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How to Route Power Automate Approvals from Microsoft Forms

Bushra Parveen Sep 28, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to dynamically send a Microsoft Forms submission for approval to a specific person selected by the submitter within the form itself.

Route a Power Automate Approval to a Person Selected in Microsoft Forms

Product: Microsoft Forms, Power Automate
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Setting up an automated workflow where the approver is designated dynamically based on the respondent's selection in a form.
Observed behavior: The user needs a method to map a form's person-selection question directly to the Approvers field in a Power Automate flow, ensuring the workflow functions correctly.

Before you start

Ensure you have active licenses for Microsoft Forms and Power Automate, and that the form asks submitters to provide exact email addresses for the approvers to prevent identity resolution errors in your flow.

Solution 1Recommended

Map Form Responses to the Approvals Action in Power Automate

Use the 'Get response details' action in Power Automate to extract the selected approver's email from the form submission and assign it directly to the approval action.

Power Automate can dynamically assign approvals based on form data, provided the data resolves to a valid email address or Microsoft 365 user identity. If you collect raw names, you will need a lookup table to convert them to emails.

Add an email field in Microsoft Forms

Open your Microsoft Form and add a Text question asking for the Approver's Email. Ensure respondents know they must input a valid email address.

Create an automated cloud flow

Go to Power Automate, create a new flow triggered by 'When a new response is submitted,' and select your form from the dropdown menu.

Retrieve the form response details

Add the 'Get response details' action to your flow. Select your Form ID and map the Response ID from the dynamic content of the initial trigger.

Set up the approval action

Add the 'Start and wait for an approval' action. In the 'Assigned to' (or Approvers) field, insert the dynamic content corresponding to the Approver's Email question from your form.

Map Form Responses to the Approvals Action in Power Automate

Valid Identity Required: The selected value from the form must resolve to a valid Microsoft 365 user or email address. If using user names instead of emails, consider using a SharePoint list lookup or an Excel table in your flow to match the selected names to valid email addresses.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Power Automate flow failing at the approval step?

This usually happens if the data pulled from Microsoft Forms is not a valid email address. Ensure the form field used for the approver specifically requests and validates a standard email format.

Can I use a dropdown list of names in Microsoft Forms for the approver?

Yes, but Power Automate requires an email address for approvals. If you use a dropdown of names, you will need an intermediate step in your flow, such as looking up the name in an Excel file or SharePoint list to retrieve the corresponding email address.

Do I need a premium Power Automate license for this workflow?

No, the standard 'When a new response is submitted,' 'Get response details,' and 'Start and wait for an approval' actions are available with standard Microsoft 365 licenses and do not require premium connectors.

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