How to Assign Approvals and Track Document Reviews in Google Drive

Collaborative workflows often require formal sign-offs before documents, spreadsheets, or presentations are finalised. Google Drive includes a built-in document approvals feature designed specifically for Google Workspace environments. This functionality enables users to route files to designated reviewers, enforce due dates, prevent further edits during the review cycle, and automatically lock approved versions to maintain audit compliance.

Understanding Document Approvals in Google Drive

Unlike casual comments or suggested edits, formal approvals introduce a structured workflow. When an approval request is initiated, Google Drive locks the file to prevent concurrent modifications that could invalidate the review. Approvers receive notifications with direct action prompts to accept or reject the submission, accompanied by feedback notes.

Key capabilities provided by the approvals system include:

• Version locking: Prevents unapproved changes from occurring while reviews are active or after sign-off is completed.
• Multi-reviewer sequencing: Allows multiple approvers to evaluate the document simultaneously or in a specified order.
• Formal activity log: Records every decision, timestamp, and accompanying note directly within the document metadata.
• Due date enforcement: Automatically notifies reviewers as deadlines approach to keep project timelines on schedule.

Prerequisites for Using Drive Approvals

The approvals workflow requires an active Google Workspace account (such as Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise, or Education editions). The feature is natively integrated into Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, as well as non-Google file formats stored within Google Drive (such as PDFs and Microsoft Office documents).

How to Request an Approval from Inside Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides

Initiating a review request directly from the document editor ensures all context remains readily accessible.

1. Open the Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide that requires review.
2. Navigate to the top menu bar and select File > Approvals.
3. A sidebar titled Approvals will open on the right-hand side. Click Make a request.
4. In the Approvers field, type the names or email addresses of the colleagues assigned to review the file.
5. (Optional) Add a custom message detailing what specific aspects of the document require review.
6. (Optional) Enable the Due date toggle and choose a target date and time.
7. Ensure the option Allow approvers to edit this file is configured according to workflow policies. Keeping this disabled restricts approvers to commenting and approving without modifying original content.
8. Check the box for Lock file before sending approval request to prevent further edits from collaborators during the evaluation period.
9. Click Send request.

How to Request an Approval for Non-Google Files in Drive

Drive supports approvals on uploaded files such as PDFs, images, or Microsoft Word documents.

1. Open Google Drive in a web browser.
2. Locate the target file, right-click on it, and select File information > Approvals (or select the file and click Approvals from the right-hand preview pane).
3. Click Make a request.
4. Enter the approver email addresses, set optional due dates, and add instructions.
5. Click Send request to initiate the review cycle.

Reviewing and Responding to an Approval Request

When an approval is requested, the assigned reviewer receives an email notification containing a direct link. Alternatively, reviewers can view pending requests by visiting Google Drive and filtering by Approvals in the search bar.

1. Open the document from the email notification or Drive interface.
2. A banner across the top of the screen displays the review status along with details from the requester.
3. Inspect the document content, suggested edits, or comments.
4. In the top banner, choose either:
   • Approve: Confirms acceptance. You can optionally append an approval note.
   • Reject: Declines the request. Reviewers are encouraged to provide specific feedback detailing necessary revisions.
5. Click Confirm to commit the decision.

Tracking Approvals and Managing Locked Files

Once all assigned approvers have completed their evaluation, the document status updates automatically. If approved, the document remains locked to preserve the validated state. If modifications are required later, users with edit permissions can click Unlock file from the top banner, which archives the previous approval and resets the status to unapproved.

To inspect the historical record of all past review cycles, open File > Approvals and select View details. This audit trail provides transparent timestamps and reviewer commentary suitable for organisational compliance.