Upgrade and patch schedules: what you can change and what to check first

John_Yates · ‎09-05-2025

A scheduled upgrade or patch doesn't always align with business priorities, testing schedules, or technical readiness. When that happens, eligible updates can often be rescheduled directly through the Now Support portal, giving teams additional flexibility while they prepare for the change.

Before continuing, it's useful to understand the difference between upgrades and patches:

Upgrade: Moves an instance to the next major family release (for example, Zurich to Australia).
Patch: Applies fixes and security updates within the same release family (for example, Zurich patch 8 to Zurich patch 9).

What to check before rescheduling

Before changing a scheduled upgrade or patch, identify the issue driving the reschedule and determine whether you can address it within the existing timeline. In some cases, resolving a dependency is less disruptive than postponing the update.

Upgrading to Australia? Check MID Server compatibility first.

MID Servers running releases earlier than Australia can encounter issues with automatic MID Server upgrades after an instance moves to Australia. If MID Server readiness is the reason for considering a reschedule, review compatibility requirements before changing the upgrade schedule. This has been fixed in Australia patch 3.

See: MID Server upgrades fail when upgrading to Australia - file size limit exceeded

Which upgrade and patch schedules can be changed

Depending on the update, you may be able to change the scheduled date and time or select a different eligible target version. Some updates, including certain security-related changes and updates affected by release lifecycle requirements, have additional restrictions.

See: Change the target version of a scheduled ServiceNow upgrade

When should you consider rescheduling?

Consider rescheduling when:

You need additional time to test before the update.
A scheduled maintenance window conflicts with a business-critical event.
Application owners or stakeholders need more time to prepare.
You need to address a dependency before the update proceeds.
A different eligible target version better aligns with your upgrade plans.

Where to go from here

Rescheduling can provide valuable preparation time, but it works best when the underlying reason for the change is clearly understood. Reviewing dependencies, readiness requirements, and available target versions before making a schedule change can help avoid unnecessary delays and reduce upgrade risk.

Upgrade and patch schedules: what you can change and what to check first

What to check before rescheduling

Which upgrade and patch schedules can be changed

When should you consider rescheduling?

Where to go from here

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