Email Approval Response
Email Approval Response is the Salesforce feature that lets approvers approve or reject approval requests by replying to the notification email with specific keywords, rather than logging into Salesforce.
Definition
Email Approval Response is the Salesforce feature that lets approvers approve or reject approval requests by replying to the notification email with specific keywords, rather than logging into Salesforce. When an Approval Process notification reaches the approver's inbox, they can reply with keywords like APPROVE, APPROVED, YES, REJECT, REJECTED, or NO in the message body, and the platform processes the response automatically. Comments included in the reply are captured as approval comments on the resulting ProcessInstanceStep record.
Email Approval Response speeds the approval cycle for mobile and email-heavy approvers who want to clear the queue without opening Salesforce. The feature is enabled per org in Setup, then Process Automation Settings. Once on, every Approval Process that sends email notifications gets the email-response capability automatically; no per-process configuration is needed. Approvers see standard formatting instructions in the notification email reminding them how to reply.
How Email Approval Response works
Enabling email approval at the org level
Setup, then Process Automation Settings, then Enable Email Approval Response. The feature is a single toggle that affects every Approval Process in the org. Once enabled, the platform parses replies to approval-notification emails for approval keywords and applies the appropriate action. Disabling the feature is also one click; existing pending approvals revert to requiring login.
Recognized keywords and matching
Salesforce recognizes a fixed set of keywords for approve and reject actions. Approve keywords: APPROVE, APPROVED, YES. Reject keywords: REJECT, REJECTED, NO. The keyword must appear in the first non-quoted line of the reply body, case-insensitive. Variations and other languages are not recognized. International orgs that need approve/reject in French, German, or Japanese have to either standardize on English keywords or build a custom Apex inbound email handler.
Comments and the ProcessInstanceStep record
Anything else the approver types in the reply (after the keyword) is captured as the approval comment on the resulting ProcessInstanceStep record. A reply that starts with APPROVE on the first line and adds Looks good, contract terms verified on subsequent lines produces an Approved step with that comment. The comment is visible in the approval history and in any subsequent email notifications to other approvers.
Security and validation
Salesforce validates that the email comes from the user it was sent to: the From address must match a user record with the right approval permissions. Forwarded approvals (forward the email to a colleague to approve in your place) do not work; the colleague''s From address would not match the original approver. This is by design to prevent approval-by-impersonation.
Notification email format requirements
For Email Approval Response to work, the approval notification email must include the response key (an opaque token that links the reply to the approval request). The default approval notification template includes this token. Custom email templates must preserve it; removing the response key (or styling around it that breaks parsing) breaks the email response capability.
Mobile and the Salesforce Approvals app
Email Approval Response complements the Salesforce mobile app''s in-app approval capability. Users can also approve from the mobile app''s Notifications tab or via the Approvals component on a Lightning page. Email is the lowest-friction option for users who do not use the mobile app or who get their email notifications outside Salesforce''s reach (forwarded to a personal account, for instance).
Limitations and unsupported scenarios
Email Approval Response does not work for approvals submitted to a Queue (the queue''s members do not receive a personalized email). It also fails for replies that quote the original email at the top (most email clients) without a clear keyword in the first line. Some email clients add signatures, disclaimers, or auto-replies that confuse the parser. The platform falls back to in-app approval when email parsing fails.
How to enable and use Email Approval Response
Email Approval Response is a one-click enable for the entire org. Once on, every Approval Process supports email replies. The work is in training approvers on the keyword conventions.
- Enable in Process Automation Settings
Setup, then Process Automation Settings. Check Enable Email Approval Response. Save.
- Verify the approval notification template
Each Approval Process step has an email template. Confirm the template includes the response key (the platform default templates do). If you customized templates, validate they still contain the key by sending a test approval to yourself.
- Train approvers on the keywords
Send out a brief note: You can approve or reject approval requests by replying APPROVE or REJECT in the first line of the email. Mention that comments go after the keyword.
- Test with a real approval cycle
Submit a test record for approval. The approver replies APPROVE with a comment. Confirm the approval moves to the next step or completes, and the comment shows on the ProcessInstanceStep.
- Monitor for parsing failures
Watch the Setup, then Email Logs, for failed email-to-Salesforce parsing. Approvers who reply through unusual clients or forward and reply may fail; reach out to them with the correct format.
- Disable if it does not fit your culture
If your team relies on Slack notifications, mobile app approvals, or in-app approval, Email Approval Response may add noise. The feature is harmless when enabled but unused; disable if approvers prefer not to have the email-reply option.
Single toggle that affects every Approval Process.
The recognized keywords. Case-insensitive but English-only.
Whatever the approver types after the keyword becomes the approval comment.
In-app approval from any record page or the Notifications panel.
- Forwarded emails do not work. The From address must match the original approver.
- Approvals routed to a Queue cannot use email response. Queue members receive different notifications without a personalized response key.
- Custom email templates that remove or alter the response key break email response. Always preserve the key when customizing approval templates.
- Email parsing can fail for messages with disclaimers, signatures, or auto-replies that confuse the keyword detection. Train approvers to keep the first line clean.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Email Approval Response.
- Enable Email Approval ResponseSalesforce Help
- Process Automation SettingsSalesforce Help
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Email Approval Response.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What does Email Approval Response let approvers do?
Q2. Who benefits most from this feature?
Q3. What's a good complement to Email Approval Response?
Discussion
Loading discussion…