How to Share a SharePoint File for Approval
Approval workflows turn ad-hoc ‘can you check this’ email chains into structured, traceable processes. Built into SharePoint, available to most teams, dramatically underused.
What it is
Microsoft 365 includes a lightweight approvals feature in Teams and SharePoint, plus more sophisticated workflows in Power Automate. For most everyday approval needs — sign off on a proposal, get a manager’s review of a policy update, route a contract for legal — the built-in tools are enough.
The pattern is: share the file with the approver(s), specifying that you need approval and any deadline; they receive a structured request, can comment or approve in one place; the outcome is recorded and the file gets a clear status. Far cleaner than emailing it round and asking ‘thoughts?’
For frequent or complex approvals (procurement, HR processes, regulated content) build proper Power Automate workflows. For occasional approvals, use Approvals in Teams or SharePoint’s content approval features. For the absolute simplest case, share view-only with comments enabled and ask for explicit sign-off in chat.
When to use this
- Routing documents for management sign-off.
- Getting legal or compliance review on contracts and policies.
- Procurement approvals.
- Anywhere you’d otherwise rely on ‘reply if approved’ emails.
How to do it
- Identify the approval method appropriate for the situation (Teams Approvals, SharePoint content approval, or Power Automate workflow).
- In Teams: open the chat and click the + icon, then choose Approvals.
- Specify the approver(s), include a clear request and the file, and set a deadline.
- The approver receives a notification and can approve, reject, or request changes.
- Outcome is recorded — both for audit and for the file’s history.
Best practices
- Use built-in approvals before custom workflows. They handle 80% of cases with no setup.
- Be specific about what you’re asking for. ‘Approve to publish’ is clear; ‘thoughts?’ is not an approval request.
- Include a deadline. Open-ended requests sit in queues forever.
- Document approval outcomes. Save the result back to the file or relevant record.
Common mistakes
- Treating email replies as approval. Hard to track, easy to miss, no audit trail.
- Approving in DM with no record. Six months later, nobody can prove the approval happened.
- Requesting approval with no deadline. Without urgency, requests stagnate.
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How do I share a SharePoint file for formal approval?
Three options. Share with Can Review permission for comment-based approval. Use the Approvals app in Teams to attach the file to a structured approval request. Build a Power Automate flow that triggers approval when a file’s Status column changes (most scalable for ongoing approval workflows).
What’s the difference between Can Edit and Can Review in SharePoint?
Can Edit lets users change the file directly. Can Review only allows comments and tracked changes — the original content is preserved unless the owner accepts the changes. Use Can Review for approval workflows where the reviewer suggests but the owner decides. Cleaner audit trail and less risk of accidental edits.
Can I require approval before someone can edit a SharePoint file?
Yes — enable content approval in Library Settings → Versioning settings. New versions start as ‘Pending’ and only become visible after approval. Combine with a Power Automate flow to route approvals to specific people. Used heavily in policy libraries, document control, and regulated environments.
How do I get a SharePoint audit trail of approval decisions?
If you use the Approvals app or a Power Automate flow, both store the full audit trail (who approved, when, with what comment) in the flow run history. For content approval, the version history of the file shows each version with its approval status and timestamp. For compliance audits, export via Microsoft Purview.