User preferences

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of User preferences

    User preferences in ServiceNow allow individual users to customize various UI features, such as the number of rows displayed per page or the visibility of response time indicators. These preferences ensure the UI behaves according to each user’s settings across sessions. Administrators have control to modify or delete these preferences as needed.

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    Managing User Preferences

    • User preferences are stored as records in the sysuserpreference table and updated whenever a user changes a setting.
    • System-wide default preferences have System=TRUE and no user assigned, while user-specific preferences have System=FALSE with the username specified.
    • Multiple user preference records may exist for the same feature, reflecting system defaults and individual customizations.
    • Administrators can view and troubleshoot preferences by navigating to User Administration > User Preferences and filtering by user or preference name.
    • Deleting a user’s preference record causes the system default to apply at their next session, but users can re-customize settings, creating new records.
    • Be mindful that exceeding 10,000 user preferences per user can degrade system performance and UI responsiveness.

    Global User Preferences

    Administrators can create global user preferences to define default settings for all users by marking the record as system-wide (System checked) and leaving the user field empty. Only one global preference per name should exist to avoid conflicts.

    Update Sets and Preference Persistence

    • Global (system-wide) user preferences are stored in update sets and applied when imported, affecting all users without customizations.
    • User-specific preferences are not included in update sets, preserving individual customizations during updates.

    Practical Applications

    • User preferences enable consistent UI experiences by retaining user settings across sessions, such as interface layout choices and feature visibility.
    • Administrators can use preferences to control UI elements like keyboard shortcuts and the Next Experience welcome screen after upgrades by creating or modifying user preference records.
    • Troubleshooting unexpected UI behavior can often be resolved by reviewing and adjusting user preference records.

    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.

    User customizations are stored as records in the User preferences [sys_user_preference] table, and are updated each time the user changes the setting. The UI displays according to each user's preferences.

    For example, the response time may appear at the bottom of lists and forms by default. If a user hides the response time, a user preference record is created for them showing that the response time indicator as hidden. During the user's future sessions, the response time indicator is hidden. If the user later decides to display the response time, the user preference record is updated appropriately, and future sessions open with the response time indicator visible.

    For more information about the preferences available to users, see User preference settings and Next Experience preferences.

    Viewing and troubleshooting user preferences

    Navigate to User Administration > User Preferences for a list of user preference records. Select a preference name to display that preference in the form view. If troubleshooting for a user, search for their user name to find all of their customizations, and then select a preference name to view.

    Note:
    Up to 10,000 user preferences can exist for each user. Exceeding this limit causes system degradation and UI performance issues.
    Table 1. User preference fields
    Field Description
    Name The name of the feature or functionality.
    Description An optional short description of the feature or functionality.
    System Shows whether this record indicates the system-wide default (TRUE), or not (FALSE).
    Type Shows the data type of entry accepted for the Value. For example, you can select string or integer.
    User Shows the name of the user for whom the setting is customized. If User is empty, the record is for a system-wide default.
    Value The current setting for this record. Compare this value to the User field and System field to determine whether the value shown is a system-wide default or a specific user’s preference.
    You can identify user preference records for system-wide values, also called the default or global values, by the following values:
    • System=TRUE
    • User=blank
    Whenever a user customizes a feature, a separate user preference record is created with the following values:
    • System=FALSE
    • User=<username>
    As a result, the same customizable UI feature may have multiple user preference records.
    Note:
    For some features, the system-wide record doesn’t appear in the User preferences module until a user customizes it, causing a new record to be added to the User preferences.

    If a user encounters an unexplained behavior in the user interface, you can check their user preferences by searching the User preferences list for their user name. Then, delete or update the user preference record that affects the behavior in question.

    Note:
    When an administrator manually changes a user's preference value through this module, the user's next session uses the administrator's setting. However, the user can customize the features again through the UI, which updates their user preference record. If the administrator deletes the user preference record for a particular user, that user's next session uses the system-wide value for that feature. When the user later customizes the feature, the system creates a user preference record for the user.

    Global user preferences

    Create system-wide or global user preferences to set a default preference for your users. To make a preference the default, create a preference, check the System check box, and leave the User field empty.
    Important:
    You should never have more than one preference with the same name set as a global user preference.

    User preferences and update sets

    User preference records for system-wide values, also called the default or global values, are stored in update sets. Any changes are implemented when you import the update set and affect all users who have not customized the feature. User preference records for specific users aren’t stored in update sets, so user customizations are retained when you import an update set. For more information, see System update sets.