Salesforce workflow means automating routine steps, and for years that meant Workflow Rules: when a record met your criteria, Salesforce updated a field, sent an email alert, created a task or sent an outbound message. Workflow Rules and Process Builder reached end of support on 31 December 2025. They still run, but Salesforce no longer fixes them, and all new automation should be built in Flow.
This post was first published in 2020 as "What is workflow in Salesforce?". It has been rewritten for 2026 to explain the end of support, compare workflow rules with Process Builder and Flow, and give a migration plan.
What did Salesforce end on 31 December 2025?
Salesforce ended support, not the features: as of November 2026 existing Workflow Rules and processes still run, without support or bug fixes. Salesforce's end-of-support article says support for Workflow Rules and Process Builder ended on 31 December 2025. In practice:
- Your existing rules and processes keep running exactly as before.
- No customer support and no bug fixes. If a release breaks one, Salesforce won't fix it.
- No new features. Salesforce is putting its effort into Flow Builder.
- Build new automation in Flow, and plan the migration of what you have with the Migrate to Flow tool. Salesforce warns that a complex org can take significant time and testing.
What is a workflow rule in Salesforce?
A workflow rule is a single if-then automation on one object. A workflow rule is an if-then statement on one object. It has three parts:
- Evaluation criteria: when the rule is checked: when a record is created; when it is created and every time it is edited; or when it is created and edited to meet the criteria after not meeting them.
- Rule criteria: field conditions or a formula that must be true.
- Actions: immediate or time-dependent (for example, seven days before the close date).
There are four action types: field update, email alert, task and outbound message (a SOAP message to an external endpoint). Salesforce Help's workflow considerations note that field updates run before the other actions, and that pending time-dependent actions are removed if the record stops meeting the criteria. Time-dependent actions run asynchronously, so when they fail, users see nothing and admins get only a generic notice: one more reason to move to Flow, which has fault paths.
Workflow Rules vs Process Builder vs Flow
Flow does everything Workflow Rules and Process Builder did, plus screens, loops and error handling.
| Workflow Rules | Process Builder | Flow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status in 2026 | End of support since 31 Dec 2025 | End of support since 31 Dec 2025 | Salesforce's automation tool going forward |
| Criteria | One set per rule | Several criteria nodes per process | Entry conditions plus any number of decisions |
| Update the triggering record | Yes | Yes | Yes, fastest in a before-save flow |
| Update related records | Limited | Yes | Yes, including child records and loops |
| Create records | Tasks only | Yes | Yes |
| Email alerts, outbound messages | Yes | Email alerts | Yes |
| Call Apex or another flow | No | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduled actions | Time-dependent actions | Scheduled actions | Scheduled paths |
| Screens and user input | No | No | Yes (screen flows) |
| Error handling | None visible to users | Limited | Fault paths |
Process Builder, covered by the merged guides that used to sit at this address, arrived after Workflow Rules to add multiple criteria, related-record updates, record creation and calls to Apex and flows. For Flow types and Flow Builder itself, see our Salesforce Flow guide.
Salesforce workflow today: the tools to use
In 2026, "Salesforce workflow" in the broad sense means a small set of tools, all built around Flow.
- Record-triggered flows for what workflow rules and processes used to do: field updates, emails, tasks and related records.
- Screen flows for guided, step-by-step work by users.
- Approvals for sign-off steps; see our Salesforce approval process guide.
- Orchestrator flows, which Salesforce's architects describe as a way to manage and integrate multi-step processes.
- Apex triggers where volume or complexity is beyond Flow; see our Apex trigger guide.
How to migrate Workflow Rules and Process Builder to Flow
Inventory, group by object, convert with the Migrate to Flow tool in a sandbox, test in bulk, then cut over in one step.
- Inventory. List every active workflow rule and process by object, with what it does and who owns it. Delete what is inactive or no longer needed.
- Group by object. Aim for a small number of record-triggered flows per object rather than one flow per old rule; it makes the run order predictable.
- Use the Migrate to Flow tool in a sandbox: Setup, Migrate to Flow, pick the rule or process, convert, then open the new flow in Flow Builder. Help's Migrate to Flow page walks through it.
- Rebuild what the tool can't convert by hand (see the next section).
- Test each flow with bulk data, not just one record, and test it alongside triggers and validation rules; our order of execution guide explains why the timing changes.
- Cut over in one step: deploy the flow, activate it and deactivate the old rule or process together so actions don't run twice.
- Watch flow error emails closely for the first weeks.
What the Migrate to Flow tool can and can't convert
The tool converts most field-based workflow rules and record-triggered processes, but not tasks, record types, custom event or invocable processes. From Salesforce Help's Migrate to Flow tool considerations:
| Converted by the tool | Needs manual work | |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow Rules | Field-based criteria, most criteria formulas, field updates, email alerts, outbound messages, time-dependent actions (as scheduled paths) | Tasks (rebuild with a Create Records element), record types, fields on related records, global variables, relative date values such as TODAY, multiple currencies |
| Process Builder | Record-triggered processes with record updates, record creates, flow and Apex calls, email alerts; scheduled actions with a single criterion | Custom event and invocable processes; Post to Chatter, quick actions, submit for approval, custom notifications and surveys need extra configuration; recursion is only partly supported |
Workflow rules that only update fields on the same record convert to fast field update (before-save) flows, which are the most efficient kind.
Migration pitfalls
The common failures are double execution, timing differences and pending scheduled actions.
- Double execution. Leaving the old rule active after the flow goes live sends every email twice.
- Re-evaluation differences. Workflow field updates could re-run triggers and other rules; flows don't behave the same way. Test any logic that relied on that.
- Pending time-based actions. Salesforce Help says pending time-based actions move to the flow's scheduled paths when the record next changes; until then they belong to the old rule. Plan the cut-over date with that in mind. Deleting a record with pending actions removes them for good, even if the record is undeleted.
- One giant flow. A single flow with every old rule is as hard to maintain as the rules were. Group by purpose and use subflows.
- Skipping clean-up. Migration is the best moment to retire automation nobody needs.
Is it urgent?
It is not an emergency, but it should be planned work. Nothing switches off, but every release since 31 December 2025 is one in which a broken rule won't be fixed, and admins who know the old tools are getting harder to find. Treat migration as planned maintenance this year rather than an emergency, starting with objects where automation is busiest or has caused incidents.
Getting help
Techila is a Salesforce Summit Partner. Our managed services team inventories legacy automation, migrates Workflow Rules and Process Builder to Flow, and tests the result. Talk to us about a migration plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is workflow in Salesforce?
A workflow rule is Salesforce's original point-and-click automation: when a record meets set criteria, it updates a field, sends an email alert, creates a task or sends an outbound message, immediately or at a scheduled time. Workflow Rules reached end of support on 31 December 2025; Flow replaces them.
Do Workflow Rules and Process Builder still work after end of support?
Yes. Salesforce says active workflow rules and processes keep running as before. What ended on 31 December 2025 is customer support and bug fixes, so any problem in them will not be fixed and they won't gain new features.
What replaced Workflow Rules and Process Builder?
Flow, built in Flow Builder. Record-triggered flows cover what workflow rules and processes did, including field updates, emails, record creation and scheduled actions, and add loops, decisions across related records, and better error handling.
What does the Migrate to Flow tool convert?
Workflow rules with field-based criteria, field updates, email alerts, outbound messages and time-dependent actions, and record-triggered Process Builder processes. Workflow rules with tasks, related-record fields, global variables, relative dates or multiple currencies, and some process action types, need manual conversion or extra configuration.
What is the difference between workflow rules and Process Builder?
Workflow rules could do four things on the same record: update fields, send email alerts, create tasks and send outbound messages. Process Builder added several criteria per process, updates to related records, record creation, calling flows and Apex, and posting to Chatter. Both are now replaced by Flow.