TL;DR: To get something approved in Wrike, open the task, folder, or project, click Approvals above the description, add your approvers, and click Start. Approvers get notified and can approve, reject, or request changes right from the item.
Hey Community! 👋
If your team needs sign-off before work moves forward (like a client proof, a budget, or a final deliverable), Wrike's built-in Approvals feature keeps that whole process in one place instead of scattered across emails.
How to Start an Approval
- Open the task, folder, or project that needs approval (in item view).
- Click Approvals in the panel above the description field.
- Add a short description if needed.
- Select your approvers (anyone with access to the item, including Collaborators and Contributors, can be added as an approver).
- Set a due date for the approval.
- Add any files you want reviewed, if relevant.
- Click Start.
That's it. Approvers instantly get a notification in their Inbox and by email.
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What's in Advanced Settings?
This is where you can customize the approval flow beyond the basics:
Setting | What it does |
|---|
Finish approval automatically | Completes the approval as soon as all approvers give their decision, no manual closing needed. |
Automatic status change | Set the task/folder/project to move to a specific status automatically when approved or rejected. |
How to Approve (or Reject) Something
If you're the one approving:
- Open the task, folder, or project with the pending approval.
- Look for the approval panel at the top, near the description.
- Click on the number of approvers to see who else is involved and what's still pending.
- Click Approve or Reject.
- Add a comment if you'd like to explain your decision, or click Don't send to skip it.
Real-World Example
Say your design team finishes a client's social media graphics. Instead of emailing the files around for sign-off:
- Open the task with the final files attached.
- Click Approvals, add your Creative Director and the Account Manager as approvers, and set a 2-day due date.
- Click Start.
- Both approvers get notified, review the files inside Wrike, and click Approve (or leave feedback if changes are needed).
No email chains, no lost attachments, everything is tracked on the task itself.
Good to Know
Nuance | Details |
|---|
Plan availability | Approvals are available on Business, Pinnacle, and Apex plans. |
Where it works | You can add approvals to tasks, folders, and projects, but not to Spaces. |
Who can approve | All user types, including Collaborators and Contributors, can be added as approvers. |
Who can start one | You need sufficient access (like Full access, or an access role with approval permissions) on the item to add or start an approval. |
Finding your pending approvals | Inbox now supports filtering by Approvals to quickly view approval notifications. You can also filter My To-Do by Approver = Current User and Approval = Pending, or build a Dashboard widget for a broader overview. |
Multiple approvers | Right now, all added approvers need to give their decision before the approval is marked complete. Stay tuned, more flexible approver logic may be on the way! 👀 |
History | Once an approval is finished, click Show history in the Approvals panel to see who approved, who rejected, and any comments left along the way. |
Learn More
For a deeper dive into approval settings, custom workflows, and request form integration, the Wrike Help Center has you covered:
Related posts in this series
📌 Approval decisions often come with comments and @mentions . See "How to Add Comments and @Mentions in Wrike " for the full picture.
📌 Curious where your approval requests actually show up? Check out "What is the Inbox in Wrike?"
📌 Want to see all your pending approvals in one place? "How to Find Work Assigned to You in Wrike" covers My To-Do and Dashboard techniques that work well for tracking approvals too.
Over to you:
How does your team use Approvals today, manually on each task, or built into your workflow? Any tips for keeping approvals from piling up? Share below! 💬
