---
title: "Enable approval workflows"
slug: "enable-approval-workflows"
updated: 2025-07-22T10:52:18Z
published: 2025-07-22T11:18:07Z
canonical: "totara.help/enable-approval-workflows"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://totara.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Enable approval workflows

To enable [approval workflows](/19/docs/what-are-approval-workflows), follow these steps:

1. Navigate to *Quick-access menu > Development > Experimental > Experimental settings* (/admin/settings.php?section=experimentalsettings).
2. Check the **Enable Approval Workflows** setting.
3. Click **Save changes**.

Note that you will also require developer assistance to create the forms for your approval workflows. See the developer documentation for more information.

We also recommend adding some items to the [main menu](/19/docs/what-is-the-main-menu) and [quick-access menu](/19/docs/what-is-the-quick-access-menu) to make navigation easier.

Firstly, add approval workflows to the top menu:

1. Navigate to *Quick-access menu > Navigation > Main menu* (/totara/core/menu/index.php).
2. Click **Approval**.
3. Change the **Parent item** to **Top**.
4. Click **Save changes**.

To make navigation easier for users with the ability to create approval workflow forms, add the approval workflows items to the quick-access menu:

1. Navigate to *Quick-access menu > Menu settings* (/user/quickaccessmenu.php).
2. Click **Add a new group**.
3. Click the pencil icon (![](https://cdn.document360.io/a007399b-031e-436b-999a-528240e16f58/Images/Documentation/image-1706106350131.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-01T14%3A47%3A39Z&se=2026-11-01T15%3A47%3A39Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=opslWsu1eYdDXTYH8uD8hDJNKnosqsaJie9hObuYEG8%3D)) on the new group, rename it to 'Approval workflows', then press enter.
4. Click **Add menu item…**, then expand the **Approval workflows** section.
5. Add **Manage workflow types**, then repeat for **Manage approval forms** and **Manage approval workflows**.

## Next steps

- [Create an approval workflow type](/19/docs/create-an-approval-workflow-type)
- [Approval forms](/19/docs/approval-forms)

Join the [Totara Community](https://totara.community/) for more resources to help you get the most out of Totara.

© Copyright 2026 Totara Learning Solutions. All rights reserved.