#PowerPlatformTip 114: 'Send Approvals to External Recipients'

TL;DR: For external approvers without an account in your tenant, use Send email with options or Send approval email (Office 365 Outlook) and let them answer with the buttons in the mail. If they should work in the approvals center, invite them as Microsoft Entra guests and use the standard Approvals actions.

💡 Challenge

The standard approval process in Power Automate targets people in your own tenant. A supplier, customer or partner outside your organization has no access to your approvals center.

✅ Solution

Pick the route by who the approver is:

🔸 Anyone with an email address: Send email with options or Send approval email from the Office 365 Outlook connector. The flow waits until the recipient selects one of the options in the mail.

🔸 External people you invite as guests: the Approvals connector (for example Start and wait for an approval). Invite the person as a Microsoft Entra guest user; the role you assign to the guest gives them the permission to take part in the approval.

🔧 How It’s Done

Method 1: Approval by email (no guest account needed)

1. Add Send email with options (or Send approval email for Approve/Reject) to your flow. 🔸 Enter the external address in To, a subject and the User Options, for example Approve, Reject.

2. Set the advanced parameters for external mailboxes. 🔸 Use only HTML message = Yes: every mail client shows the HTML buttons. Without it, Outlook may show an actionable message card instead, which needs supported clients. 🔸 Show HTML confirmation dialog = Yes: third-party mail filters (for example G Suite or Mimecast) otherwise select an option automatically when they scan the links.

3. Use the response. 🔸 The action returns the selected option as SelectedOption. Branch on it with a Condition or Switch.

4. Add a timeout. 🔸 In the action’s Settings, set a Timeout (for example P7D) and handle the timed-out path with Configure run after, so the flow doesn’t wait forever for an answer.

Method 2: Approvals connector with guest users

1. Invite the external person as a guest in Microsoft Entra ID and assign the role they need.
2. Use Start and wait for an approval and enter the guest’s address in Assigned to.
3. The guest answers from the approval email or the approvals center, and the response is tracked in the approvals history like any internal approval.

🎉 Result

External stakeholders can take part in your approval processes: by answering directly in the email, or as guests with the full approvals experience.

🌟 Key Advantages

🔸 No account needed: Method 1 works for any email address.

🔸 Full tracking: Method 2 keeps external approvals in the approvals center and history.

🔸 Standard actions: both methods use standard connectors, no Premium license needed.

⚠️ Good to Know

🔸 Adaptive Cards by email: an Adaptive Card sent with Send an email (V2) renders only for the flow owner. For other recipients, actionable messages need an originator ID registered in the Actionable Email Developer Dashboard. For external approvers, Method 1 is the simpler route.

🔸 Shared mailboxes: actionable message cards work only with single user mailboxes, not with group or shared mailboxes. The HTML buttons are not affected.

🎥 Video Tutorial

🛠️ FAQ

1. Can I send approval requests to recipients outside my Microsoft 365 tenant?

Yes. Send email with options and Send approval email work with any valid email address. With the Approvals connector, invite the person as a Microsoft Entra guest first.

2. Are responses from “Send email with options” tracked?

The selected option is stored in the flow run history and in the action’s output. These responses don’t appear in the approvals center; if you need that, use Method 2 with guest users.

3. Why was an option selected although nobody clicked?

A mail filter or link scanner on the recipient’s side opened the links. Set Show HTML confirmation dialog to Yes, then a click only opens a confirmation page and the answer is sent after the recipient confirms.

🔗 Related Tips

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 111: ‘Adaptive Cards for Dynamic Approvals’ - let each approver in a dynamic chain choose the next one, including external recipients.

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 144: ‘Infinite Approvals’ - keep a long-running external approval chain alive past the 30-day timeout.