How to Change an Approval from "Requested" in ServiceNow

ServiceNow's approval workflow is one of its most widely used features — and one of the most commonly misunderstood. If you've ever seen an approval stuck in "Requested" status and needed to change, reassign, or override it, you're not alone. The path forward depends on your role, your organization's configuration, and what outcome you're actually trying to achieve.

What "Requested" Status Actually Means

When an approval record shows "Requested", it means ServiceNow has generated an approval task and is waiting for a designated approver to take action. The record sits in a pending state — no one has approved or rejected it yet.

This status is part of ServiceNow's Approval Rules engine, which can be configured to require single approvers, multiple approvers in sequence, or parallel group approvals depending on the workflow design.

Common scenarios where you'd want to change this status:

• The wrong person was assigned as approver
• The approver is unavailable or has left the organization
• The request itself needs to be modified before approval can proceed
• An admin needs to manually override a stuck workflow

🔍 Understanding Your Role Before You Act

What you can do to that "Requested" approval depends heavily on your ServiceNow role. The platform enforces role-based access control (RBAC), meaning options visible to an admin won't appear for a standard user.

If you don't see the option you're looking for, the most likely explanation is a permissions gap — not a missing feature.

How to Change or Act on a "Requested" Approval

Option 1: Approve or Reject It Directly (Approver)

If you are the assigned approver, the simplest resolution is acting on the approval directly:

1. Navigate to My Approvals in the Self-Service portal, or open the approval record directly from your notification email
2. Review the attached request details
3. Select Approve, Reject, or Request More Information

The state will move out of "Requested" immediately upon your action.

Option 2: Reassign the Approval (Admin or Approval Manager)

If the approval is assigned to the wrong person or an unavailable approver:

1. Open the approval record (found under sysapproval_approver table or via the originating ticket)
2. Locate the Approver field
3. Change the approver to the correct user
4. Save the record

In some instances, you may need to use "Delegate" functionality if your organization has it configured — this allows approvers to forward their tasks without admin involvement.

Option 3: Manually Change the Approval State (Admin)

Admins can directly update the State field on an approval record:

1. Open the approval record via the Approvals module or by navigating to the parent ticket
2. Right-click the header bar to access the record in form view (if not already)
3. Change the State field from "Requested" to "Approved," "Rejected," or "Cancelled" as appropriate
4. Add a comment documenting the reason
5. Save

⚠️ Manually overriding approval state bypasses the intended workflow logic. Most organizations require documented justification, and audit logs will capture the change.

Option 4: Cancel and Resubmit the Request

If the underlying request needs to change before approval can proceed:

1. Cancel or retract the original request (if your role permits)
2. Modify the necessary fields on the request record
3. Resubmit — this regenerates a fresh approval task in "Requested" state with the updated information

This is the cleaner path when the issue is with the request content rather than the approver assignment.

Option 5: Use Workflow Replay (Admin)

For approvals stuck due to a workflow error or misconfiguration:

1. Open the originating record (Change, Request, Incident, etc.)
2. Navigate to the Workflow Context (usually under related lists)
3. Select Replay or Restart Workflow depending on your instance version
4. Monitor the workflow execution to confirm the approval regenerates correctly

This is a more technical approach typically reserved for situations where the approval record itself is orphaned or corrupted.

💡 Key Variables That Affect Your Options

Several factors determine which of the above paths applies to your situation:

• ServiceNow version — UI16, Polaris, and the Now Platform experience have different navigation paths
• Instance configuration — Approval rules, ACLs, and workflow design vary significantly between organizations
• Delegated approval settings — Some orgs enable approver delegation; many don't
• The record type — Approvals on Change Requests, Service Catalog items, and HR cases may follow different rules
• Your organization's change management policies — Even if the platform allows a manual override, internal policy may prohibit it

What Determines the Right Approach for You

The technical steps above cover the most common scenarios, but the right move depends on factors that are specific to your environment. An admin working in a tightly governed change management process faces different constraints than a team manager resolving a stuck IT request. Your instance's workflow configuration, your role permissions, and your organization's audit requirements all shape which options are actually available — and appropriate — in your case.