Request a file approval in a SharePoint document library

To ask named reviewers to approve a specific SharePoint library file, select the file, choose Request approval, and enter their names in the Approver(s) field. Decide whether one approval is enough or every named reviewer must respond before you send it. This guide is based on Microsoft’s documentation for approvals in lists and document libraries, not hands-on verification.

Prepare the file and reviewers

Open the document library and identify the exact file you want reviewed. If you still need to change its contents, make those changes before requesting approval. Saving edits to a file while its approval is in progress cancels the request. An update to the file’s metadata can also reset its approval status; SharePoint warns about that update while an approval is active.

Check which approval system the library actually uses. Microsoft’s same guide says modern approvals are not integrated with content approval or the older request sign-off feature. Enabling modern approvals and getting a Requested status does not mean the library’s content approval setting has been satisfied. If your team’s release process also requires an Approved content state, check that setting and state separately with the library owner.

Check that each named reviewer can access the file. Sending someone an approval request does not automatically give that person access to the underlying item. If a reviewer lacks access, arrange for it to be granted manually before relying on their review. The approval request and access to the file are separate steps.

If Request approval is not available because modern approvals have not been enabled for the library, use Integrate > Configure Approvals on the library command bar. Turn on Enable Approvals and select Apply. Then return to the file you intend to submit.

Send the request

Select the file in the library and choose Request approval from its contextual menu. The approval dialog also opens from the file’s status pill under Approval status, if that column is shown. Enter the specific reviewers in Approver(s). Check the names before creating the request, especially when several people have similar names.

Make an explicit choice about the response rule. By default, an approval from any one approver grants the request. If the decision must come from every person you named, turn on the option requiring a response from all approvers. For example, if you named a content owner and a technical reviewer because both must sign off, use the all-approvers option. If either person is authorized to approve on behalf of the group, leave the default in place.

Use the details field to say what you want reviewed about this file. A useful request identifies the decision, such as whether the current draft is ready for approval, rather than leaving reviewers to infer the question from the filename. Once the request is created, the file’s status pill changes to Requested. Check for that status on the file you selected.

Follow the request

Keep the file steady while reviewers respond. If someone saves an edit during the active approval, the request is canceled. If the file needs revision, treat the revised file as needing a new approval request; do not assume the earlier request still covers it.

The SharePoint approval columns show the latest activity, including status, approvers, and responses, but they do not provide the complete history. For the full approval history, find the request in the Approvals app in Microsoft Teams. There, you can distinguish the current request from earlier activity on the file. If a reviewer cannot open the item, check their access rather than assuming the approval request shared it.