---
schema_version: "1"
id: 34f9e1120dc18fc1c566b9022a3e74a2addb9a2bb54611ce7558ceea31f4237e
title: Distribute a Flow
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/flow_distribute.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 41fbaeff82d4836b89e680bdaed217775925e679fdc6cde5959509fc29007ec3
description: After you’ve designed and tested your flow, it’s time to put it to work! Flows can be run in several ways, depending on who the flow is designed for. Internal users, external users, or systems can run a flow, or a flow can be deployed for another organization.
products:
  - Flow Builder
  - Salesforce Platform
release: "264"
---
# Distribute a Flow

After you’ve designed and tested your flow, it’s time to put it to work! Flows can be run in several ways, depending on who the flow is designed for. Internal users, external users, or systems can run a flow, or a flow can be deployed for another organization.

Distributing a flow is a three-stage process.

1. **Review the concepts.** Before you distribute, understand how user access, security, data context, and runtime experience affect how your flow behaves. See [Flow Distribution Concepts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_concepts.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Understand which users can run your flow, what data your flow can access, and how your flow looks in Classic and Lightning Experience.").
2. **Activate your flow.** Users can run only an active flow version. See [Activate or Deactivate a Flow](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_activate.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "You can activate or deactivate a flow from the Automation app Flows tab or the Flow Builder canvas.").
3. **Choose a distribution method.** How you make the flow available depends on who runs it and from where.
    
     
    | Who runs the flow? | What to do |
    | --- | --- |
    | Internal users in your org | Add the flow to a custom action, Lightning page, utility bar, URL button, Aura component, or Visualforce page. See [Distribute Flows to Users in Your Org](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_internal.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Enable your internal users to run your flow through a custom action, the flow URL, a Lightning page, a Visualforce page, or a custom Aura component."). |
    | External users outside your org | Add the flow to an Experience Builder site, Embedded Service deployment, or Visualforce page. See [Distribute Flows to Users Outside Your Org](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_external.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Let external users run your flow by adding the flow to an Experience Builder site, an external app or page, or an Embedded Service deployment. For finer control over how your flow behaves in external contexts, use a custom Aura component or Visualforce page. Flows in custom Aura components use Lightning runtime, and flows in Visualforce pages use Classic runtime."). |
    | Automated systems | Trigger the flow without user interaction by using Apex or the REST API. See [Distribute Flows to Automated Systems](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_system.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Some flows don't require any user interaction to start. To enable a system to automatically launch a flow you can use the start Apex method."). |
    | Users in another org | Package the flow in a Lightning Bolt Solution, change set, or managed package. See [Distribute Flows to Other Orgs](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_deploy.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Flows can be included in Lightning Bolt Solutions, change sets, and packages. The recipient org of the solution, change set, or package must have flows enabled."). |

IN THIS SECTION

- **[Activate or Deactivate a Flow](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_activate.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    You can activate or deactivate a flow from the Automation app Flows tab or the Flow Builder canvas.
- **[Flow Distribution Concepts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_concepts.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Understand which users can run your flow, what data your flow can access, and how your flow looks in Classic and Lightning Experience.
- **[Distribute Flows to Users in Your Org](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_internal.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Enable your internal users to run your flow through a custom action, the flow URL, a Lightning page, a Visualforce page, or a custom Aura component.
- **[Distribute Flows to Users Outside Your Org](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_external.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Let external users run your flow by adding the flow to an Experience Builder site, an external app or page, or an Embedded Service deployment. For finer control over how your flow behaves in external contexts, use a custom Aura component or Visualforce page. Flows in custom Aura components use Lightning runtime, and flows in Visualforce pages use Classic runtime.
- **[Distribute Flows to Automated Systems](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_system.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Some flows don't require any user interaction to start. To enable a system to automatically launch a flow you can use the `start` Apex method.
- **[Distribute Flows to Other Orgs](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.flow_distribute_deploy.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Flows can be included in Lightning Bolt Solutions, change sets, and packages. The recipient org of the solution, change set, or package must have flows enabled.