Can a user without roles (doesn't have access to SN instance), approve/reject a Change by email?

[PatriciaManteig]

The question is: Can we configure an approval task for a user who does not have access to ServiceNow?
The user will not have any roles. The client would like to send an approval to an IT director by email, allowing the user to approve or reject directly from the email.

[Hemanth M1 · Accepted solution]

Hi @PatriciaManteig ,

If you ask- "Can we do this??" - technically yes (by bypassing how the system works, reading the approval email, and approving/rejecting based on the response).

BUT BUT ServiceNow will flag this since you're bypassing the whole access controls and approval licensing. I would say, provide approver roles and have this logic to approve/reject from email.

Hope this helps!

[Matthew_13 · Accepted solution]

Yes this is supported, and it’s actually a pretty common setup.

The approver does not need ServiceNow access or any roles. As long as they exist as a user record with a valid email address, ServiceNow can send them an approval email with Approve / Reject links. They can act directly from the email without logging in.

Behind the scenes, ServiceNow uses a secure token in the email to process the approval. As long as the standard approval notifications and inbound email actions are enabled, this works out of the box.

The main limitation to be aware of is that email approvers only see what you put in the email — they won’t be able to open the full record or navigate the UI. For executives or occasional approvers (like an IT director), this is usually the preferred and recommended approach.

@PatriciaManteig - Mark as Accepted Solution and Thumbs Up if you find Helpful!!

[Hemanth M1 · Accepted solution]

Hi @PatriciaManteig ,

If you ask- "Can we do this??" - technically yes (by bypassing how the system works, reading the approval email, and approving/rejecting based on the response).

BUT BUT ServiceNow will flag this since you're bypassing the whole access controls and approval licensing. I would say, provide approver roles and have this logic to approve/reject from email.

Hope this helps!

[Hemanth M1]

Hi @PatriciaManteig ,

Hope you're doing well! If this response answered your question, please close the thread by accepting it or feel free to ask any follow up questions.

[Matthew_13 · Accepted solution]

Yes this is supported, and it’s actually a pretty common setup.

The approver does not need ServiceNow access or any roles. As long as they exist as a user record with a valid email address, ServiceNow can send them an approval email with Approve / Reject links. They can act directly from the email without logging in.

Behind the scenes, ServiceNow uses a secure token in the email to process the approval. As long as the standard approval notifications and inbound email actions are enabled, this works out of the box.

The main limitation to be aware of is that email approvers only see what you put in the email — they won’t be able to open the full record or navigate the UI. For executives or occasional approvers (like an IT director), this is usually the preferred and recommended approach.

@PatriciaManteig - Mark as Accepted Solution and Thumbs Up if you find Helpful!!

[Hemanth M1]

Hey @Matthew_13 ,

Don’t recommend this approach. If a feature is technically feasible it doesn’t mean we should go ahead and implement it. This bypasses the whole approver licensing privilege. If ServiceNow catches this, you will be in a tricky situation to roll this back!