---
sourceDocument: Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/servicenow-platform

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities

ft:clusterId :

    - platcap

bundleId :

    - platcap

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Rollback To workflow activity

# Rollback To workflow activity {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read

The Rollback To activity transitions directly to the activity specified by the outgoing transition line arrow.{#r_RollbackTo__wf-rollback-activity-shortdesc}
Note:  
This activity is only available when the workflow runs on a table that extends Task.

Rollback To determines which activities to reset based on the actual
workflow sequence (transition line attachments) of activities between itself and the
transitioned to activity, not the execution order. Rollback To then
marks all the approvals that have transitioned between the rollback and the transitioned to
activity as Not Yet Requested and the tasks as either
Open or Pending.

Use the Rollback To activity for all workflows in which multiple
rollbacks are required. Rollback To has no variables.

## Conditions

The conditions determine which transition runs after this activity.
{#r_RollbackTo__table_bnj_jfy_jr__entry__2}

| Condition | Description |
|-|-|
| Always | The event or condition that causes the approval to revert to the previous workflow step. |
| Error | The event or condition that generates an error. |
| Skipped | The event or condition that allows a skipped approval. |
[Table 1. Rollback To activity conditions]

{#r_RollbackTo__table_bnj_jfy_jr}

## States

The activity state tells the workflow engine what to do with the activity.{#r_RollbackTo__table_jr2_15w_w4__entry__2}

| State | Description |
|-|-|
| Executing | The workflow engine starts the execute function of the activity. |
| Waiting | The workflow engine ignores the activity until a specific event to restart the activity is fired. |
| Finished | The activity finished running. See the result value for the outcome of the activity. |
| Cancelled | This activity, or the workflow that contains this activity, was canceled. |
| Error | A JavaScript error occurred. Review the logs for error details. |
[Table 2. Rollback To activity states]

{#r_RollbackTo__table_jr2_15w_w4}

## Rollback To behavior {#ariaid-title2}

The Rollback To activity transitions directly to the activity
specified by the transition line arrow.
Use the Rollback To activity for all workflows that use multiple or
nested rollbacks. Rollback To resets the targeted task (the direct
transition) to Open. All tasks that have executed between the
Rollback To activity and the targeted task (rolled back task) are
set to Pending.

(0) Begin

(1) Log Message

(2) Task 1

(3) Task 3

(4) Task 2

(5) Timer

(6) Approval 1

(7) Roll back to first task

(8) Task 1

(9) Task 2

(10) Approval 1

(11) Log approval

(12) Join

(14) Send email

(15) End  
Figure 1. Rollback to workflow

### Transition history

The state of (3) Task 3 does not change, since this activity does not directly transition
from the rollback target activity. To see what activities were rolled back, select the
Workflow Transition History related list and look at the
Rolled back column.

The Rollback To activity (7) updates the following activities:

(8) Task 1: reset to Open

(9) Task 2: reset to Pending

(10) Approval 1: reset to Not Yet Requested  
Figure 2. Rollback To workflow transition

## Rollback To activity {#ariaid-title3}

When conditions in a workflow trigger a Rollback To activity, the
workflow moves processing backward to a specified activity in the workflow and resets certain
activities that have already executed back to their original state. This is useful when handling
an unexpected failure or as part of a programmed logical flow.

When an activity is reset during a workflow rollback, the following happens:

* Approvals are reset to Not Requested.
* Tasks are reset to either Open or Pending. A rollback workflow path cannot create new tasks.

Activities that perform external system operations, such as deleting a file or sending an
email, are not rolled back. Only approval and task activity states are reset.

A workflow can contain a single rollback, multiple rollbacks, or nested rollbacks in more
complex workflows. The Rollback To activity resets activities based on the
actual workflow sequence (transition line attachments) of activities between itself and the
transitioned to activity, rather than using the execution order to determine where processing
should restart.