Why Microsoft Teams Approvals Shows Completed Instead of Rejected
Question details
Users notice that a rejected request in Microsoft Teams Approvals displays a 'Completed' status rather than 'Rejected'.
- Product
- Microsoft Teams
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Managing or submitting approval requests using the Microsoft Teams Approvals app or custom workflows.
- Observed behavior
- The approval workflow status shows as 'Completed' even when the request was actually rejected by the reviewer.
Ensure you have the necessary permissions (such as Team Owner or Flow Creator) to edit the specific Teams Approval template or Power Automate workflow causing the status mismatch.
Align Workflow Response Options with Form Controls
The status discrepancy occurs because the approval workflow's response options do not match the custom Approve/Reject controls built into the form design.
Microsoft Teams bases the final status on the response options configured directly within the approval workflow itself. It will ignore conflicting custom controls (like standalone Approve or Reject buttons) that are manually added to the form design.
Open Microsoft Teams and navigate to the Approvals app, or open the specific flow in Power Automate.
Locate the specific approval template generating the 'Completed' status and open it for editing.
Delete any standalone 'Approve' or 'Reject' custom form controls that conflict with the native workflow options.
Go to the workflow response settings and explicitly configure the custom response options to read 'Approved' and 'Rejected'.
Save and publish the updated approval workflow, then submit a test request and reject it to verify the status correctly displays 'Rejected'.
Boost Team Collaboration with WPS Office
While configuring Microsoft Teams workflows can sometimes be complex, collaborating on team documents shouldn't be. WPS Office offers a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative to Microsoft Office, making team document editing seamless and efficient.
- 1. Download: Visit the official WPS Office website and click the free download button.
- 2. Install: Run the lightweight installer and follow the quick on-screen prompts.
- 3. Collaborate: Open your Microsoft Office files directly in WPS Office and start collaborating with your team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Power Automate approval show as 'Completed' instead of 'Failed' or 'Rejected'?
In Power Automate, an approval action technically 'completes' successfully even if the outcome chosen by the approver was 'Reject'. To show a failed or rejected status in subsequent steps, you must add condition blocks that check the outcome and update the final process status accordingly.
Can I customize the response buttons in Teams Approvals?
Yes, when creating an approval request or modifying a template, you can select 'Custom responses' to define specific button text, such as 'Yes/No' or 'Approve/Decline', instead of using the default options.
Do I need admin rights to edit a Teams Approval template?
Yes, to create, modify, or delete organization-wide or team-wide Approval templates in Microsoft Teams, you generally need to be a Team Owner or have the appropriate administrative permissions.
