, then right-click the destination + to paste it. Microsoft shows both versions in its workflow creation guidance.
If you are following an older tutorial, the feature may not have disappeared at all. You may simply be looking at instructions for the other designer.
Can you copy an action into another flow?
Microsoft's documentation currently contradicts itself on this point.
The main designer page says actions can be copied “in between flows”. Its separate classic-versus-new designer comparison says the new designer cannot copy actions across browser tabs or flows.
So the honest answer is: same-flow copying is documented clearly; cross-flow copying in the new designer should not be treated as dependable without testing it in your own tenant.
If cross-flow paste fails, do not start changing browser security settings based on guesswork. Use one of the supported whole-flow sharing methods below, or use the classic designer only if it is available and appropriate for that flow.
Can you import raw JSON as an action?
Microsoft documents Code view as a way to inspect the underlying JSON representation of an action or trigger. Microsoft also says that you cannot edit that code directly to change the action.
Read Microsoft's Code view and Peek code guidance.
That makes raw JSON useful for understanding or documenting a flow, but it does not turn Code view into a supported JSON editor or import screen.
If somebody sends you a block of action JSON:
- Treat it as reference material, not as a trusted installation file.
- Ask whether they can provide a copy of the flow, a
.zippackage or a solution. - Check the JSON for environment-specific endpoints, IDs, expressions and connector references.
- Recreate and test the action in a non-production flow if no supported package is available.
Third-party extensions and community workarounds may expose additional copying behaviour. That does not make the behaviour a Microsoft-supported import route, and it may change without notice.
Choose the right way to share or move a flow
Send a copy to another maker
Use Send a copy when another person needs an independent copy of a cloud flow. Microsoft says the recipient gets the flow definition as a template without receiving your connections.
Once sent, that copy is independent and cannot be revoked. Follow Microsoft's Send a copy instructions.
Export a non-solution flow as a package
For a non-solution flow, Power Automate can export a .zip package and import it into another environment.
Microsoft labels the import route Import Package (Legacy) and recommends solutions when you need proper application lifecycle management. See the current non-solution flow export and import instructions.
Use a solution for managed deployment
For flows that need to move through development, test and production, use solution-aware cloud flows.
Solutions can carry the flow with connection references, environment variables and other dependencies. They also support stronger versioning and deployment practices than a collection of copied JSON snippets. Microsoft's solution-aware flow guidance explains the advantages and the trade-offs.
If Paste an action is missing
Work through these checks in order:
- Confirm which designer you are using.
- In the new designer, copy an existing action first, then right-click the destination +.
- Try the documented Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V shortcuts.
- If you are copying between flows, test within the same flow to separate a general paste problem from the documented cross-flow limitation.
- Check whether the flow uses a feature that the new designer does not yet support.
- Save your existing work before switching designers or trying a workaround.
Microsoft maintains a list of limitations and known issues in the new designer. Check that list before assuming the missing command is caused by a browser permission, licence or tenant policy.
Questions people ask
Is there an Import JSON button for Power Automate actions?
Microsoft does not document a native command for importing arbitrary action JSON from a file or text editor. The documented feature copies an action from within Power Automate and pastes the copied action through the designer.
Is Code view an action editor?
No. Microsoft says Code view and Peek code let you inspect the underlying JSON, but you cannot edit that code directly to change an action or trigger.
Why do older instructions mention My clipboard?
They are usually describing the classic designer. The new designer uses Copy action and Paste an action from the canvas context menu.
Can I copy an action between two flows in the new designer?
Microsoft's current pages disagree. One says copying between flows is supported; another says the new designer does not support cross-tab or cross-flow copying. Test it in your tenant and use a package, Send a copy or a solution when reliability matters.
What should I use to move a complete flow?
Use Send a copy for an independent personal copy, a .zip package for a non-solution flow, or a solution for managed movement between environments.
Build flows that survive the first successful test
Copying an action is the easy bit. The harder work is keeping the flow useful when a connection changes, an owner leaves, an approval times out or Microsoft moves part of the designer again.
The Power Automate Builders Space focuses on those practical problems: SharePoint and Teams automation, approvals, expressions, errors, ownership, licensing and monitoring.