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How to Fix JSON and Unexpected Bold Text in Power Automate Approval Emails

Steve K Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to resolve an issue where Power Automate approval emails display raw JSON code and incorrect bold text formatting.

How to Fix JSON and Unexpected Bold Text in Power Automate Approval Emails

Product: Power Automate
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating a customized leave-approval flow that triggers Microsoft 365 group events and sends out approval emails.
Observed behavior: The sent approval emails contain raw JSON strings and unexpected bold formatting instead of properly structured text.

Before you start

Check your Power Automate run history to identify exactly which step or dynamic content is generating the raw JSON and unexpected HTML output.

Solution 1Recommended

Review Dynamic Content and HTML Formatting

Inspect the email action in your flow to ensure dynamic content is properly parsed and HTML tags are correctly closed.

Raw JSON appears when an object or array is passed directly into an email body without being converted to a string. Unexpected bold text is typically caused by unclosed HTML tags inside the customized email action.

Open flow in edit mode

Navigate to your Power Automate dashboard, select your leave-approval flow, and click 'Edit'.

Switch to HTML view

Locate the 'Start and wait for an approval' or 'Send an email' action. In the 'Details' or 'Body' field, click the '</>' icon to toggle the HTML code view.

Fix unclosed tags

Scan the code for unclosed bold tags (like or ) and ensure every opening tag has a corresponding closing tag ( or ).

Format JSON data

If you are inserting dynamic content that outputs as JSON, use a 'Compose' action beforehand or use the string() expression to properly format the object into readable text.

Review Dynamic Content and HTML Formatting

Markdown vs HTML: Power Automate Approval actions natively support Markdown. If you are mixing HTML and Markdown, conflicts can occur. Try sticking exclusively to Markdown syntax (e.g., **bold text**) for approval details.

Solution 2

Consult the Microsoft Power Automate Community

Share your sanitized flow configuration with community experts if the formatting issue persists.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Power Automate email show raw JSON instead of normal text?

This happens when an array or object from a previous step is inserted directly into the email body field. Power Automate doesn't automatically format it into plain text. You must use expressions like string() or map the specific properties of the JSON object individually.

How do I remove unexpected bold text in my flow emails?

Unexpected bolding is usually caused by an unclosed HTML tag. Switch the email body editor to HTML view by clicking the '</>' button, and verify that all or tags have matching closing tags ( or ).

Does the Power Automate Approval action support Markdown?

Yes, standard Power Automate Approval actions support Markdown formatting natively. You can use standard Markdown syntax (such as **text** for bolding) in the 'Details' field instead of HTML.

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