# Approve or reject a document

Find the documents waiting for you, approve them, or reject one with a reason from the office's list, and see how the to-do that called you is closed either way.

When a document is sent, each approver of its type gets a to-do "Review and approve the work documentation" with a deadline. The approver opens the document and decides: approve, or reject with a reason.

## Before you start {#before-you-start}

- You need the **Manager: All Documents** access right on **Work Documentation**. An approver without it sees the document and the to-do, but **Approve** and **Reject** are not offered.
- Only a document **Waiting for Approval** can be approved or rejected.

## Find the documents waiting for you {#find-waiting}

Open **Work Documentation/Documents**. The list opens on **My Documents**; remove that filter and choose **Waiting Approval** to see every document that waits. Your to-dos also lead to the documents from the activities menu at the top of the screen.

## Approve {#approve}

1. Open the document and read its **Content** and **Attachments**.
2. Open the **Actions** menu and choose **Approve**.

![Approve and Reject are in the Actions menu of a document waiting for approval.](https://jaah.app/web/image/9367-ce03efa8/work-documentation-approve-approve_actions-en.png)

On a phone the same **Actions** button sits in the bar at the top of the form; the picture shows the desktop.

3. The status becomes **Approved** and the to-do is closed for every approver.

![The document is approved and the approvers' to-do is closed.](https://jaah.app/web/image/9369-e5c5ddbe/work-documentation-approve-document_approved-en.png)

## Reject {#reject}

1. Open the **Actions** menu and choose **Reject**. The window **Reject Document** asks for the **Reason**.
2. Pick the reason and click **Reject**.

![The Reject Document window asks for the reason.](https://jaah.app/web/image/9373-4025b206/work-documentation-approve-reject_dialog-en.png)

3. The status becomes **Rejected**, the **Reject Reason** shows on the document, and the to-dos are closed.

![The rejected document shows its reject reason.](https://jaah.app/web/image/9377-10e071eb/work-documentation-approve-document_rejected-en.png)

## The list of reasons {#reasons}

The reasons offered in the window come from **Work Documentation/Configuration/Reject Reasons**, a list that managers edit in place, one line per reason.

![The reject reasons the office keeps; New adds a line.](https://jaah.app/web/image/9381-72e581ae/work-documentation-approve-reject_reasons-en.png)

## FAQ {#faq}

### Can the author fix a rejected document? {#fix-rejected}

No. A rejected document stays rejected, and an approved one stays approved. The author duplicates it (**Actions** › **Duplicate**): the copy starts as a draft with today's date, the user who made it as **Author**, and the subject, type and body of the original.

### I approved by mistake. {#approved-by-mistake}

There is no undo. The chatter keeps who approved and when; tell the author if the work must be redone, and the new version will be a duplicate.

---

- Source: https://jaah.app/docs/work-documentation/approve-or-reject-a-document
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Version: Work Documentation 19.0.1.0.7
- Verified: 2026-10-22