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Release: Australia · Updated: 2026-03-12 · Official documentation · View source

User interface configuration

Change appearance, navigation menus, CSS, and utilize cutting edge interface tools.

  • Response time indicator icon
    A response time indicator icon may appear at the bottom right of forms and in the list view in the classic environment.
  • Navigation stack
    The navigation stack is the portion of the ServiceNow suite of applications that determines where a user is redirected after the update of a record.
  • Navigation action cancellation
    The Request Manager allows users to cancel any navigation action they select from the application navigator by clicking another application navigator link. System properties work with settings for the table to allow navigation action cancellation.
  • Context-sensitive help
    By default, the help link available in the product opens the welcome page of the help system, allowing you to enter search criteria for the information you want to find. With context-sensitive help, you can set a base URL for an external help system. The context-sensitive system properties define the base URLs for the default and custom help systems.
  • Overview help pages
    The overview help feature included with the base system displays slides with introductory information on new features offered in the ServiceNow® platform. An administrator can hide the option from the help menu.
  • System user guide
    The system user guide enables you to create end user help documentation that is specific to the policies and procedures of your organization. A default help page is provided in the base system that displays Core UI help documents for system navigation and other basic operations.
  • Manage audio files
    You can upload and store .mp3 or .ogg audio files. Once uploaded, you can reference audio files using HTML.
  • Storing images in the database
    Administrators and users with the image_admin or content_admin role can upload and store images in the database. These images are saved in the Images [db_image] table. Uploading an image to the database allows it to be referenced from HTML fields by appending the name of the image to the URL of the instance.
  • User preferences
    Users can configure many UI features, such as the number of rows per page in a list or whether the response time displays at the bottom of a list or form. Administrators can modify or delete these preferences as needed.
  • View management
    A view defines the elements that appear when a user opens a form or a list, and you can switch the view from the default for lists and forms.
  • Welcome pages
    The welcome page contains instructions and any important information you would like to convey to your customers each time they log in to use the system.
  • Enabling accessibility features
    You can configure accessibility features globally or for specific users. Users can also individually enable user preferences for themselves to meet their specific accessibility needs.
  • Using accessibility features
    Accessibility features include keyboard navigation, color and style settings, using a screen reader, and search methods.
  • Map pages
    Map pages display ServiceNow data graphically on a Google map page based on location data that you provide.
  • Customizing instance appearance
    An administrator can change global CSS or system properties to alter the look and feel of the default instance interface. Functionality is not affected.
  • Create a company profile
    To customize the ServiceNow instance for your company, you can enter information such as contact phone numbers, street address, and additional notes. You can also customize the company logo and banner text your end users see at the top of each page.
  • Add help to a field label on a form
    You can create field-level help in forms by placing help icons in individual fields and converting the field labels to links to external or internal URLs.

Parent Topic:Working in Core UI

Related topics

Core UI

Working in the classic environment

Common UI elements

Browser support

Core UI keyboard shortcuts