# Set up a simple approval with Power Automate

> Build a leave request flow: you fill in the dates, your approver gets Approve and Reject buttons in Outlook or Teams, and you get an email with the answer.
>
> Source: https://docs.officeniaga.com/m365-automate-approval/

To set up a simple approval, build an instant cloud flow with the **Start and wait for an approval** action. When you run the flow, your approver gets an email (and a Teams notification) with **Approve** and **Reject** buttons. Once they answer, the flow carries on, for example by emailing you the outcome. Approvals are a standard connector, included in Microsoft 365 business plans.

We tested these steps on 27 September 2026 with a sample leave request, "Contoh - Borang cuti": Ali Hassan requested leave and Siti Aminah approved it from Outlook on the web.

## Create the flow with a form for the request

An instant cloud flow starts when you press **Run**. Its inputs work like a small form.

1. In [Power Automate](https://make.powerautomate.com), select **Create** → **Instant cloud flow**.
2. Name the flow, for example `Contoh - Borang cuti`, select **Manually trigger a flow**, and select **Create**.
3. Select the **Manually trigger a flow** step, then **Add an input** → **Text**. Name it `Tarikh cuti`. In the second box, type a hint such as `Contoh: 6 hingga 8 Okt 2026`.
4. Add a second **Text** input called `Sebab`.

   *(Screenshot: Manually trigger a flow with two text inputs, Tarikh cuti and Sebab, highlighted)*

## Add the approval

This step sends the request and waits for the answer.

1. Under the trigger, select **+** → **Add an action**, search for `Start and wait for an approval` and select it. The first time, select **Create new** to connect to approvals.
2. Set **Approval type** to **Approve/Reject - First to respond**.
3. In **Title**, type `Contoh - Permohonan cuti`.
4. In **Assigned to**, type your approver's name and select them.
5. In **Details**, type `Tarikh: `, then select the lightning icon (or type `/` → **Insert dynamic content**) and pick **Tarikh cuti**. On a new line, do the same with `Sebab: ` and **Sebab**.

   *(Screenshot: Start and wait for an approval with Approval type, the approver in Assigned to, and Details with the Tarikh cuti and Sebab tokens highlighted)*

## Email the outcome to the requester

After the approval, the flow tells the person who asked.

1. Select **+** → **Add an action**, search for `Send an email (V2)` and select it (Office 365 Outlook).
2. In **To**, select the gear icon → **Use dynamic content**, then pick **User email** (the person who ran the flow).
3. In **Subject**, type `Contoh - Keputusan cuti: ` and add **Outcome** from the approval.
4. In **Body**, type `Keputusan: ` and add **Outcome** again.

   *(Screenshot: Send an email (V2) with User email in To, and Outcome in Subject and Body, highlighted)*

5. Select **Save**.

**Outcome** is **Approve** or **Reject**.

## Send a request

You or your staff run the flow each time someone needs leave.

1. Open the flow and select **Run** (in the designer, **Test** → **Manually** → **Test**). You can also run it from the Power Automate phone app.
2. Fill in **Tarikh cuti** and **Sebab**, then select **Run flow**.

   *(Screenshot: Run flow panel for Contoh - Borang cuti with Tarikh cuti and Sebab filled in and Run flow highlighted)*

## Approve or reject (for the approver)

The approver gets an email from **Microsoft Power Automate** with the details and two buttons. The same request appears in the **Approvals** app in Teams.

1. Open the email and select **Approve** or **Reject**.

   *(Screenshot: Approval email in Outlook showing Contoh - Permohonan cuti requested by Ali Hassan, the leave dates and reason, with Approve and Reject highlighted)*

2. Type a note in **Comments** if you like, then select **Submit**.

   *(Screenshot: Approve selected with a comment typed in Comments and the Submit button highlighted)*

The email changes to show **Approved** or **Rejected**, with the date.

## See the result

The requester gets the outcome email a few seconds later. In the flow's run history, the run shows each step with a green tick and how long the approval waited.

*(Screenshot: Completed run of Contoh - Borang cuti with green ticks on all three steps, highlighted)*

Microsoft describes approvals in [create and test an approval workflow](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/modern-approvals).

## Still stuck

WhatsApp our support team at [+60 16-916 3324](https://wa.me/60169163324).

## Common issues

### My approver says the Approve and Reject buttons don't show in the email.

Outlook hides them when it blocks content from senders it doesn't trust. Ask them to select Show blocked content at the top of the email, or to answer in the Approvals app in Teams, or at make.powerautomate.com (https://make.powerautomate.com) under Approvals.

### How long does an approval wait?

Up to 30 days. If nobody answers by then, the run stops and shows as failed in the run history. Start a new request if you still need it.

### Can more than one person approve?

Yes. Add several people in Assigned to. With Approve/Reject - First to respond the first answer decides. With Approve/Reject - Everyone must approve the flow waits for everyone, and one rejection rejects the request.

### Can the approver add a note?

Yes. After choosing Approve or Reject, they can type in Comments before selecting Submit. You can add the comments to your email with the dynamic content Response summary.

### Where do I see all the approvals I've sent or received?

In Power Automate, select Approvals on the left, or open the Approvals app in Teams. Both show received and sent requests and their history.