Approval Flow - Only required via email (Outlook) and not within Teams

[ClarkyPA365]

Hi,

How do you get an Email approval request received via Outlook only??

I ran the Flow and received an Email but when I selected the Approve button it took me to Approvals screen in PowerAutomate and also could also approve in Teams...

I've switched the Notifications option to 'No' in the flow but don't seem to be receiving the anything now.  I know this field is self explanatory, but how can I just receive an approval only via Email??  

[annetoal]

You can manage the Approvals app at the Tenant level. There, a Tenant Admin can turn off the Teams notifications and leave the email turned on. The link to the instructions is here: Manage the Approvals app in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

As you've already seen, turning off notifications in Teams turns off all notifications 🙂

If this helped, please mark it as a solution and give it a thumbs up.

Anne

[leemager]

@ClarkyPA365 I've had this scenario (transferring to an Approvals webpage to confirm the approval rather than just completing it entirely upon the email message button press as expected) happen a handful of times on multiple approvals and it seems to be one of those things that just happen on rare occasions. At least that's been my experience, and I've never figured out any pattern as to why those cases occur sadly.

All our approvals are set to come through both Teams and Outlook, and 99% of the time the Outlook buttons function exactly as they should and there's no taking anybody to any webpage, so for now I've placed this in the 'it is what it is' pile and learned to coexist peacefully with it.

[ClarkyPA365]

Hi @annetoal ,

Thank you for your response.
I have Teams Admin so can turn this function off.  

The issue is that other people have created approval flows and these are being received on the approvers Team site??

If I turn it off for the tenant will these automatically get email approvals with the same functionality of Approve / Reject and able to add comments??

[annetoal · Accepted solution]

I'm not a Tenant or Teams admin, but that sounds like what you should expect to be the case. I don't think that removing the Teams notifications would affect the approve/reject and comment functionality of the Outlook approval request. Bing chat agrees 🙂

If this helped, please mark it as a solution and give it a thumbs up.

Anne

[ClarkyPA365]

Hi 

Thank you for your response and bing chat😊

I'll give it a test 👍

[ClarkyPA365]

Hi @annetoal 

Just another quick question.  

I'm getting advised that the request have been approved / rejected in my team channel?  Is this because the Flow and approval have been created under my profile?

If the business decide to keep the team approval is there away I can stop these from coming in??

[annetoal]

Just to clarify, did you turn off Teams approvals at the Tenant level (not the Teams level) Manage the Approvals app in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

[ClarkyPA365]

Hi,

I turned off approvals from the Tenant.  But tested it both ways for the business to see what they preferred.

I assume if they want the email / teams option for approvals I can edit the notification from my Team in settings??

[annetoal]

According to Bing Chat, 

---

• Sign in to the Teams admin center.
• Go to Teams apps > Manage apps.
• Search for the Approvals app.
• Select Approvals.
• Select the toggle to disable the app for your organization.

More info is here: Manage the Approvals app in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

[HankT3140]

Did you ever figure out how to keep the approval entirely in Outlook. 

[peggysue]

I just ran into this problem too and don't see a way around it. Vote for this idea--https://ideas.powerautomate.com/d365community/idea/4d99c687-8459-44d6-97ab-49acfb457f54