ServiceNow Patching Program FAQsIssue The ServiceNow Patching Program (SPP) regularly updates customer instances to the latest patch versions and hot fix versions. The program helps address security, performance, and functional issues throughout the year. This FAQ answers common questions about patching schedules, notifications, managing related changes, participation requirements, and service impact. ServiceNow delivers security and feature updates across four patching layers: Family Release, Quarterly Patching Target, Monthly Patching Target, and Weekly Security Hot Fix Target. These terms are used consistently throughout this article and are defined in the first question below. For information about the Weekly Security Hot Fix process, see Weekly Security Hot Fixes For information about the "m" release , see What is an "m" release? 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The ServiceNow Patching Program is organized into four layers that build on one another: Family Release: The overall release version, for example Yokohama or Zurich. Moving from one Family Release to another is an upgrade, not a patch.Quarterly Patching Target: The mandatory patch level ServiceNow sets for the first month of each quarter. Beginning in January 2027, the quarterly patching target will transition to ‘m’ patches for commercial customers on supported release families. Regulated-market customers continue to receive the full patch as their Quarterly Patching Target but ‘m’ patches will be available for optional adoption. See What is an "m" release? for more information.Monthly Patching Target*: The Monthly patch level set for the second and third months of each quarter. This was previously referred to as a security patch (e.g. month security patch (a/b).Weekly Security Hot Fix Target*: A smaller, critical hot fix update in addition to your current Quarterly or Monthly Patching Target, applied on a weekly cadence. Designed to provide rapid deployment of critical updates between monthly releases. See Weekly Security Hot Fixes. * Monthly Patching Target and Weekly Security Hot Fix will sometimes include platform PRBs when necessary to address critical functions. These layers are cumulative: your instance always sits on a Family Release, is patched to a Quarterly and Monthly Patching Target within that release and additionally receives a Weekly Security Hot Fix Target on top of its current target. If your instance is at the previous or current Monthly Patching Target version you should expect Weekly Security Hot Fix targets.If your instance is above the Quarterly or Monthly Patching Target version, we recommend you apply the Weekly Security Hot Fixes as they become available. The remaining questions in this article use these four terms consistently. What is the ServiceNow Patching Program? The SPP is a mandatory program that regularly updates hosted customer instances to the latest target versions. Within the first month of each quarter, ServiceNow applies the Quarterly Patching Target to all customer instances and manages scheduling automatically. In the second and third months, ServiceNow applies the Monthly Patching Target, which contains security and feature fixes. This results in one Quarterly Patching Target and two Monthly Patching Targets per quarter, as well as any Weekly Security Hot Fix Targets received on their own separate weekly cadence. What is the difference between a patch and an upgrade? An upgrade is a more comprehensive change from one Family Release to another (for example, Yokohama to Zurich). A patch updates your instance from one patch level to another within the same Family Release (for example, Yokohama Patch 3 to Yokohama Patch 4). How many times is my instance patched each quarter? Your instance is patched up to three times per quarter: one Quarterly Patching Target and two Monthly Patching Targets. If no patch is needed, you are notified the month prior. Note: This count reflects scheduled Quarterly and Monthly Patching Targets only; your instance will also receive Weekly Security Hot Fix Targets on a separate, additional cadence. What is an "m" patch and how does it relate to the Quarterly Patching Target? An "m" patch is a monthly release that delivers the standard functional and security fixes plus the latest ServiceNow-owned AI applications and their required dependencies. Starting in January 2027, the "m" patch will be utilized as the quarterly patching target for commercial customers on supported release families. Regulated-market customers continue to receive the full patch as their Quarterly Patching Target. The "m" patch does not change the Monthly Patching Target (security and feature fixes in the second and third months) or the Weekly Security Hot Fix Target, both of which continue in addition to it. For full details, see What is an "m" release? What is a Weekly Security Hot Fix Target and how does it differ from a patch? A Weekly Security Hot Fix Target is a smaller, more frequent update that ServiceNow deploys on a weekly cadence to address critical issues faster than the standard patch schedule allows. The Weekly Security Hot Fixes will be delivered in addition to your Quarterly and Monthly Patching Targets. 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.In rare, documented circumstances Now Support can evaluate a time-limited exception on a case-by-case basis. This is a narrow exception review, not a standing opt-out, and approval isn't guaranteed. Patching schedule and notifications What is the patching schedule each quarter? First month: ServiceNow applies the Quarterly Patching Target to all customer instances. You can upgrade to a higher patch version or apply the patch sooner. Second and third months: ServiceNow applies the Monthly Patching Target (security and feature fixes) to all customer instances. Changes for both non-production and production instances are created at the same time in the last week of the preceding month. How do I receive Patching Program notifications? ServiceNow opens CHG records which are visible within our Support Portal for customer admins. Upon CHG creation, the System will send 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. When am I notified about patches? ServiceNow sends patch notifications via CHG records: Quarterly patch notification: Midway through the final month of each quarter (approximately 10 days before the quarter starts)Monthly patch notification: Approximately 10 days before your first scheduled patchWeekly Security Hot Fix notification: ServiceNow sends a predeployment communication through a CHG record ahead of each Weekly Security Hot Fix Target. The notification specifies which instances are targeted and to which patch version. Not every instance is scheduled for every Weekly Security Hot Fix. The notifications include: Quarterly and Monthly Patching Targets for the next quarterWhen patches will be appliedA scheduled CHG (change) to patch your instances Manage your patches Can I reschedule my patching change (CHG)? Yes, you can reschedule the CHG for your Quarterly or Monthly Patching Target 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. If you're in a critical situation, contact Now Support for assistance. This differs from Quarterly and Monthly Patching Target 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 Family Release. Patching changes only apply patches within your current Family Release. To upgrade to a different Family Release, 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 infrastructure restricts 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. If you are in a critical situation, please reach out to support for further assistance. 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 Monthly Patching Target to the next patch version? In some cases, no. If your instance is on the latest Monthly Patching 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 ServiceNow 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 Family Releases be patched? No, the ServiceNow Patching Program does not schedule patches on unsupported Family Releases. ServiceNow maintains product support for supported Family Releases only. Instances on unsupported Family Releases 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 ServiceNow 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? Patches typically will pause jobs and integrations until the process has completed, and app nodes and Mid servers will be restarted. If you see any unexpected issues during the update, contact ServiceNow Technical Support. ServiceNow suggests benchmarking and testing the upgrade using a fully cloned non-production instance to understand the behavior before upgrading the production instance. Get help How do I get help with the ServiceNow Patching Program? Update your applicable CHG record or open a Now Support case. If you have a Customer Success Manager or Support Account Manager (SAM), reach out directly. For more information, see KB1644913.