Require content approval for a SharePoint library

Turn on content approval in the SharePoint library’s Versioning settings. A newly submitted document then stays Pending until someone with the necessary permissions approves it. This guide is based on Microsoft’s documentation, not hands-on verification.

Set the approval requirement

You need Full Control or Design permission to change library settings. If you cannot access those settings, ask someone with either permission level to make the change. Permission to submit a document does not, by itself, let you configure the library.

1. Open the SharePoint library where documents will be submitted.
2. Select Settings, then Library Settings. If those options are not shown, select Library, then Library settings in the Settings group.
3. Under General Settings, select Versioning settings.
4. Under Content Approval, select Yes for Require content approval for submitted items?
5. Choose the document version history and draft visibility settings, then select OK.

A new submission remains Pending while it awaits an approval decision. It becomes Approved when someone with the necessary permissions approves it. Make sure someone who can approve submissions is available. Otherwise, the documents will remain Pending.

Do not treat this setting as a switch for modern approvals. Microsoft’s modern approvals guide explicitly says content approval and request sign-off are not integrated with modern approvals. A named-reviewer request in the Approvals interface and this library’s Pending/Approved content status are separate workflows. If your publishing process uses both, record and check both results before releasing a document.

Choose who can see drafts

On the Versioning settings page, decide whether SharePoint should create versions when a document is edited and whether to limit how many versions it retains. Then review Draft Item Security. Microsoft lists three visibility choices: users who can read items, only users who can edit items, or only users who can approve items plus the author.

Choose based on who needs access before approval. If editors need to review a draft, the editor option fits that need. If access should be limited to the author and approvers, choose the approver-and-author option. Check the choice alongside the library’s existing access rather than assuming Pending means hidden.

Approval status alone does not guarantee confidentiality. Microsoft warns that if the site’s library security allows any user to read items, anyone with site Read permission can see library items whether or not they are Approved. If keeping an unapproved document from those readers matters, check site read permissions and Draft Item Security before relying on the approval requirement for visibility.

Check the resulting status

After saving, check the approval status of the next newly submitted document. It should be Pending until a person with the necessary permissions approves it. Check that its status changes to Approved after that decision. Also check visibility for the intended readers: status and access answer different questions.

Two cases can make a status check misleading. Documents already in the library when you enable content approval are automatically marked Approved; the setting does not put them into a review queue. A rejected document stays in the library until its author or someone else with the necessary permissions deletes it. For a clear check of the new requirement, use a document submitted after the setting was saved.