Every few weeks someone sends me an old SharePoint Designer approval workflow and asks why it stopped running. The short answer: Microsoft switched those workflows off in SharePoint Online, and reopening Designer won’t bring them back.
In this tutorial, we’ll look at what sharepoint workflows means in 2026, which tools replaced the classic 2010 and 2013 workflows, and when to pick each one.
Then I’ll build a real leave approval workflow with the new Workflows button on a SharePoint list, test it, and show where it shows up in Power Automate.
Quick answer: Classic SharePoint 2010 and 2013 workflows are retired in SharePoint Online. To automate a list or library today, select Workflows on its command bar, pick a template or Build from scratch, choose a trigger and an action, and select Save. The result is a Power Automate cloud flow. For simpler jobs, use Integrate > Rules, Quick steps or Approvals.
What Are SharePoint Workflows Now?
A SharePoint workflow is an automation that starts when something happens in a list or library, like a new item, and then does work for you: sends an approval, posts to Teams or emails someone.
For years we built them in SharePoint Designer. If you still have those, my SharePoint Designer workflow examples post maps each classic pattern to its Power Automate replacement. Here’s the timeline Microsoft published for SharePoint Online:
| What | Status in SharePoint Online |
|---|---|
| SharePoint 2010 workflows | Off for new tenants August 1, 2020; removed from existing tenants November 1, 2020 |
| SharePoint 2013 workflows | Off for new tenants April 2, 2024; fully retired April 2, 2026 |
| SharePoint Designer 2013 | Extended support ended July 14, 2026 |
| Recommended replacement | Power Automate (or another supported solution) |
So when people search for SharePoint workflows today, they really need one of the modern tools below. Our SharePoint tutorials hub covers the list and library basics they sit on.
What Replaced SharePoint Designer Workflows?
Five built-in options cover nearly everything I used to do in Designer. They overlap, so here’s how I choose:
| Option | Where you find it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Workflows button | List or library command bar | Trigger + action automations from templates or a sentence builder |
| Power Automate cloud flows | make.powerautomate.com | Multi-step logic, conditions, loops, other systems |
| Rules | Integrate > Rules | Simple email notifications when an item changes |
| Quick steps | Integrate > Quick steps | One-click buttons: email, Teams chat, set a value, run a flow |
| Approvals | Integrate > Configure Approvals | Built-in approve/reject status on items and files |
The Workflows button is the closest thing to the old Designer experience, and everything it saves runs on Power Automate. If you outgrow it, the Power Automate approval templates are the next step up.
Build a Leave Approval Workflow in SharePoint (Step by Step)
I tested this on our /sites/SPGuides site with a Leave Requests list (Title, a LeaveType choice column, StartDate and EndDate). It’s the modern version of the Power Automate leave request approval many teams still run.
Step 1: Open Workflows on the list
Open the list. On the command bar, next to Forms, select Workflows.
Step 2: Pick a template or build from scratch
The Workflows panel opens with a search box, template cards such as “Notify a channel when a new SharePoint list item is added”, and Your workflows with tabs For this list, Workflows and AI Workflows. Select + Build from scratch.
You’ll get a sentence: “When select a trigger, then select an action“.
Step 3: Choose the trigger
Select the trigger, open SharePoint and choose A list item is created. Trigger details fill in the site (SPGuides) and list (Leave Requests). You can add Conditions if needed.
Step 4: Add the approval action
Select the action, open Approvals and choose Send an approval request. The other Approvals action is Request manager approval.
Step 5: Fill in the approval details
- Assigned to: the approver (I picked myself).
- Approval type: First to respond (or Wait for all responses).
- Title:
Leave request:plus the Name token from the lightning button. - Details: a short note plus the LeaveType token. Markdown works here.
Select Save. My sentence read “When Leave Requests list items are created send an approval request to Bijay Kumar”.
Step 6: Test it
I added an item for Ava Thompson, Vacation, 11/09/2026 to 11/13/2026. About a minute later the workflow’s Run history showed a run at 10/24/2026 10:14:49 PM with status Succeeded, and the details page showed it as Active.
The request arrived in Power Automate under Approvals > Received as “Leave request: Ava Thompson”, with “Leave type: Vacation” in the details. Approvers can also answer it from Teams, as in our guide to approvals in Microsoft Teams.
Where Does the Workflow Live in Power Automate?
Open Power Automate and go to My flows > Cloud flows. The workflow is listed by the same name as an Automated cloud flow. Edit it there when you need conditions, loops or more connectors; our Power Automate tutorials cover those.
Inside the builder you’ll also see Build with Power Automate to see more triggers, the shortcut when the short trigger list doesn’t have what you need.
Rules, Quick Steps and Approvals: The Lighter Options
Select the list’s overflow menu (…) and open Integrate. You’ll see Flows, Quick steps, Approvals, Rules and Power Apps.
- Rules email people when an item changes or a date approaches. They suit the jobs we once handled with SharePoint alerts.
- Quick steps add buttons that draft an email, start a Teams chat, set a value, send an approval request or run a flow.
- Approvals add an Approval status column; people select Request approval on an item. For page and document publishing, compare it with classic content approval in SharePoint Online.
Common Errors and How to Fix Them
- An old 2013 workflow stopped running. It was retired on April 2, 2026. Rebuild it with Workflows or Power Automate.
- You can’t create a rule. Managing rules needs Contribute permission. Rules can’t use multi-line text columns, and a list allows only two “a date approaches” rules.
- A quick step that runs a flow fails for users. They lack flow permission; add the list or library as a co-owner of the flow.
- An approval was canceled. Editing or deleting an item cancels its built-in approval request. For long reviews, also plan approval timeouts in Power Automate.
- Lists sync stopped. Turning on built-in approvals switches off Lists sync for that list.
Comparing third-party tools? My Power Automate vs Nintex breakdown helps.
If you’re rebuilding approvals, I’d read these next:
Frequently Asked Questions
Are SharePoint workflows still available?
Classic SharePoint 2010 and 2013 workflows aren’t; they’re retired in SharePoint Online. The Workflows button, Power Automate, Rules, Quick steps and Approvals replace them.
When did SharePoint 2013 workflows retire?
Microsoft turned them off for new tenants on April 2, 2024 and fully retired them for existing tenants on April 2, 2026.
Is SharePoint Designer still supported?
No. SharePoint Designer 2013 extended support ended July 14, 2026, and its workflows no longer run in SharePoint Online.
Is the SharePoint Workflows button the same as Power Automate?
It’s a simpler front end. Each workflow you save appears in Power Automate under My flows as an automated cloud flow.
What is the AI Workflows tab?
It is one of the Your workflows tabs in the Workflows panel. Microsoft says AI workflows, drafted from a plain-language description, are rolling out through SharePoint targeted release; see Creating a workflow.
Hey! I’m Bijay Kumar, founder of SPGuides.com and a Microsoft Business Applications MVP (Power Automate, Power Apps). I launched this site in 2020 because I truly enjoy working with SharePoint, Power Platform, and SharePoint Framework (SPFx), and wanted to share that passion through step-by-step tutorials, guides, and training videos. My mission is to help you learn these technologies so you can utilize SharePoint, enhance productivity, and potentially build business solutions along the way.