---
schema_version: "1"
id: 13a871290135c150d4c19a2bb7948d9d43b83a3344e2154797a61ffd9b65e0d4
title: Add an Approval Step to a Classic Approval Process
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/approvals_creating_approval_steps.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.approvals_creating_approval_steps.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: b7353e1570d90fb4c50b560af21b4f5849ac62e08414dd5a5e7549f42da34ff0
description: Approval steps define the chain of approval for a particular classic approval process. Each step determines which records can advance to that step, who to assign approval requests to, and whether to let each approver’s delegate respond to the requests. The first step specifies what to do if a record doesn’t advance to that step. Later steps specify what happens if an approver rejects the request.
products:
  - Flow Builder
  - Salesforce Platform
release: "264"
---
# Add an Approval Step to a Classic Approval Process

Approval steps define the chain of approval for a particular classic approval process. Each step determines which records can advance to that step, who to assign approval requests to, and whether to let each approver’s delegate respond to the requests. The first step specifies what to do if a record doesn’t advance to that step. Later steps specify what happens if an approver rejects the request.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class="" id="approvals_creating_approval_steps__d3272e54"><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
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            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d101382e75">User Permissions
              Needed</th>
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            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d101382e75 ">To create approval steps:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d101382e75 ">Customize Application</td>

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![Important](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-platform_automation-264-0-0-production-enus/60568438-ec7e-4665-acd1-7c80dcbe60d5/images/icon_important.png)

Important Try [Flow Approval Processes](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automate_automated_approvals.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "As your company grows, so does the complexity of your approvals, often requiring input from multiple people in different departments across different time zones. This complexity can mean that you spend more time waiting for each person to complete their review in the right order. Flow Approval Processes helps you coordinate multistep reviews that involve users, systems, and conditional paths."), a modern alternative to Classic Approval Processes. This new feature provides a more flexible, user-friendly flow-based interface, and it can trigger on record changes, supporting Apex extensibility and detailed logging for compliance and audit trails. It supports dynamic routing based on data and business rules, unlike Classic Approval Processes, which are tied to specific objects and offer limited support for processes by using conditions. With Flow Approval Processes, you can monitor submitted records and quickly identify bottlenecks, giving you unprecedented visibility into approval workflows. And, like Classic Approval Processes, Flow Approval Processes don’t consume automation credits or orchestration runs.

You can add steps to a classic approval process only if it’s inactive.

From the classic approval process, click **New Approval Step**, and follow the wizard.

Steps are executed in the order specified.

1. **[Control Which Records Apply to an Approval Step in a Classic Approval Process](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.approvals_step_entrycriteria.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Control which records are part of the approval step by setting the step’s criteria. You can also specify what happens to records that don’t meet the step’s criteria.
2. **[Identify Assigned Approvers for an Approval Step in a Classic Approval Process](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.approvals_step_approver.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Specify who to send an approval request for this step to.
3. **[Specify Rejection Behavior for an Approval Step in a Classic Approval Process](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.approvals_step_rejection.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Configure what happens if an approver rejects a request. The final rejection actions for the classic approval process determine the first step’s rejection behavior.

#### See Also

- [Create a Step to Interact with Approvers](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automate_automated_approvals_build_create_step_to_interact_with_reviewers.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Create approval steps to assign flow approval processes to specific people, groups, or queues. Approval steps generate work items that assigned approvers can approve or reject with or without running the associated flow. Approvers can complete approval work items via email when you enable email approval response in Process Automation Settings.")
- [Approval Steps](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.automate_automated_approvals_concepts_approval_step.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Approval steps require user interaction and create approval actions that assigned approvers or delegates can complete asynchronously. Approvers can complete reviews without running the associated flow, so include only actions directly relevant to the approval work item. Use a background step after the approval step to update related records or send other notifications.")
- [Set Up a Classic Approval Process](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.approvals_getting_started.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "If classic Approval Processes is the right automation tool for your business process, follow these high-level steps to create one for your org.")
- [Enable Email Approval Response for Classic Approval Processes](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.approvals_email.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "After you’ve reviewed the considerations and prepared the right template, flip the switch that lets users respond to approval requests directly from their email.")