# Publish, pause, and resume a Journey

This page explains how to operate a Journey once the draft is ready.

<figure><img src="/files/2GVRkA2KU3ra3Caerl2Q" alt="Journey settings panel showing enrollment mode options and processing schedule configuration"><figcaption><p>Journey settings — configure enrollment mode and processing schedule before publishing.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Journey states

| State      | Description                                | Who can make changes                |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------- |
| **Draft**  | Working state. The Journey is not running. | Freely editable.                    |
| **Active** | The Journey is live and running.           | Entry and exit rules are locked.    |
| **Paused** | Progression is temporarily stopped.        | Entry and exit rules remain locked. |

## Draft

Draft is the working state for designing and editing a Journey.

In Draft, you can:

* add, move, or remove steps
* change entry rules and exit rules
* adjust Wait durations and Segment groups
* update Activate destinations

Once you publish, the version is frozen and entry and exit rules are locked.

## Publish

Publishing makes the Journey live.

Before you publish, review the publish checklist carefully. It is the last controlled review point before the Journey starts affecting real contacts.

Publishing does three important things:

1. **Freezes the version** you are launching — the canvas configuration becomes the live source of truth.
2. **Enables the Journey to run** according to its configured mode and schedule.
3. **Locks entry and exit rules** — to change them, you must pause the Journey first.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Review the publish checklist before every publish, not just the first time. If you have edited a Journey and re-published, confirm that the changes are reflected correctly in the live version.
{% endhint %}

## Active

Active means the Journey is live.

In this state, the Journey can run and accept new contacts according to its configuration.

**Operational checks while Active:**

* Review run history regularly — check after each run that status is successful.
* Verify that entry volume matches expectations — unexpectedly high or low entry counts can signal a misconfigured rule.
* Confirm destination activity after Activate steps — check the relevant destination platform to validate that contacts are arriving.
* Monitor whether exit rules are working as intended — if a conversion event should be stopping contacts and it is not, the exit rule may need to be reviewed.

{% hint style="info" %}
Entry and exit rules are locked while the Journey is Active. If you need to adjust who enters or exits, pause the Journey first, make your changes, then re-publish.
{% endhint %}

## Pause

Pause is the safety state for a live Journey.

Use Pause when you need to:

* stop new progression temporarily
* review an unexpected result in run history
* prepare a controlled change before re-publishing
* prevent further runs during an incident or campaign review

Pausing does not remove contacts who are already mid-Journey. They remain at their current step until the Journey is resumed.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If a Journey is paused for a long time, contacts may be waiting at a step for longer than the business expectation. Review the in-progress contacts before resuming to confirm the timing is still appropriate.
{% endhint %}

## Resume

Resume returns a paused Journey to live operation.

Before resuming, confirm that:

* the reason for the pause is understood and resolved
* any required changes have been made and re-published
* the Journey is safe to continue, including for contacts who are currently mid-flow

## Run controls

Depending on your permissions and the Journey state, you may see the following controls:

| Control         | What it does                                                      |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Run now**     | Manually triggers a Journey execution outside the normal schedule |
| **Full run**    | Triggers a complete execution cycle                               |
| **Run history** | Opens the execution log for the Journey                           |

Use these deliberately. A manual run affects real contacts.

## Safe operating habits

* Keep Journey names specific so run history is readable across multiple Journeys.
* Add a Wait before the first Activate unless immediate activation is truly intended.
* Use exit rules when a business conversion should stop the flow.
* Pause first if you are unsure whether a live Journey is safe.
* Make one meaningful change at a time before resuming.
* Check run history after every publish or manual run.

## Related pages

* [Run history](/journey/monitoring-and-troubleshooting/run-history.md)
* [Common validation issues](/journey/monitoring-and-troubleshooting/common-validation-issues.md)
* [Designing safe Journeys](/journey/best-practices/designing-safe-journeys.md)


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