Get approvals on files in Google Drive

You can get approvals on your content in Google Drive. When your material is ready for review, you can lock the file and ask the recipient to approve the already-drafted content. 

Note: This feature is only available for Enterprise and Google Workspace for Education Plus accounts. It is not available for personal (@gmail.com) or standard Workspace accounts.

Request an approval

Requesting an approval is only available for eligible work or school accounts, and you're currently not signed in.

Sign in to your work or school account

Edit and reset approvals

By default, files stay unlocked during an approval. Editors can change, comment on or add suggestions to the file. When someone edits the file, the approval process changes based on your settings:

• If you've ticked 'Require all approvers to review the same content': edits reset all approvals. All reviewers must review and approve the new changes.
• If you've unticked 'Require all approvers to review the same content': edits do not reset approvals. Reviewers can change their decisions at any time until the approval is complete.

Lock a document

You can lock a document to make sure that reviewers can't change a file while it undergoes approval. Edits, comments and suggestions can't be added to locked documents.

• To lock a document, click File Lock.
• To unlock a document, click File Unlock.

Unlock a file to edit

After a file has been approved and locked, anyone with edit access can unlock the file and make new edits.

Important:

• If edits reset approvals: and you unlock a file during an active review, you'll reset all approvals. Previous approvers must re-approve the file. After the approval process is complete, you can unlock the file without losing the final approvals.
• If edits do not reset approvals: the file won't lock when the approval is complete. Editors can change the file without losing the final approvals.

Unlock a Google Docs, Sheets or Slides file

1. On your computer, go to Google Drive.
2. Double-click on the file.
3. At the top of the document, click Locked Unlock file.

Unlock other file types in Google Drive

1. On your computer, go to Google Drive.
2. Right-click on the file Unlock.

Approve or reject a file

In Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, when an approval is in process, a banner will show at the top of the file.

• To approve the file, click Approve. You can also add an optional note.
• To reject the file, click Reject. You can also add an optional note.
• To open the sidebar and review approval details, click View details.

Open approval sidebar

You can review the approval details of a document in the approval process in the sidebar.

From Google Drive file list

1. On your computer, go to Google Drive.
2. Right-click on the file Approvals.
3. In the sidebar on the right, on the approval card that appears, click Open.

From Google Drive preview

1. On your computer, go to Google Drive.
2. Double-click on the file to open Drive preview. This will open for files that aren't Google Docs, Sheets, Slides or Microsoft Office files.
3. To open the sidebar, at the top right, click Menu Approvals.
4. On the approval card that appears, click Open.

From Google Docs, Sheets and Slides

1. On your computer, go to Google Drive.
2. Double-click on the file to open the file in Google Docs, Sheets or Slides.
3. To open the sidebar:
   • At the top, click File Approvals.
   • On the banner, click View details.

Review edits made during approval

For Google Docs, Sheets and Slides files, you can review content changes during an approval.

1. Open the approval sidebar.

2. On the sidebar to the right, select an option from the drop-down:

   • Since approval started
   • Since you last approved
   • Since you last viewed
   Tips:
   • You must view changes from the approval sidebar or you won't find the option 'Since last time I viewed' in the drop-down.
   • The file must be approved or be unchanged or you won't find the option 'Since I last approved' in the drop-down.
3. Click View.

Edit your request

After you file your approval request, you can change or cancel it.

1. In the file, open the approval sidebar. 
2. From the sidebar, you can:
   • Change approvers: Next to the current approver, click More   Change approver.
   • Add approvers: In the top right, click Add approvers .
   • Change the due date: At the top, click the due date  and enter a new date. 

Cancel approval request

If you no longer want someone to approve your request, you can cancel it.

1. In the file, open the approval sidebar. 
2. In the top right, click More   Cancel request.

Find files that need approval

1. On your computer, go to Google Drive.
2. At the top, in the search box, click the Down arrow .
3. Next to Approvals, select Awaiting my approval or requested by me.
4. Click Search.

View previous approvals for a file

Important: You can only view previous approvals for Docs, Sheets and Slides files.

1. On your computer, go to Google Drive.
2. Open the file that you to want to view approvals for.
3. If approved versions are available, at the top, click View approved versions.
4. In version history, on the right, click View approval details.