How to send automatic reminder emails for pending approvals in Power Automate

Create a Microsoft Form (in the video: Training Request Form) with four fields: Name, Email, Event Name and Event Date. Any form works for this pattern. The date field is used to decide when reminders should stop.

In Power Automate, select Create, then Automated cloud flow. Name it and choose the Microsoft Forms trigger When a new response is submitted. Select your form.

Add Get response details, choose the same form, and set Response Id to the Response Id from the trigger.

Add Initialize variable. Name it Approval Status, set Type to String and Value to Pending. This one variable controls when the reminder loop stops. It will later change to Approve, Reject or Expired. Rename the action to the same name so it is easy to spot.

Add a second Initialize variable named Reminder End Date, type String, and set its value to Event Date from the form response. Reminders only make sense until the event. If your form has no date, set any end date you like here.

Add the Approvals action Create an approval. Set Approval type to Approve/Reject - First to respond. For Title, type Training Request: and add Event Name. Put the approver's email in Assigned to.

In Details, write a short summary such as "A new training request needs your approval" followed by labels with the Name, Email, Event Name and Event Date values.

Use Create an approval, not Start and wait for an approval. Create an approval sends the request and moves on immediately, which is what lets the reminder branch run while the approval is pending. Start and wait blocks the flow until someone responds.

Add Wait for an approval and set Approval ID to the Approval ID from Create an approval. This captures the response whether the approver answers from the original email or from a reminder.

After it, add Set variable: choose Approval Status and set the value to Outcome from Wait for an approval. The outcome is Approve or Reject, and changing the variable is what tells the reminder loop to stop.

Add a Condition: Approval Status is equal to Approve.

In True, add Send an email (V2). For To, click the gear icon, choose Use dynamic content and pick Email from Get response details. Subject: Your training request has been approved. In the body, greet the requester by Name and include Event Name and Event Date.

In False, add another Send an email (V2) to the same Email with the subject Your training request has been rejected and a message asking them to contact their manager.

Above Wait for an approval, right-click the plus icon and choose Add a parallel branch. In the new branch, add Do until from Control.

Set the loop condition to Approval Status is not equal to Pending. The loop exits when the approver approves, when they reject, or when the event date passes and the status is set to Expired.

Inside the loop, add a Delay with Count 1 and Unit Day, so the approver gets one reminder per day. For testing, set it to 1 minute and change it back afterwards.

After the delay, add a Condition: Approval Status is equal to Pending. This stops a reminder going out if the approver responded during the delay.

In the True branch of the pending check, add another Condition. On the left, insert the expression formatDateTime(utcNow(),'yyyy-MM-dd'). Set the operator to is less than. On the right, insert the expression formatDateTime(variables('Reminder End Date'),'yyyy-MM-dd').

Formatting both sides as yyyy-MM-dd makes the two dates comparable. If today is before the event date, there is still time to send reminders.

In the True branch of the date check, add Send an email (V2) to the approver's email (the same address used in Create an approval). Subject: Reminder: Training Request Pending plus Event Name. In the body, list the requester's Name, Email, Event Name and Event Date, then add a line such as "Please use the link to open the approval request directly" followed by Respond link from Create an approval.

The Respond Link opens the approval page, where the approver can approve or reject. The other branch captures that response right away.

In the False branch of the date check (the event date has passed), add Set variable and set Approval Status to Expired. This breaks the Do until loop because the status is no longer Pending.

Then add Send an email (V2) to the requester's Email with the subject Your training request has expired, including their Name, Event Name and Event Date.

Save the flow, click Test, choose Manually, and submit the form. Both branches start after Create an approval. Do not respond to the first approval email. With the 1-minute delay, a reminder arrives with the Respond Link. Open the link, choose Approve and confirm.

Back in the run history, Wait for an approval captures the response, Approval Status becomes Approve, the Do until loop exits, and the requester receives the approved email.