FFFormFlow
Google Forms approval workflow

Approve or reject Google Forms responses by email.

Start with one reviewer and one internal test response. FormFlow sends the approval email, records the approve or reject decision, and writes the final status to the linked Google Sheet.

1,000+ installs on Google Workspace Marketplace.

Free: 50 approval flow runs per month, up to 5 approval levels, unlimited approvers and requesters. Pro: $79/year per admin, unlimited flow runs, up to 5 levels, unlimited approvers. No per-approver fees. Compare plans.

Approval emails Approve/reject links Linked Sheet status v51 final status verified
Install from Marketplace Run first workflow test
First approval testsmall workflow first
Google Forminternal request
SubmissionReady for review
Submit one internal test response
Reviewer emailapprove or reject
DecisionPending
Reviewer clicks a decision link
FormFlowWorkspace add-on

Select the linked response sheet, add one approver, save the configuration, run Preflight, then test one copied workflow.

Status writes to Sheet
1. Configure2. Preflight3. Test once
Problem

Google Forms collects the request. It does not run the approval.

The response lands in a linked Sheet. Someone still has to notice it, forward it, and remember to write Approved or Rejected on the row. That loop fails when the reviewer is busy or the form owner is not watching the inbox.

Solution

FormFlow emails one reviewer and writes the decision back.

Install the add-on on the form, select the linked response Sheet, add one approver, and run Preflight. A test submission sends an approve or reject email. The decision is stored, and the final status is written to that Sheet. Owner-authorized sync runs about hourly, after the next submission, or when the owner uses Sync now.

Start from the approval question

Route broad approval-workflow questions into one small test.

Most useful FormFlow traffic starts with a concrete question: how to approve a Google Forms response, how to email a reviewer, how to write status back to Sheets, or how to avoid maintaining Apps Script. Send each question to the smallest proof path first.

1

One reviewer workflow

Start with one copied form, one linked response Sheet, one internal approver, and one test response.

Open the first-run checklist

2

Approve or reject by email

Use this when the key question is whether a reviewer can decide from an email link without manual forwarding.

Open the email approval guide

3

Status in Google Sheets

Use this when the operator needs Pending, Approved, or Rejected next to the original form response row.

Open the Sheet status guide

4

No Apps Script workflow

Use this when the team wants a lightweight approval path without owning triggers, mail templates, and decision URLs.

Open the no-code approval guide

5

Power Automate migration

Use this when a Microsoft Forms or SharePoint approval flow needs a smaller Google Forms proof first.

Open the migration guide

Use FormFlow for scene-first approval routing.

Do not start with the broad phrase approval workflow. Start with a concrete Google Forms scenario: leave request, access request, purchase request, event application, resource request, or another small workflow that needs one clear reviewer decision.

1

Internal requests

Route leave, purchase, event, or operations requests to a reviewer.

2

Reviewer decisions

Send an email with approve/reject actions instead of forwarding each response by hand.

3

Sheet status

Keep the linked Google Sheet as the record of request status and review history.

Use cases

Approval scenarios that match a small Google Forms workflow.

These are the pages and community questions FormFlow should target before competing for broad workflow terms.

School or team

Leave or absence request

A respondent submits dates and reason, one reviewer receives the approval email, and the linked Sheet records Approved or Rejected.

Operations

Purchase or resource request

Use a Google Form to collect amount, item, department, and reason, then route the request to one internal approver.

Admin

Access request

Collect the requester, system, justification, and manager context, then capture the reviewer decision by email.

Programs

Event or application review

Review simple submissions where a final approve/reject decision needs to be visible in the response Sheet.

First-run path

Do this before sending real respondents into an approval workflow.

Install

Open the add-on in the target form.

Install from Google Workspace Marketplace, then open the Google Form that owns the approval process.

Connect

Select the linked response sheet.

Use the Picker flow so FormFlow can write approval status to the right response spreadsheet.

Configure

Add one approver first.

Start with one internal reviewer email and a simple approve/reject status before adding more people.

Prove

Run Preflight and submit one test response.

Confirm the reviewer email arrives, the decision link works, and the linked Sheet status updates.

Verified

Confirm the final Sheet status.

A decision-received page can mean the decision is queued. The owner-authorized sync runs about hourly or after the next submission; the owner can also use Sync now. Confirm Approved or Rejected in the response row before treating the test as complete.

Real setup screens

What the first approval test looks like.

The important proof is not that a page exists. The proof is that the sidebar setup, reviewer email, decision page, and approval history are all visible in one small workflow.

FormFlow approval workflow setup sidebar
Start with one form, select the linked response Sheet, and save one internal approver.
FormFlow reviewer email with approval decision actions
The reviewer email is the operational handoff: the approver needs enough context to decide without manual forwarding.
FormFlow approval decision page
The reviewer opens the decision page and chooses approve or reject with the intended Google account.
FormFlow approval history and linked sheet status
The linked response Sheet and history view should show the decision result after the test.
Failure causes

Where first approval tests usually break.

If a user installs but does not succeed, the failure usually happens in one of four places. This is the support path before asking for a review.

Sheet

Wrong response spreadsheet selected

Duplicated forms often create duplicated response Sheets. Select the Sheet linked to the exact form being tested.

Email

Reviewer email not delivered

Check Preflight, approver address, spam folder, and Workspace mail restrictions before adding more reviewers.

Account

Reviewer account mismatch

The person clicking approve or reject should use the intended reviewer Google account, especially in multi-account browsers.

Status

Decision received, Sheet still pending

Check whether the decision is queued. Use owner-side Sync now, or wait for the scheduled sync or next submission. If it remains pending, contact support with the failing step; redact respondent details.

After one workflow works

Early Marketplace trust comes from real first-run results, not from a review before the approval path is proven.

1

Preflight passed

The selected response Sheet, saved reviewer, and send-mail readiness are all checked before launch.

2

Reviewer email arrived

The intended reviewer receives the approval request for one internal test submission.

3

Decision link worked

The reviewer can approve or reject from the email decision link using the intended Google account.

4

Sheet status updated

The linked response Sheet shows the final approval status for the tested response row.

Boundaries

FormFlow is for lightweight Google Forms approval workflows. It is not a full procurement system, expense platform, ticketing platform, CRM, legal approval platform, or enterprise compliance suite. Keep the first workflow small enough to audit in one linked Sheet.

  • Privacy and permissionsPlain-English context for the form, file, sidebar, and email permissions used by the approval workflow.
  • SupportSend the form context, failing step, and screenshot when Preflight or email delivery does not match.
  • Review after successUse the checklist only after Preflight, reviewer email, decision link, and linked Sheet status all work.
  • Leave an honest Marketplace reviewIf those four checks worked for your form, a short review helps the next Google Forms operator trust the setup.

FormFlow guides

Pick the page that matches your next step.

Build the workflow

Set up the approval path from a Google Form submission to a reviewer decision.

Open guide
Free workflow test

Start with one form, one approver, one decision email, and linked-Sheet status tracking.

Open free workflow guide
Migrate from Power Automate

Translate a lightweight Microsoft Forms approval into Google Forms, reviewer email, and linked-Sheet status.

Open migration guide
Avoid Apps Script

Create a lightweight Google Forms approval path without maintaining triggers, email templates, or decision links yourself.

Open no-code guide
Test before launch

Use one copied workflow, one approver, Preflight, and one internal test response.

Open checklist
Approve by email

Understand the approval email, decision link, and linked-sheet status update.

Open email guide
Track Sheet status

Confirm the linked response Sheet records Pending, Approved, or Rejected after one reviewer decision.

Open status guide
Form Approvals alternative

Compare a broader approval platform with a lightweight Google Forms approval path.

Open comparison
Pricing alternative

Check whether a lightweight workflow is enough before paying for a broader approval suite.

Open pricing guide
Email not sending

Diagnose Preflight, approver address, linked Sheet, Google account, and mail filtering issues.

Open troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

What are the Free and Pro limits?

FormFlow Free includes 50 approval flow runs/month and up to 5 approval levels. Pro is $79/year per admin, with unlimited flow runs and up to 5 levels. FormFlow is not an enterprise approval suite.

Can Google Forms approve submissions natively?

Google Forms can collect requests, but it does not provide a full approve/reject workflow with reviewer emails and linked-sheet approval status by itself.

Where does FormFlow store approval status?

FormFlow writes status to the linked Google Sheet so operators can review the workflow record next to the form responses.

What should I test first?

Use one copied form, select the linked response sheet, add one internal approver, run Preflight, and submit one test response.

What workflow should I try first?

Try a small internal workflow such as leave request, access request, event application, or resource request before adding multiple reviewers or complex routing.

What evidence matters before a review?

Preflight passed, reviewer email arrived, decision link worked, and the linked Sheet status updated. If any of those fail, use support first.

Demo

Approve-by-email demo

A short approve-by-email demo is not published yet. Use the first-run checklist to verify reviewer email, the decision link, and linked-Sheet status.

Run the first approval test
Install

Install FormFlow and test one copied form.

Use one internal approver and one test response. Confirm the email arrives, the decision link works, and the linked Sheet shows Approved or Rejected.

Install FormFlow Run the first approval test