Managed and Unmanaged Solutions in Microsoft Power Platform

Introduction

Microsoft Power Platform-consisting of Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, Power BI, and Dataverse—uses solutions to package, transport, and manage components across environments such as Dev → Test → UAT → Production. A solution ensures consistency, governance, and clean ALM (Application Lifecycle Management).

The two key types of solutions are:

Unmanaged Solutions
Managed Solutions

What is a Solution?

A solution is a container that includes components like:

Dataverse tables
Columns, forms, views
Canvas and model-driven apps
Power Automate flows
Environment variables
Custom connectors
Security roles
Power Pages website components

Solutions make your implementation portable, secure, and structured.

Types of Solutions

1. Unmanaged Solutions (Development Version)

The editable version of a solution—used in development/Sandbox environments.

Characteristics

Fully editable
Components can be added or removed
Ideal for development
When deleted, components remain
Stored in the default solution layer

Used In:

Development or POC purpose.

2. Managed Solutions (Deployment Version)

A locked, sealed version of the solution—used in Test and Production environments.

Characteristics

Components cannot be edited
Safe for production
When deleted, components from the solution are also removed
Supports version upgrades

Used In:

Test/ UAT
Production

Managed vs Unmanaged – Quick Comparison

Feature	Unmanaged	Managed
Editable	Yes	No
For Development	Yes	No
For Production	No	Yes
Delete removes components	No	Yes
Safe change control	Low	High
Allows direct customization	Yes	No

How to Create Managed and Unmanaged Solutions

Many developers misunderstood that you could create a managed solution directly. This is not possible. Power Platform only allows you to create unmanaged solutions. You get a managed solution only when you export it as managed.
When exporting a solution from DEV, you get two options:

Export as Unmanaged

Used for backup or version control
Editable in target environment

Export as Managed

Used for deployment
Protected and sealed package

Step 1: Create an Unmanaged Solution (Always starts as unmanaged)

Open: https://make.powerapps.com
Select your DEV environment
Go to Solutions
Click New Solution
Fill the details:
- Name
- Publisher
- Version
Click Create

Every solution you create is ALWAYS Unmanaged .

Step 2: Add Components to Your Unmanaged Solution

Inside the solution, you can add:

Tables
Columns
Apps (Canvas / Model-driven)
Flows
Views / Forms
Environment variables
Security roles

This is your development area .

Step 3: Export the Solution

When development is complete:

Open your solution
Click Export
Power Platform offers two export types:

Export as Unmanaged (Editable Version)

Use it for:

Backup
Sharing editable copy
Source control

Export as Managed (Locked Version)

Use it for:

UAT
Production
ISV distribution

Select Managed for production deployment
Download the ZIP file

Step 4: Import the Solution into Target Environment

In UAT or PROD:

Go to Solutions
Click Import
Upload your exported solution
Click Import

If it was managed , all components are locked.

Conclusion

Managed and unmanaged solutions play a crucial role in maintaining structure, integrity, consistency, and quality across the Power Platform environments. When used correctly, they provide a clean ALM process, safe deployments, protection from accidental changes, and ease of upgrade and maintenance.