# How do approval notifications work?

> Review requests, approvals, change requests and comments show in the Approvals inbox. Emails come right away or in one daily digest.

- **URL**: https://orshot.com/docs/approval-flows/notifications

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Orshot tells you when a template needs you: a review request, an approval, a change request, a comment or a blocked render. Notifications always show in the app. Email is up to you.

## The Approvals inbox

The Approvals inbox is the seal with a check mark in the top bar. The number on it counts your unread notifications.

- **Notifications** lists everything that involves you. Click a line to open the template.
- **Waiting on you** lists the templates that need your approval.

![The Approvals inbox open on Waiting on you, listing three templates with their flow and stage](https://orshot.com/docs/approval-flows/inbox.webp)

**Mark all read** clears the count, **Open Approvals** opens the Approvals page, and **Notification settings** takes you to your email settings.

In-app notifications are always on. You never get notified about your own actions.

## Email

Pick how approval and comment emails reach you:

| Setting            | What you get                                                                         |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Right away         | One email per action, as it happens. This is the default.                            |
| Daily digest       | One email a day, around 9:00 in the morning in the time zone you pick.               |
| Off                | No approval or comment emails. The Approvals inbox still shows everything.            |

Each subject starts with what's needed, like Review needed, Changes needed, Approved or Render blocked, then names the template.

A bulk action sends one email, so 30 templates moved at once make one email, not 30. Several comment emails to you in the same minute also arrive as one.

**Move without approval** emails always come right away, even with the daily digest on.

## What triggers what

| When                                                | Who hears about it                                                  | Email |
| --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- |
| A template is submitted for review                  | Approvers in that review stage, and people involved                 | Yes   |
| A template moves to another stage                   | People involved                                                     | Yes   |
| Someone approves or requests changes                | Whoever submitted it, whoever created the template, people involved | Yes   |
| Someone withdraws their approval                    | People involved                                                     | Yes   |
| Someone comments                                    | People @mentioned, people in the thread, whoever created the template | Yes |
| A comment is resolved                               | People in the thread                                                | No    |
| A template is added to a flow                       | People involved, people @mentioned                                  | No    |
| A template is taken out of a flow                   | People involved, and people who manage the flow                     | Yes   |
| Someone moves a template without approval           | Owners, admins, people who manage the flow, and people involved     | Yes, always right away |
| A render for automation is blocked                  | Whoever created the template, and the approvers in its stage        | Yes, at most once a day per template |
| An approval flow is archived                        | Owners, admins and people who manage the flow                       | Yes   |

**People involved** are whoever created the template, the approvers of its review stage, people who commented on it, and people following the template or the flow.

An approval that moves a template on is one notification, not two. The next stage's approvers still get their own review request.

Reviewers only hear about templates they can see.

Notifications follow your access. Leave a workspace and its notifications drop out of your inbox and unread count. A reviewer who loses access to a flow stops seeing what it sent them. Nothing is deleted, so they come back if the access does.

## Change your settings

- **Email for this workspace**: go to **Preferences**, **Notifications**, then **Approvals and comments**. Choose **Right away**, **Daily digest** or **Off**, and set the digest time zone. Only you see these settings.
- **Every workspace at once**: the **Approval and comment emails** switch on your **Account** page turns these emails off everywhere. In-app notifications stay on.
- **One template**: open its comments (**Comments** in the studio, or the comment count on its board card) and use the bell at the top. **Follow** gets you everything about the template, **Mute** gets you nothing (not even mentions or approval requests), and **Default** gets you only what involves you.
- **One flow**: someone who manages the flow can give you **Follow** access on its **Access** tab, so you hear about everything in it.

Reviewers set their email on their **Account** page. **Notification settings** in the inbox takes them there.

Step by step: [how to choose your approval notifications](https://orshot.com/help/choose-your-notifications).