Approval Status Column Does Not Update: Root Cause and Fix

When you change the approval status of an item in a SharePoint list or library, the Approval Status column sometimes stays on the previous value. This can happen after a manual approval action, a Power Automate flow, or even when using the built-in Approve/Reject buttons. The root cause is almost always a mismatch between the content type that holds the status column and the actual approval workflow settings. This article explains why the Approval Status column stops updating and provides a step-by-step fix to restore correct behavior.

Why the Approval Status Column Stops Updating

The Approval Status column in SharePoint lists and libraries is part of the built-in Content Approval feature. This feature is controlled by a site collection feature called “Content Approval” and by a hidden content type named “Content Approval” that is automatically added to the list when you enable content approval. When you enable content approval for a list, SharePoint adds the Approval Status field to the list’s default content type. However, if you later modify the list’s content type settings—for example, by adding custom content types or removing the default content type—the Approval Status column can become disconnected from the approval workflow. The column still appears in the list view, but it no longer updates when an item is approved or rejected.

Another common cause is a Power Automate flow that updates the Approval Status field using the wrong internal name. The field’s display name is “Approval Status”, but its internal name is “ModerationStatus”. Flows that reference the display name may fail silently. Additionally, the field expects an integer value: 0 for Draft, 1 for Pending, 2 for Approved, and 3 for Rejected. If a flow sends a text string like “Approved”, the column will not update.

A third cause is the Content Approval feature being deactivated at the site collection level. This can happen during a site migration, a template change, or a manual deactivation. When the feature is off, the Approval Status column becomes a static text field and does not respond to approval actions.

Steps to Restore the Approval Status Column Updates

1. Check if Content Approval is enabled on the list
   Go to the list or library. Select Settings (gear icon) > List settings. Under General settings, click Versioning settings. Confirm that “Require content approval for submitted items?” is set to Yes. If it is set to No, set it to Yes and click OK. The Approval Status column will now be added to the default content type.
2. Verify the Content Approval content type is present
   Still in List settings, under Content Types, click “Add from existing site content types”. In the Available Site Content Types list, select “Content Approval” and click Add > OK. If the Content Approval content type is already present, skip this step.
3. Ensure the Content Approval column is in the list view
   Go to the list view where the Approval Status column is not updating. Click the column header dropdown and select Column settings > Show/hide columns. Make sure the Approval Status column is checked. If it is not, check it and click Apply.
4. Activate the Content Approval site collection feature
   Go to the SharePoint admin center. In the left navigation, select Sites > Active sites. Click the site where the list resides. In the site details panel, click Settings. Under Site collection features, find “Content Approval” and click Activate if it is not already active. Wait a few minutes for the feature to propagate.
5. Test with a manual approval
   Go back to the list. Select an item that is in Pending status. On the command bar, click the ellipsis (…) and choose Approve/Reject. In the dialog, select Approved and click OK. After a few seconds, refresh the list view. The Approval Status column should now show Approved. If it does not, proceed to the next step.
6. Check Power Automate flow for field name and value
   If you use a Power Automate flow to update the Approval Status, open the flow in Power Automate. Find the step that updates the item. In the dynamic content picker, select “Approval Status” (not the display name). In the value field, enter the correct integer: 0 for Draft, 1 for Pending, 2 for Approved, or 3 for Rejected. Save the flow and run it again.

If the Approval Status Column Still Does Not Update

Approval Status column shows blank after approval

This usually happens when the Content Approval content type is missing from the list. Follow step 2 in the main fix above. If the content type is already present, remove it and add it again. This resets the column association.

Approval Status column shows “Pending” for already approved items

This indicates that the Content Approval feature at the site collection level is not active. Follow step 4 in the main fix above. After activation, you may need to re-approve the items manually for the status to update.

Power Automate flow runs successfully but column does not change

The flow likely uses the display name “Approval Status” instead of the internal field name “ModerationStatus”. In Power Automate, when you add the Update item action, click “Show advanced options”. In the field name box, type “ModerationStatus” (case-sensitive). In the value box, enter the integer. The flow will now update the column correctly.

Approval Status column is not visible in list settings

If you cannot see the Approval Status column in the list’s Columns section, it means the column is not part of any content type. Go to List settings > Content Types, click the content type that contains your list columns (usually “Item” or a custom content type), and then click Add from existing site or list columns. Find “Approval Status” and add it. This makes the column editable and responsive to approval actions.

Content Approval vs Manual Column: Key Differences

Item	Content Approval Column	Manual Choice Column
Source	Built-in SharePoint feature, added automatically	Created by user, added manually to list
Update mechanism	Updates automatically when item is approved/rejected	Must be updated manually or via Power Automate
Internal field name	ModerationStatus	User-defined (e.g., MyApprovalColumn)
Value format	Integer (0,1,2,3)	Text string defined by user
Dependency	Requires Content Approval feature at site level	No dependency on site features

The Approval Status column is designed to work with SharePoint’s built-in approval workflow. A manual choice column that mimics approval statuses does not integrate with the Approve/Reject buttons or the Content Approval feature. If you need a column that updates automatically when an item is approved, always use the built-in Approval Status column. If you need a custom approval process, consider using a Power Automate flow with the Update item action that targets the ModerationStatus field.

After applying the steps above, the Approval Status column should update correctly. Test with a new item first. If the issue persists, verify that the Content Approval feature is active at the site collection level and that the Content Approval content type is present in the list. For Power Automate flows, always use the internal field name ModerationStatus and the integer value for the status. This approach ensures the column responds to approvals without manual intervention.