ServiceNow Patching Program FAQsIssue <!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } The ServiceNow Patching Program regularly updates customer instances to the latest patch versions. The program addresses security, performance, and functional fixes throughout the year. Patching helps mitigate known security vulnerabilities and is a crucial part of patch management. This FAQ answers common questions about patching schedules, notifications, managing patch changes, participation requirements, and service impact. For information about the separate weekly security hot fix process, see Weekly Security Hot Fixes Release<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } All supported releases Resolution<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } In this article: Understand the Patching ProgramPatching schedule and notificationsManage your patchesParticipation requirementsService impactGet help Understand the Patching Program What is the ServiceNow Patching Program? The ServiceNow Patching Program is a mandatory program that regularly updates hosted customer instances to the latest patch versions. Within the first month of each quarter, ServiceNow applies patches to all customer instances and manages scheduling automatically. In the second and third months, ServiceNow applies security patches. This results in one full patch and two incremental security patches per quarter. How many times is my instance patched each quarter? Your instance is patched up to three times per quarter: one full patch and two incremental security patches. If no patch is needed, you are notified the month prior. Note: This count reflects scheduled quarterly patching only; your instance may also receive weekly security hot fixes on a separate, additional cadence. What is the difference between a patch and an upgrade? A patch updates your instance from one patch level to another within the same release family (for example, Yokohama Patch 3 to Yokohama Patch 4). Patches contain security, performance, and functional fixes. An upgrade is a more comprehensive change from one release family to another (for example, Yokohama to Zurich). Upgrades often include new features and performance improvements. What is a weekly security hot fix and how does it differ from a patch? A weekly security hot fix is a smaller, more frequent update that ServiceNow deploys on a weekly cadence to address newly identified security issues faster than the standard patch schedule allows. Weekly security hot fixes are delivered in addition to, not instead of, quarterly patches and existing monthly security patches. For more information, see Weekly Security Hot Fixes. Can I opt out of the Patching Program? No, you cannot opt out. All hosted customers are automatically enrolled in and scheduled for updates through the Patching Program. Participation is mandatory because of the shared cloud environment. Patching schedule and notifications What is the patching schedule each quarter? First month: ServiceNow applies the minimum patch version (patch target) to all customer instances. You can upgrade to a higher patch version or apply the patch sooner. Second and third months: Changes for both non-production and production instances are created at the same time, about 10 days before the first scheduled patch. When am I notified about patches? ServiceNow sends patch notifications at two times: Quarterly notification: Midway through the final month of each quarter (approximately 10 days before the quarter starts)Security patch notification: At least 10 days before your first scheduled patch The notifications include: Patch targets for the next quarterWhen patches will be appliedA scheduled CHG (change) to patch your instances Am I notified about weekly security hot fixes? Yes. ServiceNow sends a separate predeployment communication through a CHG record ahead of each weekly security hot fix. The notification specifies which instances are targeted and to which patch version. Not every instance is scheduled for every hot fix. How do I receive Patching Program notifications? ServiceNow sends email notifications to your support contacts listed in Now Support. To verify you receive these notifications: Update and maintain contacts in your company record.Verify notifications are sent to the appropriate contacts. For more information, see Managing company contacts on Now Support. Manage your patches Can I reschedule my patching change (CHG)? Yes, you can reschedule the patching CHG until the end of the patching month (this may not apply to critical patches). For example, if a patch is scheduled in March, you can reschedule it until March 31. To reschedule beyond that date: In Now Support, go to the Manage Instance dashboard.On the Main Parent Program Record, leave a comment with your preferred rescheduled date. The Change team assists you with rescheduling through the Parent Change. For assistance, contact the Change team. Can I reschedule a weekly security hot fix CHG? Yes, but only to a different time within the same weekend as the original deployment window. No extensions or exceptions apply. If you're in a critical situation, contact Now Support for assistance. This differs from standard patching CHGs, which can be rescheduled until the end of the patching month. Can I modify a patch change to upgrade to a different family version? No, you cannot use patching changes to upgrade to a different release family. Patching changes only apply patches within the same family version. To upgrade to a different release family, you must use an Upgrade CHG. For more information, see Change the target version of a scheduled upgrade Why don't I see my preferred time slot for patching? If you do not see your preferred time slot, the maximum capacity for that slot has already been reserved. ServiceNow has system limitations that restrict the number of simultaneous activities. The system automatically calculates available time slots by excluding those already occupied by scheduled changes and maintenance activities. Only unreserved slots are available for selection. Since overlapping patching, upgrades, or internal maintenance may occur within the same database, your preferred time slots might not be available. Plan your patch and book your desired date and time as early as possible to avoid conflicts. Can I cancel my patching CHG if I am planning to upgrade? No, automated patching change requests (CHGs) cannot be canceled. However, you can reschedule or modify them if needed. If your upgrade to a higher version is scheduled before the patching CHG, the downgrade protection feature automatically cancels any pending CHGs for lower versions. This prevents your instance from reverting to an earlier version. Can I patch from a security patch to the next patch version? In some cases, no. If your instance is on the latest security patch target, you may not be able to patch directly to the next patch version because of release timing. If a version has been released but the next version is not visible, that version is not a valid upgrade path and is hidden by downgrade protection. You can either: Wait for the next patch version to be released. Wait to be scheduled by the next round of the Patching Program. Can I move my patching date during a change freeze? Yes, you can move your patching date within the allotted timeframe if a reservation is available. Where can I find information about the latest patches? For information about the latest patch, see Available patches and hotfixes.If you need assistance, update the Parent Change with your request. The Patching and Upgrade team assists you from there. Participation requirements Will instances on unsupported release families be patched? No, the Patching Program does not schedule patches on unsupported release families. ServiceNow maintains product support for supported release families only. Instances on unsupported release families are scheduled for upgrade through the Unsupported Release Family Upgrades Program. For more information, see: Unsupported Release Family (End-Of-Life) UpgradesPatching & Upgrades Program - Definition of Unsupported Release How does the Patching Program work for on-premise instances? For customers with on-premise instances, ServiceNow sends notifications to your support contacts listed in Now Support. These notifications detail the latest patch target and advise you to patch your instances as soon as possible. Update and maintain contacts in your company record to verify you receive important program-related notifications. For more information, see Managing company contacts on Now Support. Service impact during patching Will patching cause an outage or service disruption? No, your instance remains online during patching. Some performance impacts may occur, but there should be little to no impact after a patch is applied. If you see any issues during the update, contact ServiceNow Technical Support. ServiceNow suggests benchmarking and testing the upgrade using a non-production instance to understand the behavior before upgrading the production instance. Get help How do I get help with the Patching Program? Now Support routing depends on what you need help with: Quarterly and monthly patching, or EOL changes: Contact the Patching and Upgrade team. See How to request support for patching and end-of-life changes in Now Support.Weekly security hot fix deployments (scheduling, rescheduling, or deployment questions): Open a Now Support case or contact your Customer Success Manager or Support Account Manager (SAM).A specific vulnerability: Email security@servicenow.com. If you need assistance, the Patching and Upgrade team can help with patching and EOL Changes.For more information, see Contacting the Patching and Upgrade team.