What "Approval Requested" means and how to change it
When a request shows "Approval Requested" in ServiceNow, it means the ticket is waiting for someone with decision-making authority to review and approve it before work can move forward. You can change this status by either withdrawing the request, reassigning it to a different approver, or — if you have the right permissions — cancelling it outright. The exact steps depend on whether you created the request, whether you're the approver, or whether you're an administrator.
ServiceNow doesn't automatically move a request out of "Approval Requested" status on its own. Someone has to take action: either the approver approves or rejects it, or the person who submitted it withdraws or modifies it. If you're stuck waiting, the fastest path is usually to contact the approver directly and ask them to review it, rather than trying to change the status yourself.
Key Takeaways
- If you submitted the request, you can withdraw it or reassign the approval to a different person from the request detail page.
- If you are the approver, you can approve, reject, or reassign the request — you cannot straightforward change the status to something else.
- Contacting the approver directly to ask them to review the request is usually faster than trying to change the status yourself.
- Administrators can force a status change, but most team members cannot edit the approval status field directly.
- Once an approval is rejected, you will need to resubmit the request or modify it and send it back through the approval workflow.
How to withdraw or reassign an approval request you submitted
Open the request in ServiceNow and look for a button or link labeled "Withdraw", "Reassign", or "Recall" — the exact label depends on your organization's configuration. If you see "Withdraw", clicking it removes the request from the approval queue entirely, and the status will change back to "Draft" or "Open" so you can edit it again.
If you see "Reassign", you can choose a different approver without withdrawing the request. This is useful if the original approver is out of office or if you realize the wrong person was assigned. Select the new approver's name from the dropdown, add a note explaining why you're reassigning it, and click submit. The request stays in "Approval Requested" but now points to the new person.
If neither button appears, your organization may not allow requesters to withdraw or reassign approvals. In that case, contact your ServiceNow administrator or the approver directly.
What to do if you are the approver
If you are the person assigned to approve the request, you have three choices: approve it, reject it, or reassign it to someone else. Open the request, scroll to the approval section, and you will see buttons for each action. Click "Approve" to move the request forward, "Reject" to send it back to the requester, or "Reassign" to pass it to another approver.
You cannot straightforward change the status to something else — the workflow is designed to force one of these three decisions. If you need to put the request on hold temporarily, reassign it to yourself with a note explaining when you will review it, or contact your administrator about pausing the workflow.
How administrators can force a status change
If you have administrator access, you can edit the status field directly on the request record. Open the request, click the "Edit" button (or pencil icon), find the "State" or "Status" field, and change it to whatever you need. However, forcing a status change bypasses the approval workflow entirely, which can create confusion about whether the request was actually approved.
Before you do this, check whether the approval workflow has a built-in way to handle your situation — many workflows include a "Cancelled" or "On Hold" status that you should use instead of manually editing the field. If you must edit the status directly, add a note to the request explaining why you did so, and notify the approver that the status was changed outside the normal workflow.
Why an approval request gets stuck and how to unstick it
The most common reason a request stays in "Approval Requested" for days or weeks is that the approver hasn't seen it or has forgotten about it. ServiceNow does not send automatic reminders by default — your organization may have set them up, but many have not. Check whether the approver received a notification by asking them directly.
Another reason is that the approver doesn't have permission to approve requests in that category. If you assigned the approval to someone who doesn't have the right role, they may see the request but not be able to act on it. In that case, reassign it to someone with the correct permissions, or ask your administrator to grant the approver the necessary role.
A third reason is that the request is missing required information. Some workflows will not let an approver approve until all mandatory fields are filled in. If this is the case, you will usually see an error message when the approver tries to approve. Contact the approver and ask what information is missing, then withdraw the request, add the missing details, and resubmit it.
How to check who the approver is and whether they have seen the request
Open the request and look for a field labeled "Approver", "Assigned to", or "Approval Group". This tells you who is supposed to review it. If it shows a group name instead of a person, the request is waiting for someone in that group to claim it — it has not been assigned to a specific individual yet.
To see whether the approver has opened the request, look at the "Activity" or "History" section at the bottom of the page. This shows every time someone viewed, edited, or commented on the request. If the approver's name does not appear, they likely have not looked at it yet. If it does appear but the status is still "Approval Requested", they have seen it but have not made a decision.
What happens after an approval is rejected
If the approver clicks "Reject", the request status changes to "Rejected" and the request is returned to you. You will usually receive a notification, and the approver may have left a comment explaining why they rejected it. Read the comment carefully — it will tell you what needs to change before you resubmit.
To move forward, you have two options: modify the request and resubmit it for approval, or close it and create a new one. Most of the time, modifying and resubmitting is faster. Open the rejected request, make the changes the approver requested, and look for a button labeled "Resubmit for Approval" or "Submit". This sends it back through the approval workflow to the same approver or to a new one, depending on your organization's rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the approval status without the approver's permission?
Not unless you are an administrator or the person who submitted the request. If you submitted it, you can withdraw or reassign it. If you are the approver, you can approve, reject, or reassign it. Otherwise, you need the approver to take action or an administrator to override the workflow.
What if the approver is out of office?
Reassign the request to someone else who has the authority to approve it. Open the request, click "Reassign", select the new approver, and add a note explaining that the original approver is unavailable. If you do not know who else can approve it, contact your manager or your ServiceNow administrator.
How long should I wait before following up on an approval?
Most organizations expect approvers to respond within one to three business days. If it has been longer than that and you have not heard anything, send the approver a polite message asking for a status update. Include a link to the request so they can find it quickly.
Can I delete an approval request instead of withdrawing it?
Withdrawing is the correct way to remove a request from the approval queue. Deleting a request is usually not allowed for non-administrators and can cause problems with the workflow. Always use the "Withdraw" button if it is available.
What does it mean if the approver field is blank?
A blank approver field usually means the request has not been routed to anyone yet. This can happen if the workflow is misconfigured or if the system could not determine who should approve it based on the request details. Contact your administrator to check the workflow settings.