RPA Agent for Windows
What is an RPA Agent?
RPA agents are software programs that run on desktop machines to automate tasks. They are the core component of the RPA platform that executes automation actions. Every machine that needs to run automation requires an RPA agent. The agent connects the Zoho RPA server to the client machine and provides information about the machine's status, such as whether it is up and available to run bot executions. The agent also enables the server to send instructions on what needs to be done.
System Requirements
Supported Operating systems: Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2022
Minimum disk space: 512 MB
Minimum RAM: 512 MB
The RPA Agent requires the .NET Framework 4.8 or later.
Create RPA Agent
Install RPA Agent
- Log in to your Zoho RPA account.
- In the Settings section, click Agents, then clickCreate Agent.
- Navigate to the Windows tab. Click on the download link that matches your Windows architecture.
- Click Generate Key to generate a unique key for the new agent. In the pop-up window that appears, click Accept to continue.Note: The installation key can only be generated by either an admin or the owner of the organization. Once the key is generated, it will be available for the other users in the organization.
- Follow the on-screen instructions and run the agent.
- Once you've successfully set up the agent, click Next.
- Click Done.
Register Agent
- Enter a name for your agent in the Agent name field.
- Enter the generated key in the Agent key field.
- Click Register Agent.
- Switch to the browser window to confirm that your agent is created and registered.
If you're operating behind a firewall and encountering connectivity issues, learn more about the necessary domains to whitelist in Whitelist Domains for Firewall.
To register an agent at a later time, or to register an agent that was unregistered:
- Right-click the RPA Agent icon in the system tray and select Register Agent.
- Enter the agent name and agent key in the window.
- Click Register Agent.
Note: You can only register an agent that has not yet been registered. If you need to register an agent that has already been registered, you will first need to unregister.
Configure Proxy Settings
To set proxy settings for the RPA agent on your client machine:
- Install the RPA agent.
- On the Register Window screen, click the Set Proxy button. You will be redirected to the Proxy Configuration screen.
- Enter the following information:
- Server
- Port
- Username (optional)
- Password (optional)
- Click Save.
To configure proxy settings for a previously registered agent:
- Right-click on the RPA system tray icon and select Set proxy. You will be redirected to the Proxy Configuration window.
- Enter the proxy server settings and click Set proxy.
Unregister RPA Agent
To unregister an agent:
1. Right-click the RPA Agent icon in the system tray and select Unregister Agent.2. Click Unregister to proceed.
Note: Unregistering an agent will abort all running RPA processes and exit the agent. You will need to manually start the agent again, if required.
Enable Screen Lock
By default, the RPA agent follows your Windows machine's screen lock settings. If your machine is set to automatically lock the screen at a specific time, the screen will lock as scheduled. The agent will not change this setting.
Here's how RPA automation processes will be executed when screen lock is enabled:
No active executions: The system will lock and eventually enter sleep mode.
Active UI interactions: The system will not lock. The RPA agent remains active and connected to the RPA server. Once UI interactions stop, the system will lock and eventually enter sleep mode, and the agent will disconnect. Unfinished executions may result in failure.
Screen locked: The following UI-based actions will not work:
Category | Unsupported actions |
Windows Applications | Type into Send hotkeys |
Windows General | Open file dialog Save file dialog |
Web Automation | Type into Send hotkeys |
Other actions like MS Excel file and folder actions will work until the system enters sleep mode, causing the agent to disconnect.
To enable this option, right-click the RPA Agent icon in the system tray and select Enable screen lock.
Note: This option is only available if you've previously switched to prevent screen lock and want to return to the default setting.
Prevent Screen Lock
Using this option, the agent will override your Windows settings and prevent the screen from locking unless you manually lock it.
To use this option:
- Right-click the RPA system tray icon and select Prevent screen lock.
- Click Continue in the prompt.
When screen lock is prevented, all RPA executions will work as expected.
Pause flow execution (Win+Alt+P)
You can pause any running or scheduled RPA flow on the desktop machine using the keyboard shortcut (Win+Alt+P).
While paused, any flow that is scheduled to run will remain in the paused state until execution is resumed.
Alternatively, you can also pause execution by right-clicking the RPA agent icon from the system tray menu and click Pause flow execution.
Resume flow execution (Win+Alt+R)
You can resume the execution of all paused flows, use the keyboard shortcut (Win+Alt+R).
Alternatively, you can also resume execution by right-clicking the RPA agent icon from the system tray menu and click Resume flow execution.
Upon resuming, the flows will transition to a processing state and continue their run.
Connect, Disconnect, Restart and Exit RPA Agent
You can connect, disconnect, and exit the RPA Agent from the system tray.
- To connect the agent to the RPA server: Right-click the agent icon and select Connect.
- To disconnect the agent from the server: Right-click the agent icon and select Disconnect.
- To restart the RPA agent: Right-click the agent icon and then select Restart. Restarting the agent is a useful troubleshooting step for scenarios such as agent busy errors, when the agent is stalled, or if it is not connecting or responding as expected.
- To exit the RPA process: Right-click the agent icon and select Exit.
Delete RPA Agent
To delete or remove the RPA agent, follow these steps :
Unregister Agent
To unregister an agent:
- Click Unregister to proceed.
Note: Unregistering an agent will abort all running RPA processes and exit the agent. You will need to manually start the agent again, if required.
Unistall Agent
To uninstall the RPA agent, navigate to the Control Panel, find the RPA agent in the list of programs, and click Uninstall.
Delete Agent
As the final step, you will need to delete the agent from your Zoho RPA organization. Here's how :
- Log in to your Zoho RPA account.
- Click Settings, then click Agents.
- Hover over the agent you want to delete, then click the bin icon to delete the agent.
If the RPA agent is currently used in any flow, you'll be prompted to remove it from those flows first. To do this, go to the respective flow, navigate to the builder screen, click Change agent, and select a different agent. Once done, you can return here to delete the original agent.
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