# How to approve or request changes

> Approvers answer from the Approvals board, the studio or a Review needed email. Approve moves the template on, Request changes sends it back.

- **URL**: https://orshot.com/help/approve-or-request-changes

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When a template waits on you, you have two answers. **Approve** says yes and moves it to the next stage. **Request changes** says not yet, and sends it back with a comment saying what to fix.

You need **Approve** access in the template's stage, owners and admins included (see [how to choose who can approve](https://orshot.com/help/choose-who-can-approve)). To find what's waiting on you, open the **Approvals inbox** (the seal with a check mark in the top bar) and pick **Waiting on you**.

## From the board

To approve several templates at once, tick their cards and click **Approve** in the bar at the bottom. It only works when every ticked template is waiting on you.

You can also drag a card: into the next approved stage to approve it, or back to Draft to request changes. That's all a reviewer's drag does. Reviewers can't move a card to any other stage.

## From the studio or an email

In the studio, click the **Approvals** icon on the left rail and pick **Approve…** or **Request changes…**. Your approval covers the design as it's saved, so save any changes first.

![The Approvals menu in the studio for a template in 'Brand review': Automation is blocked, Approve, Request changes, Move to and Open in Approvals](https://orshot.com/help/approval-flows/approve-3-studio-approvals-menu.webp)

A "Review needed" email arrives when a template reaches a stage you approve in. Click **Review** to open it in the studio, then use the **Approvals** menu.

## What happens next

- "Approved." or "Approved. It's in 'Legal review' now." The template moves on by itself.
- If the stage needs more than one approver, the card shows progress like "1 of 2 approvals".
- After **Request changes**, the template goes back to **Draft** marked **Changes requested**, and whoever submitted it gets a "Changes needed" email with your comment.

Changed your mind? While the template is still in that review stage, open the card menu or the studio menu and pick **Withdraw my approval**.

## Common problems

| You see | Why, and what to do |
| --- | --- |
| "You're not an approver in the 'In review' stage. Maya can approve it." | You don't have Approve access there. Ask an owner or admin, or leave it to the people named. |
| "You submitted this template, and 'In review' needs someone else to approve it." | You can't approve your own submission in this stage. Someone else with Approve access can approve it, or someone who manages the flow can turn on **People can approve templates they submitted** for the stage. Owners and admins can always approve their own. |
| "Save your changes first, so your approval covers them." | Save the template in the studio, then approve. |
| "The design changed while you were reviewing it." | Someone saved a new version. Check it, then approve again. |
| "Reviewers can't move templates between stages. They approve or request changes." | You're a reviewer. Approve or request changes, and the flow moves the template on from there. |
| "You've added a lot of comments in a short time. Try again in 40 seconds." | Each person can post 20 comments a minute and 200 an hour. Try again after the time it names. |
| A comment with a long list of @mentions won't save | A comment can @mention up to 20 people. Mention fewer, or split it into two comments. |

## Related

- **[Approve images but not PDFs or videos](https://orshot.com/help/approve-only-some-outputs)**: Approve some outputs only
- **[Choose your notifications](https://orshot.com/help/choose-your-notifications)**: Daily digest, follow or mute a template