Pausing a workflow temporarily stops all automation. While paused, no new contacts are enrolled and any existing runs are frozen in place until you resume.
What happens when a workflow is paused
When you pause an active workflow, three things happen immediately:
- No new enrollments. No new contacts can enter the workflow while it is paused, even if they meet the trigger condition during the pause period.
- Existing contacts freeze. Contacts already in the workflow stop where they are. If a contact is inside a Time delay node, the timer does not continue counting down. It resumes only when the workflow is reactivated.
- All actions are suspended. No emails are sent, no webhooks fire, no variables are updated, and no Slack messages are delivered until the workflow is resumed.
Resuming a paused workflow
When you resume a paused workflow, you are presented with an option:
“Immediately run workflow for all matching contacts”
This checkbox determines what happens to contacts who met the trigger condition while the workflow was paused:
| Checkbox state | Behavior |
|---|
| Checked | The workflow immediately processes all contacts who currently match the trigger condition, including those who matched during the pause. |
| Unchecked | Contacts who met the trigger condition during the pause will never enter the workflow unless they meet the condition again in the future. |
If you do not select “run for all matching contacts” when resuming, any contacts who met the trigger condition while the workflow was paused will be permanently skipped. They will not retroactively enter the workflow.
Re-enrollment behavior on resume
How contacts are handled on resume also depends on your re-enrollment settings:
- Re-enrollment off — contacts who have already completed the workflow cannot re-enter. Only new contacts who match the trigger condition (and haven’t been through the workflow before) will enroll.
- Re-enrollment on — contacts can enter the workflow again if they currently match the trigger condition, even if they completed it previously.
Timestamped activity events
For trigger conditions based on events like form submissions, ad clicks, and email opens, “meeting the condition” means the event occurred at any point in the past — not just during the pause window. Keep this in mind when deciding whether to check the “immediately run for all matching contacts” option, as it may enroll a larger set of contacts than expected. 
