Failed to Create Connection for Connection ID in Power Automate: Causes and Fixes

You pick a template or import a flow, sign in when asked, and Power Automate throws a long error with a GUID in it. Nothing gets saved, and the message doesn’t say which account or setting is wrong.

In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to fix failed to create connection for connection id errors as a short runbook: read the ID, check the connection, fix or re-create it, then rule out policies and import settings.

Quick answer: The error means Power Automate couldn’t create or sign in to the connection the flow needs. Open Connections, find the connector named in the ID, select Reconnect (or switch it to your work account), then retry the template or import.

What You Need Before You Start

• The full error text (copy it before you close the dialog).
• Access to make.powerautomate.com in the same environment where the flow lives.
• The work account you normally use for SharePoint and Outlook.
• For imports: the Environment Maker role in the target environment.

In my examples I use a small test flow named ESP Connection Demo: a manual trigger plus one SharePoint Get items action, the same kind of flow you’d build in an instant cloud flow. It needs one SharePoint connection and nothing else.

Step 1: Read the Connection ID in the Error

The ID looks scary, but it’s just a path. Here’s the shape of the message when a SharePoint connection fails:

Failed to create connection for connection id '/providers/Microsoft.PowerApps/apis/shared_sharepointonline/connections/shared-sharepointonl-<guid>'. Failed to fetch.

The part after apis/ is the connector’s internal name, and the last segment is the connection itself. That tells you exactly which connection to check:

Name in the ID	Connector you’ll see in Power Automate
shared_sharepointonline	SharePoint
shared_office365	Office 365 Outlook
shared_teams	Microsoft Teams
shared_flowpush	Notifications (deprecated)

“Failed to fetch” at the end usually means the browser call itself failed, so keep the browser checks in Step 4 in mind. If the error instead shows inside an action that worked yesterday, you’re probably looking at the Invalid connection error in Power Automate, which has its own fix.

Step 2: Check the Connection on the Connections Page

Select Connections in the left pane (older menus put it under Data or More). Every connection in the current environment is listed with its connector, last change and status:

Look for the connector from Step 1. In my tenant, working connections show a green Connected, and broken ones show a red icon with a Reconnect link. Also check for duplicates and which account each one uses.

Select … > View details on the connection. The details page shows the status, owner and created date, and further down the Flows using this connection list, so you can see what else breaks if you delete it:

Step 3: Fix or Re-Create the Connection

Most of the time this step clears the error. Pick the case that matches what you saw:

1. Reconnect shows next to it: select it and sign in again. Microsoft’s docs call this Fix connection; it’s for connections that stopped working because a password or account changed.
2. Duplicates or a wrong account: select … > Switch account, or sign in to Power Automate with the same work account you use for SharePoint. Mixing a personal outlook.com sign-in with a work connection is a documented cause.
3. Nothing helps: delete the connection and select New connection to add a fresh one.

Both Switch account and Delete sit in the same … menu on the Connections page:

Important: deleting a connection removes it from Power Apps too, and every flow in the Flows using this connection list stops until you pick the new one. If a coworker owns the connection, ask them to fix it, or run it as described in Power Automate run-only users.

Expired sign-ins cause many of these errors. Microsoft notes that refresh tokens expire after about 90 days without use, and the SharePoint connector needs at least one use every 90 days to stay active.

Step 4: Rule Out Data Policies, Sign-In Rules and the Browser

If a brand-new connection still fails, the block usually isn’t on your side. Check these in order:

• Data policies (DLP): if an admin blocked the connector, you can’t save a flow that uses it and you get a “blocked by policy” error. Ask your Power Platform admin; policy changes can take up to 24 hours to apply.
• Sign-in rules: MFA, Conditional Access or Terms of Use changes can stop the sign-in. Sign in to make.powerautomate.com directly, accept any prompt, then fix the connection again.
• Disabled or deleted owner: another user with access must reauthorize the connection.
• Browser: blocked third-party cookies or pop-ups can break the sign-in window. Allow [*.]powerautomate.com or try an InPrivate window.

For connectors that reach on-premises files through a gateway, the error looks different again; see the credentials for this connection do not have access error.

Step 5: Pick Connections Correctly When You Import a Flow

Imported packages are where we see this error most. The package remembers the connection from the old environment, and that connection doesn’t exist in yours.

Go to My flows > Import > Import Package (Legacy) and upload the .zip. Under Related Resources, the SharePoint connection shows Select during import:

Select it, choose one of your own connections in the Import setup dialog (or create one there), and select Save. The Import button stays disabled until every required connection is set:

In my test, ESP Connection Demo imported with my own SharePoint connection selected, and the page said “All package resources were successfully imported.” The new flow stays Off until you turn it on.

Solution flows work the same way, except you set a connection on each connection reference. If you’re new to building flows, the automated cloud flow tutorial shows where these connections live in the designer.

Cheat Sheet: Error Text and the Fix

What you see	Likely cause	Fix
Failed to create connection … Failed to fetch	Sign-in window or browser call failed	Reconnect; allow cookies and pop-ups
Connector is blocked by policy	Data policy (DLP)	Ask your Power Platform admin
Refresh token has expired due to inactivity	Connection unused for 90 days	Reconnect or add a new one
Provided grant has expired … changed or reset their password	Password change	Reconnect with the new password
ConnectionAuthorizationFailed when turning on a flow	You can’t use someone else’s connection	Owner shares it (Can use) or turns the flow on
Import button stays disabled	Connection not selected	Select during import > pick a connection > Save

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Creating a new connection every time. Duplicates make it hard to tell which one the flow uses. Fix the existing one first.
• Deleting before checking Flows using this connection. Other flows break silently.
• Using a personal account. Work connectors need the same work account you signed in with.
• Ignoring the failed run. Add error handling in Power Automate so you hear about a broken connection the day it breaks.

Why Does a Template Fail With This Error?

A template creates every connection it needs before the flow exists, so one failed sign-in stops the whole thing. Choose templates that only use connectors you already have, like the ones in Power Automate prebuilt templates.

Some older templates can’t work anymore. The original version of this post covered a push-notification template; the Notifications connector is now deprecated, and Microsoft says the mobile app behind it was retired on August 31, 2026, so those notifications aren’t delivered. Use an Outlook email or Teams message instead.

Next Steps

Once the connection works, test the flow end to end. If the error moved to an email step, the Send an Email (V2) inputs error covers the next most common snag.

If you’re cleaning up flows after a connection problem, I’d read these next:

• How to Change Trigger in Power Automate [3 Different ways]
• Power Automate Trigger Conditions Examples
• How to Use the Send an Email (V2) Action in Power Automate (With Examples)
• How to Send Approval Requests to Outlook and Teams Using Power Automate?

Frequently Asked Questions