How to Use Markdown to Format Power Automate Approval Requests

This article explains how to use Markdown language to format Power Automate approval requests. It covers supported Markdown elements like headers, lists, tables, emphasis, and special characters, and notes limitations across different platforms such as Outlook, Teams, and Power Automate. The guide includes examples to help users apply Markdown effectively, improving the readability and organization of approval requests. Markdown support varies by client, so compatibility details are provided below.

Before starting the details, there are a few points to keep in mind.

1. Approval request emails are actionable. If your Microsoft Outlook client does not enable actionable messages, it will display approval requests in HTML format.
2. All markdown renderers have different implementations. For more information, see the Client Support section.
3. The Approvals app on Microsoft Teams does not currently support Markdown syntax.

Clients provide inconsistent support for Markdown. Inconsistencies persist despite efforts by the Power Automate team to address them. The following table lists the known limitations among the supported clients.

Headers

Use headings to structure your comments. Headers separate lengthy comments, making them simpler to read.

To set a heading, start a line with the hash character #. Organize your observations with subheadings by beginning each line with an additional hash character, such as ####. It supports up to six levels of headers.

Example

# This is a H1 header  
## This is a H2 header  
### This is a H3 header  
#### This is a H4 header  
##### This is a H5 header

Result

Paragraphs and line breaks

Make your writing easier to read by using paragraphs or line breaks. Enter two spaces before the line break to have most clients start a new line.

Example

This is line 1.(space)
Now text will appear on the next line.

Result

This is line 1.

Now, text will appear on the next line.

Example 2

This is line 1.  

  Line 2 has extra space before it.

Result

This is line 1.

Line 2 has extra space before it.

Lists

Create lists to organize related objects. You can include ordered lists with numbers or unordered lists with only bullets.

Ordered lists begin with a number followed by a period for each list item. Unordered lists begin with an asterisk. Start each list item on a new line. To begin a new paragraph in a Markdown file or widget, type two spaces before the line break, or two line breaks in a row.

Ordered or numbered lists

Example

1. India.  
2. India.  
3. India.  

Result

1. India.
2. India.
3. India.

Bullet lists

Example

- India  
- India
- India    

Result

• India
• India
• India 

Nested lists

Example

1. India  
   - 1
   - 2  
   - 3  

2. India 
   - India 1
   - India 2  
   - India 3  

Result

1. India
   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
2. India 
   • India 1
   • India 2
   •  India 3

Links

Use HTTPS links, which appear as links in all clients. Non-HTTPS links (such as FTP, HTTP, and mail) can be presented as plain text.

You can add text hyperlinks to your URL using the standard markdown link syntax.

[Link Text](Link URL)

Example

[Google India](https://www.google.in)

Result

• Google India

Tables

Use tables to organize structured data.

1. Arrange each table row on its own line.
2. To separate table cells, use the pipe character |. The first two lines of a table define the column headings and orient the contents.
3. Make sure each row ends with a CR or LF.
4. Aligning text within a table element is not presently supported.

Example

| Heading 1 | Heading 2 | Heading 3 |
|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Cell A1   | Cell A2   | Cell A3   |
| Cell B1   | Cell B2   | Cell B3   |

Result

Emphasis (bold, italics, strikethrough)

You can make text stand out by using bold, italics, or strikethrough.

1. To add italics, surround the text with an asterisk * or underscore _.
2. To use bold, surround the text with double asterisks **.
3. To apply strikethrough, surround the text with double tilde letters (~~).
4. Combine these elements to place multiple emphases on the text.

Example

Use _emphasis_ in comments to express **strong** opinions and point out ~~corrections~~  
**_Bold, italicized text_**  
**~~Bold, strike-through text~~**

Result

1. Use emphasis in comments to express strong opinions and point out corrections
2. Bold, italicized text
3. Bold, strike-through text

Special characters

Syntex

To insert one of the following characters, prefix with a backslash.

1. \ backslash
2. ` backtick
3. _ underscore
4. {} curly braces
5. [] square brackets
6. () parentheses
7. # hash mark
8. + plus sign
9. - minus sign (hyphen)
10. . dot
11. ! exclamation mark