Troubleshooting 'Unable to Find Manager' Error in Power Automate
A company uses Power Automate to automate approval workflows for purchase orders. The flow should send an approval request to the manager of the requestor. When the manager approves, the flow should update a SharePoint list and send a confirmation email. However, the flow fails with an error 'Unable to find the manager for the specified user'. What is the most likely cause?
Quick Answer
The answer is that the user profile in Microsoft Entra ID does not have a manager assigned. This is because the Get Manager action in Power Automate relies entirely on the manager field being populated in the user’s organizational profile within Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD); if that field is empty, the connector cannot resolve the manager, causing the "unable to find manager" error. On the PL-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Power Automate connectors depend on underlying data sources, and it’s a common trap to blame SharePoint permissions or trigger conditions instead. Remember that manager lookup is a directory service function, not a SharePoint or flow trigger issue. A helpful memory tip: “No manager in Entra? The flow will fail to send her.”
⚠ Common exam trap
PL-900 often tests the dependency on Microsoft Entra ID data for Power Automate actions, and candidates may incorrectly blame SharePoint configuration or permissions instead of the missing manager attribute in the user profile.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The user profile in Microsoft Entra ID does not have a manager assigned.
The error 'Unable to find the manager for the specified user' indicates that the user's profile in Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) does not have a manager attribute populated. Power Automate's approval action relies on the manager relationship defined in Entra ID to route the request.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The user profile in Microsoft Entra ID does not have a manager assigned.
Why this is correct
The approval action resolves the requestor's manager by querying the manager attribute on their Microsoft Entra ID profile. When that attribute is empty, the connector cannot resolve a recipient, producing exactly the 'Unable to find the manager' error rather than a permissions or licensing fault.
- ✗
The SharePoint list column for manager is missing.
Why it's wrong here
The error concerns resolving a manager from Microsoft Entra ID, not reading a SharePoint column; the manager lookup uses the requestor's organisational data, so a missing list column is irrelevant. It tempts because SharePoint lists store request data, and would be correct if the flow failed while updating a nonexistent field.
- ✗
The flow trigger is set to 'When a new item is created' but the item already exists.
Why it's wrong here
An already-existing item does not prevent the trigger from firing on new items, and the error names manager resolution rather than triggering; the manager lookup queries Microsoft Entra ID independently of item creation. It tempts because trigger misconfiguration commonly breaks flows, and would be correct if the flow never started for existing records.
- ✗
The SharePoint list does not have the correct permissions.
Why it's wrong here
Insufficient SharePoint permissions would surface as an access-denied or forbidden error on the list action, not as a manager lookup failure, which queries Microsoft Entra ID. It tempts because permission problems frequently break flows, and would be correct if the failure occurred when updating the SharePoint list after approval.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on PL-900
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A Power Automate flow sends an approval request to a user's manager. The flow uses the 'Get manager' action from the Office 365 Users connector. The flow runs successfully but the approval is never received by the manager. What is the most likely reason?
easy- A.The Office 365 Users connector is not properly configured.
- B.The approval action is configured to use the Teams channel instead of email.
- ✓ C.The manager does not have a valid email mailbox.
- D.The manager's user profile is missing in Microsoft Entra ID.
Why C: The most likely reason the approval is never received is that the manager's email mailbox is not enabled or is invalid. The 'Get manager' action retrieves the manager's email address from Azure AD. However, if the manager does not have an active Exchange Online mailbox (e.g., they are a distribution group member or the mailbox is disabled), the approval email will not be delivered. Option A is incorrect because the flow runs successfully, indicating the connector is configured correctly. Option B is incorrect because the approval channel (Teams vs email) does not affect delivery if the manager lacks a mailbox. Option D is incorrect because the manager's user profile exists in Microsoft Entra ID (the flow finds their email), but the mailbox itself may be missing or disabled.
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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