Changing a requested approval back to draft or canceling it
Once you submit an approval request in ServiceNow, you can change its status depending on what stage it's in and what permissions you have. If the request hasn't been approved yet, you can usually recall it, send it back to draft, or cancel it entirely — but the exact steps depend on whether the approval is still waiting, has been rejected, or is already in progress with a reviewer.
The most common scenario is recalling an approval that's stuck in "Requested" status. To do this, open the record, find the approval section, and look for a Recall button or link. Clicking it moves the approval back to draft so you can edit it before resubmitting. If Recall isn't available, you may need to check your user role or ask your ServiceNow administrator whether your account has permission to recall approvals.
If you want to cancel the approval entirely rather than edit and resubmit, look for a Cancel or Withdraw button in the same approval section. This closes the approval request without sending it back to draft, and the record itself stays in whatever state it was in when you submitted.
Key Takeaways
- The Recall button moves an approval request back to draft status so you can edit the record and resubmit it.
- Cancel or Withdraw buttons close the approval request without returning the record to draft, leaving it in its current state.
- Your ability to recall or cancel depends on your user role and the approval workflow rules your administrator set up.
- If you don't see Recall or Cancel buttons, your role may not have permission, or the approval may have already been reviewed.
When you can and cannot change an approval request
ServiceNow controls what you can do with an approval based on its current status. If the approval is in "Requested" status and no one has reviewed it yet, you almost always have the option to recall it. Once a reviewer opens the approval and changes its status to "In Progress" or "Approved," your ability to recall it usually disappears — the workflow has moved forward and you can no longer pull it back.
If an approval has been rejected, you typically cannot recall it. Instead, you'll need to edit the original record and resubmit a new approval request. Some workflows allow you to edit the record while a rejection is active, but others lock the record until you acknowledge the rejection or take another action.
Your user role also matters. If you're the person who created the record, you usually have permission to recall your own approval requests. If you're an administrator or have a special role, you may be able to recall approvals created by others. Check with your ServiceNow administrator if you're unsure whether your role includes recall permissions.
How to find the approval section on your record
The approval controls are not always in the same place on every form. In most ServiceNow instances, scroll down to a section labeled Approvals, Approval History, or Workflow. This section shows the current status of any approval requests tied to the record.
If you don't see an approvals section, the record type you're working with may not have approvals enabled, or your view may be filtered to hide it. Try scrolling to the very bottom of the form, or check whether there's a Show All or Expand All option that reveals hidden sections.
In some instances, the approval controls appear in a separate panel on the right side of the screen rather than below the main form. Look for a section labeled Related Records or Approvals on the right side, or check the form's menu (usually three dots or a hamburger icon) for an option to show approvals.
Recalling an approval step by step
Open the record that has the pending approval request. Scroll to the Approvals section and look for the approval entry that shows "Requested" status. Next to it or within the approval details, you should see a Recall button or link.
Click Recall. ServiceNow will ask you to confirm the action — this is normal. Confirm the recall. The approval request closes, and the record returns to draft status. You can now edit the record and resubmit the approval when you're ready.
After you recall, the approval entry in the history will show "Recalled" status so there's a record that you pulled it back. The original record is now editable again, and you can make changes before submitting a new approval request through the same workflow.
What to do if Recall is not available
If you don't see a Recall button, the approval may have already been reviewed or rejected. Check the status column next to the approval entry — if it says anything other than "Requested," recall is usually not an option. In that case, you'll need to edit the record and submit a new approval request instead.
If the status is "Requested" but Recall still doesn't appear, your user role may not have permission. Contact your ServiceNow administrator and ask them to check whether your role has the sn_request_approval.recall permission or equivalent in your instance. Administrators can also manually recall approvals on your behalf if needed.
Another possibility is that your workflow is configured to prevent recalls after a certain amount of time has passed. Some organizations set rules that lock approvals after they've been pending for a set number of hours or days. If this is the case, your administrator can either manually recall the approval or adjust the workflow rules.
Canceling versus recalling an approval
The difference between Recall and Cancel matters for what happens next. Recall sends the record back to draft status, which means you can edit it and resubmit the approval. The record is not locked, and you have full control to make changes.
Cancel or Withdraw closes the approval request but leaves the record in whatever state it was in before you submitted. If the record was in "Pending Approval" status, it stays there. You cannot edit the record while a canceled approval is active, and you'll need to submit a new approval request to move forward.
Use Recall if you made a mistake and need to fix the record before resubmitting. Use Cancel if you want to stop the approval process entirely and don't plan to resubmit right away, or if you want to delete or archive the record without an active approval hanging over it.
Checking approval history and status
After you recall or cancel an approval, the Approvals section keeps a record of what happened. You'll see entries showing the original approval request, the date it was submitted, and the date it was recalled or canceled. This history is useful if you need to explain to your manager or auditors why an approval was pulled back.
Some instances also show comments or notes from reviewers if they started reviewing before you recalled. These comments stay in the history even after you recall, so you can see what feedback they had and address it in your next submission.
If you need to see the full approval workflow — not just the current status — look for a Workflow tab or section on the record. This shows you the entire approval chain, which approvers are involved, and where the request is in the process. This view is helpful if you're trying to understand why Recall isn't available or what happens next after you resubmit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recall an approval if a reviewer has already started looking at it?
It depends on your workflow configuration. Some workflows allow recall even after a reviewer opens the approval, while others lock it as soon as someone starts reviewing. Check the approval status — if it says "In Progress" or "Approved," recall is usually not available. Contact your administrator if you need to pull back an approval that's already being reviewed.
What happens to the record when I recall an approval?
The record returns to draft status and becomes editable again. You can make changes, and then resubmit the approval through the same workflow. The original approval request closes and shows "Recalled" in the history.
If I cancel an approval, can I submit a new one later?
Yes. Canceling closes the current approval request but doesn't prevent you from submitting a new one. You'll need to edit the record and resubmit through the approval workflow when you're ready.
Why does my approval request show "Requested" but I can't find a Recall button?
Your user role may not have recall permissions, or the approval may be locked by workflow rules. Ask your ServiceNow administrator to check your role permissions or manually recall the approval on your behalf.
Can an administrator recall my approval request for me?
Yes. ServiceNow administrators have the ability to recall approvals created by other users. If you need an approval recalled and you don't have permission yourself, contact your administrator and provide them with the record number and approval details.