Combined Theme Builder release notes for upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated August 11, 2026
  • 6 minutes to read
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    Summary of Combined Theme Builder release notes for upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich

    This consolidated release notes document provides ServiceNow customers with a comprehensive view of the new features, changes, and important upgrade information for Theme Builder from the Yokohama release to the Zurich release. It is designed to assist you in preparing for and executing your upgrade smoothly while maximizing the use of new capabilities in Theme Builder.

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    Key Features

    • Unified Navigation Component Enhancements (Yokohama onwards): Customize and preview the Unified Navigation component within Theme Builder. Use a Component Configuration menu to understand shared styling and adjust background colors with an updated canvas feature. Quickly access detailed styling tools by double-clicking component tiles.
    • Accessibility Improvements: The Accessibility Inspector now detects and reports contrast and other accessibility issues specifically for the Unified Navigation component and subcomponents, helping you maintain compliance and inclusiveness.
    • Theme-able Illustrations and Custom Images: From version 5.1, edit colors of empty state illustrations and override them with custom images for better brand alignment.
    • Coral Theme (Zurich): Publish or unpublish the fresh, brand-neutral Coral theme directly from Theme Builder, including a dark variant for web and mobile.
    • Custom Fonts Management (Zurich): Upload, preview, and manage up to 10 custom font families with unlimited font faces to maintain consistent branding and enhance readability and accessibility.
    • Expanded Image Customization (Version 6.1): Edit colors and override default images for banners, modals, tile icons, and cards to further tailor themes to your brand identity.
    • Guided Tours (Version 6.1): Interactive guided tours within Theme Builder assist users in learning new features and completing tasks efficiently.
    • Dark Mode for Theme Builder Interface (Version 6.1): Optional dark mode improves usability of the Theme Builder interface in low-light environments without affecting individual themes.

    Upgrade and Activation Information

    • Theme Builder is included as a core plugin with the Next Experience application starting from Yokohama and remains so in Zurich.
    • You can update to the latest Theme Builder version via the ServiceNow Store.
    • No additional browser or system requirements were introduced between Yokohama and Zurich releases.

    Accessibility and Localization

    Enhancements such as custom font uploads support improved readability and cognitive accessibility, benefiting users with visual impairments and cognitive differences. Localization remains unchanged with no new requirements noted.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    • Use the enhanced Theme Builder capabilities to create a cohesive, accessible, and brand-aligned user experience across your ServiceNow portals.
    • Leverage custom fonts and image overrides to maintain corporate branding and improve engagement.
    • Utilize accessibility features to ensure your themes meet compliance standards and are inclusive to all users.
    • Take advantage of guided tours and dark mode in Theme Builder for a more efficient and comfortable theme development experience.
    • Publish new themes like Coral directly to refresh the look and feel of your Next Experience deployments quickly.

    Consolidated page of all release notes for Theme Builder from Yokohama to Zurich.

    How to use this page

    To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family Theme Builder release notes onto one page. Read this summary of the new features, changes, and updated information for your product from Yokohama to Zurich.

    Tip:
    If there were no updates for a release notes section in a certain family release, we included a short note for your reference. For example, if a product did not have any updates in Tokyo, the row says "No updates for this release."

    Important information for upgrading Theme Builder to Zurich

    Before you upgrade to Zurich, review these pre- and post-upgrade tasks and complete the tasks as needed.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    New features

    Between your current release family and Zurich, new features were introduced for Theme Builder.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    Align with your brand by using the Unified Navigation component
    Customize the Unified Navigation component from within Theme Builder by using the following new features:
    • Quickly view how the Unified Navigation component will look in your theme by using the Preview pane.
    • Use the Component Configuration menu to view any shared styling between subcomponents.
    • View the background color of your subcomponent and see how it renders in relation to the Unified Navigation component by using the updated canvas color feature.
    Use the double-click feature to quickly access the Component Editor
    Double-click a component tile to access the Component Editor where you can continue to make style adjustments to subcomponents, variants, or interactions.
    Adjust the Unified Navigation component to meet accessibility standards
    As of Theme Builder version 5.1, the Accessibility Inspector now displays the total number of accessibility errors with contrast issues for the Unified Navigation component and subcomponents. See the Accessibility section for details.
    Adapt the theme-able illustrations to seamlessly integrate with your brand
    As of Theme Builder version 5.1, use the new Image styles feature to enhance your theme in the following ways:
    • Edit the colors of the empty state illustrations from within Theme Builder. When a part of your Next Experience web page doesn't contain data, an empty state illustration appears. Empty state illustrations are theme-able and adapt to your theme colors.
    • Override empty state illustrations with your own custom images to uniquely align with your branding style.

    Zurich
    Publish the new Coral theme
    Publish or unpublish the new Coral theme directly from Theme Builder. This theme provides a fresh look and feel and features brand-neutral illustrations to enhance your user experience. A dark theme variant is available for web and mobile experiences.
    Upload and manage custom fonts in your theme
    Use your organization's fonts to maintain a consistent look and feel for your brand throughout your experience.
    • Upload, preview, and edit at most 10 custom font families from the Global styles or Component styles tabs.
    • Add unlimited associated font faces to each font family and apply them individually to components.
    • Delete your font family or font face from your theme.
    Explore the expanded image categories with color editing and override capability
    As of Theme Builder version 6.1, configure the following new image categories to further enhance your theme:
    • Edit the colors of banners, modals, tile icons, and cards from within Theme Builder.
    • Override each of these default illustrations with your own custom images to uniquely align with your branding style.
    Guided tours in Theme Builder
    As of version 6.1, learn about additional features and complete tasks through interactive steps by taking guided tours within Theme Builder.

    Changes

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some changes were made to existing Theme Builder features.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Removed

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some Theme Builder features or functionality were removed.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Deprecations

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some Theme Builder features or functionality were deprecated.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Activation information

    Review information on how to activate Theme Builder.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    Starting with the Yokohama release, Theme Builder is included as a core plugin with the Next Experience application and is available by default. You can update to the latest version of Theme Builder from ServiceNow Store.

    Zurich

    Theme Builder is included as a core plugin with the Next Experience application and is available by default. You can update to the latest version of Theme Builder from the ServiceNow Store.

    Additional requirements

    If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for Theme Builder we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Browser requirements

    If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for Theme Builder we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Accessibility information

    Review details on accessibility information for Theme Builder, such as specific requirements or compliance levels.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    Adjust the Unified Navigation component to meet accessibility standards
    The Accessibility Inspector, which detects and guides you through fixing contrast issues in your theme, now includes accessibility errors for the Unified Navigation component and subcomponents.

    Zurich
    Upload custom font
    The ability to upload custom fonts to your theme can help users with disabilities in several ways, including:
    • Improved readability: Custom fonts can be selected to enhance readability, making text easier to see, understand, and retain. This is beneficial for users with visual impairments, as clear letter forms reduce eye strain.
    • Support for cognitive differences: Custom fonts can address cognitive accessibility needs. For instance, users with dyslexia or Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may benefit from fonts that reduce reading strain and improve information processing.
    • Improved globalization support: Custom fonts tailored to specific languages improve the readability for non-Latin alphabets and ensure consistent, accessible user experiences across global audiences.
    Dark mode in Theme Builder
    As of version 6.1, Theme Builder is now available in light and dark mode. This option is commonly used to alleviate eye strain and improve readability. Dark mode applies to the Theme Builder interface only and does not affect the appearance of individual themes.

    Localization information

    If there are specific localization considerations for Theme Builder we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Highlight information

    If there are specific highlight considerations for Theme Builder we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    • Edit and style the Unified Navigation component to better suit your brand.
    • Make individual style edits on a component by double-clicking it to quickly access the Component Editor.
    • As of Theme Builder version 5.1, customize the colors of empty state illustrations from within Theme Builder.
    • As of Theme Builder version 5.1, use your own custom images by overriding the default empty state illustrations.

    See Working with themes in Next Experience for more information.

    Zurich
    • Publish the new Next Experience Coral theme from Theme Builder.
    • Add custom fonts to your theme for enhanced branding.
    • As of Theme Builder version 6.1, configure modal, tile icon, banner, and card colors, and override these default illustrations with your own custom imagery.
    • As of Theme Builder version 6.1, enable dark mode to improve usability of Theme Builder in low-light conditions.

    See Working with themes for more information.