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How to Change a Power Automate Approval from Approved to Rejected

Algirdas Jasaitis Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user accidentally approved a registration via Power Automate and wants to know if the approval status can be changed to rejected.

Product: Power Automate
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to reverse or modify an approval decision after mistakenly selecting 'Approve' instead of 'Reject' in an active flow.
Observed behavior: Once the approval outcome is recorded, the status is finalized and cannot be directly edited or reversed to 'Rejected' within the completed step.

Before you start

Check your original data source (such as SharePoint or Dataverse) to see if the accidental approval has already triggered subsequent actions, like sending confirmation emails, so you can manually retract them if necessary.

Solution 1Recommended

Implement a Corrective Follow-Up Workflow

Because completed Power Automate approval outcomes cannot be edited directly, you must use a corrective approach by updating the underlying data source manually or through a follow-up flow.

Once a Power Automate approval step registers a response, it is permanently locked for that specific run to maintain audit integrity. To fix an accidental approval, you cannot change the status on the original request card. Instead, you will need to manually intervene in the system of record or trigger a new approval.

Access the original data source

Navigate to the list, database, or application (e.g., SharePoint list or Dataverse table) where the registration data is stored.

Manually update the status

Locate the record that was accidentally approved and manually edit the status column from 'Approved' to 'Rejected'.

Resubmit the flow run

If you need an official rejection recorded via Power Automate, go to the Flow run history, select the specific run, and click 'Resubmit' to generate a brand-new approval request for the same item.

Select the correct outcome

When the newly generated approval request arrives in your inbox or Teams, carefully select 'Reject' to record the proper decision.

Implement a Corrective Follow-Up Workflow

Audit Trail Considerations: Resubmitting the flow creates a new instance. The original accidental approval will still appear in your flow's historical run logs for auditing purposes.

Solution 2

Seek Assistance in the Power Automate Community

If you have a complex enterprise workflow where manual overrides are restricted, you can seek specialized workaround solutions from the community.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recall or undo an approval decision in Power Automate?

No. Once you click 'Approve' or 'Reject' and the action is submitted, the outcome is permanent for that flow run. You cannot recall the decision.

How can I prevent accidental approvals in the future?

You can modify your flow to require multiple approvers (e.g., 'Everyone must approve'), which acts as a safety net, or add a secondary confirmation step before the final database update occurs.

Does deleting the flow run remove the approval record?

Deleting the run history removes the logs from Power Automate, but it does not reverse any actions (like database updates or emails sent) that were already executed during the approved run.

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