Understanding Managed vs. Unmanaged in Microsoft Power Platform

Unmanaged Solutions

An unmanaged solution is a development-focused solution that is fully editable within a Power Platform environment. It’s primarily used in development environments, enabling developers to build, customize, and test components such as tables, apps, flows, dashboards, and more.

An unmanaged environment is a standard Power Platform environment without strict governance, giving makers maximum flexibility.

Key Characteristics

• Fully editable: You can add, modify, or delete components directly.

• Used for development and testing: Ideal for experimenting and creating new functionality.

• Components are “loose”: They are part of the environment and can be freely changed.

• Cannot directly become managed: Must be exported as managed to be deployed elsewhere.

Use Case:
Developers use unmanaged solutions to create and customize apps, flows, tables, and dashboards before deployment to production.

Example:

• A developer builds a Customer Feedback app in an unmanaged environment.

• They add tables like Feedback, Customers, and flows for notifications.

• They test new features, modify forms, and adjust dashboards freely.

Managed Solutions

A managed solution is a locked-down, deployable version of a solution intended for production or distribution. It is exported from an unmanaged solution and imported into other environments, typically staging or production.

Key Characteristics

• Read-only components: Cannot be edited in the target environment.

• Stable for production: Ideal for end users to prevent accidental changes.

• Supports clean uninstall: Removes all components without leaving leftovers.

• Supports versioning and upgrades: Easy to maintain and update over time.

Use Case:
Once development is complete, the solution is exported as managed and deployed to production, ensuring stability and governance.

Example

• The Customer Feedback app created in unmanaged is exported as a managed solution.

• It’s imported into the production environment for all company users.

• Users can submit feedback, but they cannot modify tables or flows, ensuring consistency.

Comparison Table

Feature	Unmanaged Solution	Managed Solution
Editable in environment	✅ Yes	❌ No (read-only)
Best environment	Development / Test	Production / Distribution
Deployment	Local to environment	Importable into other envs
Upgrades	Manual changes	Supports versioned upgrades
Clean uninstall	No (manual cleanup)	Yes (removes all components)

Important Note:

• Managed Environment ≠ Managed Solution

  • Managed Environment: Controls the entire environment, including policies and governance.

  • Managed Solution: Controls solution components only.

Best-Practice Environment Strategy

Environment	Solution Type	Purpose
Dev (Unmanaged)	Unmanaged Solutions	Free experimentation, development
Test / UAT (Managed)	Managed Solutions	Validation, approvals
Production (Managed)	Managed Solutions	Strict governance, stable release

Step-by-Step Guidelines

1. Identify the Purpose:

   • Development → Use Unmanaged

   • Production → Use Managed

2. Understand Editing Ability:

   • Unmanaged → Fully editable

   • Managed → Read-only

3. Deployment & Maintenance:

   • Unmanaged → Good for building and testing

   • Managed → Good for deploying, upgrading, and clean uninstall

4. Remember the Flow:

   • Build in unmanaged → Export as managed → Deploy to production

Conclusion

• Unmanaged solutions and environments provide flexibility and freedom for development.

• Managed solutions and environments provide control, stability, and governance for production.

• Following this development-to-deployment flow ensures smooth solution lifecycle management in Power Platform.