Auto vs Manual Approval for Microsoft Privileged Identity Management Roles

Compare auto vs manual approval in Microsoft PIM. Learn which approach ensures better security, compliance, and efficiency for privileged roles.
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Table of contents
What Are PIM Approval Workflows?
Auto Approval vs. Manual Approval in PIM
Auto Approval in Microsoft PIM Roles
Manual Approval in Microsoft PIM Roles
How to Configure Approval Workflows in Microsoft Entra ID
Steps to Require Approval for PIM Activation in Entra ID
How Do I Set Auto Approval for PIM Roles?
The End-to-End Manual Approval Process: User & Approver View
End-User Steps (Requester)
Approver Steps (Decision-Maker)
Best Practices and Scenarios – When to Use Auto vs. When to Require Approval
Scenarios for Auto-Approval – Agility with Low-Risk Roles
Scenarios for Manual Approval – Security for High-Privilege Roles
Mixed Approach – Tailoring Approval Policies
Setting Duration and Renewal – Handling the 24-Hour Window
Advanced Troubleshooting
Conclusion
Why Choose Penthara Technologies as Your Microsoft PIM Security Partner?
Frequently Asked Questions – Microsoft PIM Approvals

Balancing security with productivity is one of the toughest challenges in identity management. Especially when it comes to privileged roles - the ones with higher access and power.

That’s where the big question comes in.
Should role activation be automatic or require manual approval in Microsoft PIM?

In this guide, we’ll simplify the difference between auto vs. manual approval PIM roles.
You’ll learn how to design a secure and efficient Microsoft PIM approval workflow using real-world examples and best practices that actually work.

Balancing between productivity and security in Microsoft PIM

What Are PIM Approval Workflows?

Privileged Identity Management (PIM) works on a simple idea - give access only when it’s needed, not all the time. This is called Just-in-Time (JIT) access, and it helps reduce standing privileges that attackers could misuse.

In PIM, some users are eligible for certain roles. If you’d like to understand how eligible roles differ from active ones in Microsoft PIM, check out our in-depth article Eligible vs. Active PIM Roles Explained.
That means they don’t have permissions by default - they must activate the role to actually use it.

The approval mechanism acts as the gatekeeper for this process. It:

  • Decides who can activate a role.
  • Controls how activation happens.
  • Defines your PIM role activation approval mechanism.

Auto Approval vs. Manual Approval in PIM

When we set up PIM, we have to choose a method for the approval.

Do we prioritize instant access, or a necessary security checkpoint?

This choice of PIM approval types: manual or automatic is all about balancing speed and safety.

Here is a simple look at the two options side-by-side:

Aspect Auto-Approval Manual Approval
Activation Speed Immediate after MFA/justification Delayed until approver responds (up to 24 hrs)
Security Relies on MFA, justification, logs; no human check Human approval required; higher oversight
Use Case Low-risk roles, daily tasks High-privilege or sensitive roles
Pros Fast, no bottlenecks Strong security, compliance-friendly
Cons Higher risk if account is compromised Slower; needs approver availability
Audit & Compliance Logs generated; minimal checkpoint Formal record of approval; audit-ready

Choosing between approval required vs auto-activate eligible roles PIM is the key decision for your organization. You need to pick the right method for the right level of power.

Auto Approval in Microsoft PIM Roles

Auto-approval in Privileged Identity Management (PIM) lets roles activate instantly once the user provides a justification and passes required checks like MFA. No waiting, no bottlenecks - it’s the fast lane for role activation.

Pros:

  • Fast and efficient.
  • Users get quick access to roles they need daily.
  • Keeps workflows smooth and avoids delays.

Cons & Risks:

  • Higher risk if the user account is compromised.
  • Can lead to privilege habituation, where users get used to elevated permissions.
  • Less oversight compared to manual approval.

Even with auto-approval, a strong identity foundation is crucial. For the highest assurance, we recommend using a modern identity strategy; explore a complete guide to Microsoft 365 Passwordless Implementation.

When to Use Auto-Approval:

  • Best for low-risk PIM roles, like Reader roles or Help Desk Operators.
  • Ideal for time-sensitive operational roles used daily.

Manual Approval in Microsoft PIM Roles

Manual approval means a role activation request needs explicit approval from a designated approver or group.
It adds a human checkpoint before access is granted, keeping high-risk roles more secure.

Pros:

  • Enforces the Four-Eyes Principle - two sets of eyes check before access is granted.
  • Essential for compliance and audits, helping meet regulatory requirements.
  • Provides a formal record of who approved and why.

Cons:

  • Can create operational bottlenecks if approvers are unavailable.
  • Risk of non-critical “rubber-stamping”, where approvals are given without proper checks.

When to Use Manual Approval:

  • High-risk roles with broad write/delete permissions, like Global Administrator or Security Administrator.
  • Break-glass scenarios or any situation where elevated access must be carefully controlled.

How to Configure Approval Workflows in Microsoft Entra ID

Steps to Require Approval for PIM Activation in Entra ID

Setting up manual approval in Microsoft PIM is straightforward. Follow these steps:

  1.  Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a Privileged Role Administrator.
  2. Browse to ID Governance > Privileged Identity Management > Microsoft Entra roles > Roles.
Microsoft Entra admin center displaying the Privileged Identity Management section under Identity Governance.
  1. Navigate to Microsoft Entra Roles.
Privileged Identity Management quick start page showing “Microsoft Entra roles” selected under the Manage section.
  1. In Manage, select Roles to see all available end user roles.
Microsoft Entra PIM showing a list of roles and their descriptions under the Contoso tenant.
  1. Select the role whose settings you want to configure.
  2. Select Role settings. On the Role settings page, you can view current PIM role settings for the selected role.
Global Administrator role settings page with the “Edit” option highlighted.
  1. Select Edit to update role settings.
  2. In the Activation tab, check "Require approval to activate".
  3. Also, add users or groups as approvers. Approvers review and approve activation requests.
Edit role setting page for Global Administrator showing approval requirement configuration and the “Update” button highlighted.
  1. Click Update to apply the changes.
Confirmation message showing successful update of role settings for Global Administrator in Contoso.

Note:

  • Approval requests typically expire after 24 hours.
  • If a request expires, the user must submit a new activation request.
  • This ensures roles aren’t left activated indefinitely without proper oversight.

How Do I Set Auto Approval for PIM Roles?

You can also bypass manual approval for low-risk roles:

  1. Follow steps 1–7 from the manual setup above.
  2. In step 8, navigate to the Activation tab and clear the checkbox for "Require approval to activate."
Eligible role assignments in Microsoft Entra PIM, showing options to activate or extend roles like Global Administrator.

Even with auto-approval, some settings are still required:

  • Justification for activation.
  • MFA to confirm user identity.
  • Activation duration to limit how long the role remains active.

IMPORTANT: -

You will be locked out of your tenant if all of the following conditions are true:

  • All Privileged Role Administrators/Global Administrators have eligible assignments, but none are active.
  • Approval is required for activation.
  • No approvers are configured.
    Avoid this situation by configuring emergency access accounts and configuring specific approvers.

The End-to-End Manual Approval Process: User & Approver View

Manual approval ensures that high-risk roles are activated only after human verification.
It adds a checkpoint that protects your organization while keeping the process clear for both users and approvers.

End-User Steps (Requester)

  1. Assign a user as eligible for the role.
Eligible role assignments in Microsoft Entra PIM, showing options to activate or extend roles like Global Administrator.
(For example, user Delia Dennis has been assigned an eligible global administrator role)
  1. Ask them to activate the role via PIM. Enter a justification (mandatory). Specify the activation duration.
Activation screen for the Global Administrator role in Microsoft Entra, showing duration and reason input before confirming activation.
  1. Click Activate.
  2. Here, in our case as manual approval is enabled, approvers will be notified via email which they must approve within 24 hours (non-configurable). Until then, the user’s request status will show as "Pending approval" until the approver takes action.
Notification showing that Delia Dennis’s Global Administrator role activation request is pending approval in Microsoft Entra.

Approver Steps (Decision-Maker)

  1. Receive a notification via email or see the request in "Approve requests" in PIM.
  2. For this, go to Microsoft Entra Admin Center → Identity Governance → Privileged Identity Management → Approve requests, to view the list of pending approval requests.
Microsoft Entra admin center showing navigation to the Approve Requests section under Privileged Identity Management.
  1. In the Approve requests section, open the request and review:
    • Justification provided by the user
    • Role being requested
    • Requested activation duration
  1. From here, the approver can view, approve, or deny pending activation requests
Interface showing a pending Global Administrator role activation request with options to approve or deny in Microsoft Entra PIM.
  1. After the approver approves the request, the user is granted the requested role and can begin using the associated privileges for the configured duration.
  1. Take action:
    1. Click Approve (optional comment) or
    2. Click Deny (mandatory reason)
  1. If approved, the role activates immediately for the user and can begin using the associated privileges for the configured duration.
  1. If denied or the request expires (after 24 hours), the user receives a notification and must submit a new request.

Note:

  • All approvers are notified when an approver responds to an approval request.
  • Global Administrators and Privileged Role Administrators are notified when an approved user becomes active in their role.
Requestor vs Approver workflow in Microsoft PIM

Best Practices and Scenarios – When to Use Auto vs. When to Require Approval

Choosing between auto and manual approval in PIM depends on role sensitivity, operational needs, and compliance requirements. Here’s practical guidance:

Scenarios for Auto-Approval – Agility with Low-Risk Roles

Auto-approval is ideal when speed matters and risk is low:

  • Low-risk roles: Reader roles or limited-scope admin tasks.
  • Daily operational roles: Help Desk or Exchange Admin roles used frequently.
  • Development/test roles: DevOps engineers activating non-production roles for testing.

Tips:

  • Enforce MFA and justification.
  • Set time-bound activation (e.g., 4–8 hours).
  • Review PIM logs or set alerts for unusual activity.

Scenarios for Manual Approval – Security for High-Privilege Roles

Manual approval is crucial for high-impact or compliance-driven roles:

  • High-risk roles: Global Admin, Privileged Role Admin, Exchange Admin, Azure Subscription Owner.
  • Compliance scenarios: Access to financial or production systems requiring second-person approval.
  • Separation of duties: Prevents self-elevation of privileges.

Example: For Global Admin, a security team member must approve activation. Break-glass accounts with MFA serve as emergency backups.

Mixed Approach – Tailoring Approval Policies

  • Tier 0/1 (critical roles): Strict manual approval.
  • Tier 2 (moderate roles): Justification may suffice.
  • Tier 3 (low-risk roles): Auto-approval.

Tips:

  • Assign delegated approvers per role or use Entra ID groups.
  • Follow least privilege; avoid unnecessary permanent roles.
Mixed Approach of approval policies in Microsoft PIM

Setting Duration and Renewal – Handling the 24-Hour Window

  • Activation duration: 1–24 hours, based on task needs.
  • Roles revoke automatically after expiration; re-activation is needed.
  • For manual approvals, the window starts at activation, not request submission.
  • Expired requests: After 24 hours, the request closes; users must submit a new one.

The activation duration set in PIM is critical. For a complementary approach to session management that affects all devices, review how to Enforce Session Timeout Policies in Microsoft 365.

Best practices for Microsoft PIM approvals

Advanced Troubleshooting

In PIM, delegated approvers control who can approve role activations.

  • Single Approver: One user is responsible for all approvals for a role. Quick, simple, but depends on that person being available.
  • Group Approver: Multiple users can approve. Ensures coverage if one approver is unavailable.

Approval levels & conflicts:

  • If multiple approvers are configured, PIM follows the first approval received.
  • Conflicting settings or multiple approval layers may delay activation; it’s best to define clear approval rules per role.

Common Troubleshooting Scenarios

  • Manual approval requests not showing up: Check that approvers are notified and that they have access to “Approve requests” in PIM.
  • PIM approval request expires: Requests close after 24 hours if not approved. The user must resubmit.
  • Delegated approver missing in workflow: Confirm that the user or group is correctly assigned in PIM and has active membership.

Conclusion

Choosing between auto-approval and manual approval in Microsoft PIM is all about balancing security with efficiency.

  • Auto-approval is great for low-risk, daily-use roles where speed matters.
  • Manual approval is essential for high-privilege roles or compliance-driven scenarios to ensure oversight and reduce risk.
  • Many organizations adopt a mixed approach, tailoring approvals by role sensitivity and operational needs.

Key takeaways:

  • Always enforce MFA, justification, and time-bound activation.
  • Review PIM logs regularly to monitor unusual activity.
  • Use delegated approvers wisely and consider groups to cover multiple approvers.

By implementing manual approval for high-risk accounts and enabling strong authentication, PIM is a powerful tool to secure your environment. Our comprehensive guide details this and other zero-trust techniques for enhancing protection. Read more about Top Strategies to Optimize Your Microsoft 365 Security Posture.

Why Choose Penthara Technologies as Your Microsoft PIM Security Partner?

Microsoft Solutions Partner
As a recognized Microsoft Solutions Partner, we bring proven expertise in Entra ID, PIM, and Identity Governance. Our approach ensures your organization implements secure and efficient role approval workflows aligned with Microsoft best practices.

Certified Microsoft Professionals
Our team of Microsoft Certified experts has hands-on experience configuring auto-approval, manual approval, delegated approvers, and PIM audit workflows. We’ve helped organizations streamline privileged access while maintaining strong compliance.

Proven Deployment Experience
From piloting critical admin roles to rolling out PIM across thousands of users, we’ve reduced security risks, improved operational efficiency, and strengthened oversight. Our deployments are practical, secure, and measurable.

End-to-End Support
We guide you through every stage-assessment, role configuration, approval workflow setup, user onboarding, and continuous monitoring. Our structured approach ensures smooth adoption, compliance readiness, and reduced operational friction.

Ready to secure your privileged access and optimize PIM workflows?
Schedule a consultation today and let our experts design a tailored PIM approval strategy for your organization.

Frequently Asked Questions – Microsoft PIM Approvals

Q: What is manual vs auto approval in Microsoft PIM?
A: Manual approval in Microsoft PIM roles means an eligible role activation must be explicitly approved by another user before it takes effect. Auto approval in Privileged Identity Management means the activation is immediate with no human intervention. Manual = “Approval required PIM role activation”, auto = no approval needed.

Q: How do I set auto approval for PIM roles? Can I bypass approval for certain PIM roles?
A: To enable auto-approval for low-risk PIM roles or bypass manual approval, go to PIM role settings and uncheck “Require approval to activate”. Eligible users can then activate roles automatically. This applies per role, so all users assigned to that role follow the same auto-activation rule.

Q: How to configure manual approval for PIM roles in Microsoft 365?
A: Navigate to the role’s PIM settings, enable “Require approval to activate”, and assign delegated approvers. This sets up the approval workflow for Azure resource roles PIM, ensuring manual oversight before activation.

Q: Which PIM roles should always require manual approval?
A: Highly privileged roles like Global Administrator, Privileged Role Administrator, Exchange Admin, SharePoint Admin, or Azure Subscription Owner should always require manual approval. Any role that can significantly alter security or compliance settings should follow the approval required vs auto-activate eligible roles PIM model.

Q: What are the risks of auto-approving PIM role activations?
A: Risks include compromised accounts activating sensitive roles without oversight, accidental role misuse, and non-compliance with security policy. These risks are part of enterprise risk assessments: auto approval trade-offs. Mitigate them with MFA, justification, short activation windows, and monitoring.

Q: How long does a PIM approval request last?
A: PIM approval requests have a role activation window and approval expiration of 24 hours. If not approved within that time, the request expires and the user must submit a new request.

Q: Can I approve my own PIM request?
A: No. PIM enforces separation of duties. Approvers must be different users, either single or group-based, following delegated approver settings in Microsoft Entra PIM.

Q: How do you automate PIM approval using Teams Approvals?
A: PIM does not natively support Teams Approvals for automatic activation. For multi-stage or automated workflows, you must use Entra Access Packages or custom solutions.

Q: What is a PIM approval role?
A: A PIM approval role is a designated user or group responsible for manual approval in PIM roles. They review requests before activation to enforce security and compliance.

Q: What is PIM authorization?
A: PIM authorization refers to granting eligible users the ability to activate privileged roles, either via auto approval or manual approval, within the Microsoft PIM approval workflow.

Q: An eligible user submitted a PIM request, but the approver didn’t see it – how to troubleshoot?
A: Check that the user is eligible, the role requires approval, delegated approvers are configured correctly, and notifications are working. If everything is correct but still missing, it may be a sync or permissions issue.

Q: Auto-approval not working for certain PIM roles – why?
A: Ensure “Require approval to activate” is disabled for the correct scope (Azure AD vs Azure resource roles). Tenant-wide policies or conditional access may still enforce approvals.

Q: Can I have multi-level approvals in PIM?
A: PIM allows multiple delegated approvers, but only one approval is needed. Multi-stage sequential approval requires external workflows or Entra Access Packages.

Q: How long does a PIM role stay active once approved?
A: Roles stay active for the duration set during activation, then expire automatically. Users must request again for continued access.

Q: Do PIM approvers need to be Global Admins?
A: No. Any user can be assigned as an approver. Global Admins/Privileged Role Admins are fallback approvers if none are specified.

Q: MFA isn’t prompting during PIM activation – why?
A: Possible reasons include recent MFA session caching, “Require Azure MFA” not enabled in role settings, or Conditional Access settings bypassing repeated prompts.

Jasjit Chopra
Jasjit Chopra

CEO at Penthara Technologies

About the Author

Microsoft MVP LogoLinked-in

Jasjit Chopra is the CEO of Penthara Technologies and a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) with over two decades of hands-on experience in Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and Security. He has led 100+ digital transformation projects across six countries, securing 50,000+ users, migrating 250+ TB of data, and automating processes that save organizations thousands of hours each year. A recognized leader at the crossroads of AI, security, and workplace modernization, Jasjit is passionate about simplifying complexity, mentoring technology professionals, and helping businesses build secure, intelligent, and future-ready digital environments.

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