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SharePoint Library, Require approval of items in a list or library Not Available

Evan 20 Reputation points
2026-04-23T12:08:43.23+00:00

The "Require content approval for submitted items" setting is not showing for my Document library.
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Library approval settingsUser's image

The setting I would like to enable:
Versioning choices dialog box

Microsoft 365 and Office | SharePoint | For business | Other
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Tamara-Hu 14,785 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-04-23T14:45:33.0133333+00:00

Hello @Evan,

Based on my testing, this behavior is expected in SharePoint Online. 

The “Require content approval for submitted items” option is part of the classic approval model. When "Configure approvals" > Enable approvals is turned on in a document library, SharePoint automatically hides the classic content approval setting. This is likely because SharePoint does not allow both approval models to be enabled at the same time. 

In summary: 

  • When "Configure approvals" is enabled, SharePoint uses the modern approval framework and the "Require content approval" option is hidden. 
  • When "Configure approvals"s is disabled, the classic "Require content approval for submitted items option" becomes visible again in Versioning settings. 

This is not a permissions issue and does not indicate a problem with the library. 

To prevent conflicts between these two features, I recommend the following:

  • If you want to use modern approvals (integrated with the Approvals app, Power Automate, and Teams), keep Configure approvals enabled and do not use the classic content approval option.
  • If you need the classic “Require content approval” behavior, first turn off Configure approvals, then enable content approval from the library’s Versioning settings.

Please choose one approval method based on your business requirements, as these approaches typically cannot be used together within the same document library.

If you have any further question, please feel free to reply. I'm here and happy to help!

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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-23T12:09:05.5033333+00:00

    In SharePoint, the classic “Require content approval for submitted items?” option is controlled from the library’s Versioning settings page and is only available when working with a list or library that supports content approval and when the user has sufficient permissions.

    To require approval for items in a document library, use the classic settings page instead of the modern “Configure Approvals” panel:

    1. Open the document library.
    2. Go to Settings → Library settings (or select Library on the ribbon, then Library Settings).
    3. Under General Settings, select Versioning settings.
    4. In the Content Approval section, set Require content approval for submitted items? to Yes.
    5. In Draft Item Security, choose who can see draft (unapproved) items (for example, “Only users who can approve items (and the author of the item)”).
    6. Select OK to save.

    If the library already contains items, they are automatically marked Approved when content approval is turned on. If later approval is no longer needed, return to Versioning settings and set Require content approval for submitted items? to No; the Approval Status column will then be removed and all items will be visible to users who can view the library.

    Note that only users with Full Control or Design permissions can change these settings.

    References:

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