Most Power Automate flows get built with a trigger already in mind: a new email, a new row, a scheduled time. But some jobs don't have a natural trigger, they just have a moment where you want to say "do the thing now." That's what the Manually trigger a flow trigger is for, and it works from your phone.
How to do it
- Create a new flow and choose the Manually trigger a flow trigger instead of an event-based one.
- Add any inputs you want prompted for at run time (text, a number, a file, a dropdown).
- Build the rest of the flow as normal.
- Install the Power Automate mobile app and sign in with the same account.
- Open the flow on the Flows screen, tap the ellipsis, and select Run flow. On iOS or Android you can also add it as a home screen widget so it's one tap, no app-opening required.
Why it works
A manual trigger isn't waiting on an event, it's waiting on you. That's the whole mechanism: the flow sits idle until something calls its manual endpoint, and the mobile app (or a widget) is just a friendly interface to that call. Any inputs you added become a small form on your phone, so the flow gets real data, not just a blank "go" signal.
When not to use it
If the thing that should start the flow is genuinely an event, don't route it through a manual trigger just to avoid setting up the real one. A manual trigger for "someone has to remember to open the app and tap it" is a workaround, not automation, and it fails exactly when nobody's watching.