Published: November 29, 2025 • 15 min read • By UPLYNK
5 Power Apps Patterns That Make Your Apps Lightning Fast
Performance can make or break adoption in Power Apps. No matter how feature-rich your solution is, users will drop off quickly if screens load slowly, forms freeze or galleries lag. As a powerapps maker, we’ve seen that fast apps drive better engagement, higher productivity and happier users.
The good news? You don’t need complex architecture to build lightning-fast apps, just the right patterns. Here are the top 5 Power Apps performance patterns every maker should adopt.
1. Use “Deferred Loading” to Load Data on Demand
The problem:
Loading everything at once-projects, customers, tasks, files-makes apps slow and unresponsive.
The pattern:
Example:
- Load master lists on app start, but load detailed records only when a user clicks into a screen.
- Use galleries with OnVisible formulas instead of loading items in OnStart.
- Apply server-side filtering using Filter(DataSource, ...) instead of client-side operations.
Why it works:
You reduce the initial load time and make the experience feel instant.
2. Implement “Lazy Loading” in Galleries
Large datasets can make galleries slow or cause delegation warnings.
The pattern:
Techniques:
- Virtualization is already built in, but you can optimize further by using a variable like varBatchSize to fetch records in smaller groups.
- Call Collect() gradually as users scroll to load additional batches.
Why it works:
It prevents long waits and memory overload, especially in mobile scenarios.
3. Switch to Collections and Variables for Reused Data
Repeatedly fetching the same data slows down the app.
The pattern:
Use this for:
- Lookups that rarely change
- User profile information
- Static lists (countries, categories, business units)
- Dropdown options
And use global variables (Set) or context variables (UpdateContext) to avoid recalculating values.
Why it works:
Collections drastically reduce the number of calls to back-end systems, improving speed and reducing API overhead.
4. Adopt "Patch Instead of SubmitForm" for Faster Saves
SubmitForm is simple, but it can be slow when:
- forms are large
- fields have complex logic
- data sources are remote
The pattern:
Benefits:
- Patch only updates specific fields instead of the whole form
- Works better in multi-user concurrency situations
- Gives more control over validations and error handling
Why it works:
You avoid unnecessary round trips and reduce form complexity.
5. Optimize Your Formulas with the “Avoid Repetition” Rule
Power Apps recalculates formulas every time they appear. Repeated calculations slow down screens unnecessarily.
The pattern:
Example:
If(
CountRows(Filter(Projects, Status="Active")) > 0,
...
)Set(varActiveProjectCount, CountRows(Filter(Projects, Status="Active")));Use the variable everywhere else.
Other tips:
- Avoid nested If when Switch works better
- Replace long formulas with components
- Minimize use of LookUp() inside galleries
- Use server-side delegation-friendly formulas whenever possible
Why it works:
Your UI becomes significantly faster and smoother, especially on mobile.
Some Additional Tips That Boost App Speed
💡 Use Dataverse instead of SharePoint for enterprise-scale datasets
Better indexing, security and delegation.
💡 Use Component Libraries
Reduce loading time and boost consistency.
💡 Avoid too many screens
Use containers, modern controls and reusable patterns to simplify navigation.
Conclusion
Fast, responsive apps aren’t a luxury, they are an expectation. Users want apps that load instantly, respond quickly and help them get work done without friction.
By applying these five patterns deferred loading, lazy loading, caching data, optimized saving and formula simplification you can build Power Apps that feel truly enterprise ready.
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