Disable standard email notifications for the Approval Process

As a Salesforce administrator, you cannot disable the standard approval request email notification at the org level — this is a platform limitation. Salesforce automatically sends an approval request email to the assigned approver whenever an approval process assigns a request. The only supported method to prevent a specific user from receiving these emails is to update that user’s individual record.

Step 1: Prevent a User from Receiving Approval Emails

Update the user’s record to set the ‘Receive Approval Request Emails’ field to ‘Never’. With this field set to ‘Never’, the user does not receive the standard approval request email.

In Lightning Experience

1. Click the Gear icon, then go to Setup > Administration > Users.
2. Select the user, then click the Edit button.
3. Under the ‘Receive Approval Request Emails’ field, select Never.
4. Click Save.

In Salesforce Classic

1. Go to Setup > Manage Users > Users.
2. Select the user, then click the Edit button.
3. Under the ‘Receive Approval Request Emails’ field, select Never.
4. Click Save.

Step 2: Create an automation to Send Custom Emails (Optional)

If the approver still needs to be notified via a customized email, create an automation to generate and send a custom email template. This allows you to control the email content and conditions independently of the standard approval notification.