Pause Workflows in GoHighLevel: Smarter Automation Control

The Pause Workflow option in GoHighLevel is a built-in control switch for your automations. Instead of turning off or deleting a workflow, you can temporarily pause it for a set period of time. When the pause ends, the workflow picks back up exactly where it left off.

You’ll find this feature inside the Global Workflow Settings. From there, you can manage one workflow, a group of workflows, or even all published workflows at once. It’s designed to give you flexibility without losing any of the work you’ve already built.

Think of it as a safety brake for your automation engine. When you need to stop the ride say during the holidays, product restocks, or sensitive times you can hit pause. Once things are back to normal, your automations restart automatically without requiring you to rebuild a single action.

Pausing workflows isn’t just about stopping automation, it’s about taking control of timing, context, and customer experience. Here’s why the Pause Workflows option is a game-changer for GoHighLevel users.

First, you get operational flexibility. Instead of deactivating or deleting a workflow, you can pause it for a defined period, then let it resume without missing a beat. That means no rebuilding and no lost progress.

Second, you improve customer experience. Imagine sending promotional emails during a holiday when customers aren’t paying attention, or worse, when they might see it as intrusive. By pausing workflows, you avoid those off-timed touches and keep communication relevant.

Third, you gain enhanced automation control. You can decide which workflows continue running and which ones should wait. This makes it easier to prioritize key processes while temporarily shelving less urgent ones.

Fourth, you save time with recurring pauses. The annual option allows you to automate pauses for predictable events, like holiday shutdowns, without having to set them up each year.

Finally, you benefit from centralized management. Everything is handled in Global Workflow Settings, so you’re not chasing down each workflow individually. That kind of efficiency is critical for agencies running multiple client accounts.

When you activate the Pause Workflows option in GoHighLevel, the system doesn’t stop contacts from entering the workflow. Instead, it places them on hold at key points until the pause period ends. This ensures no one slips through the cracks while also keeping your automation under control.

Here’s how it plays out. If a workflow starts with an immediate action like sending an email, contacts will enroll but wait at the trigger until the pause is lifted. On the other hand, if the workflow begins with a Wait or If/Else step, contacts will progress through that step before pausing at the next action. This gives you a predictable way to manage timing without breaking the workflow logic.

There are also some rules to keep in mind. The maximum time between a start and end date for a pause is 15 days. You can set up to 15 different date ranges, but they can’t overlap. And while workflows display a “Paused” status on the Workflow Landing Page, your contacts still flow into the system and hold in place until things start back up.

In short, Pause Workflows doesn’t stop activity completely, it holds it in a controlled, strategic way. That means you’re never losing engagement, just adjusting the timing to fit your business needs.

To get the most from the Pause Workflows feature, you’ll need to set it up correctly inside GoHighLevel. Here’s the step-by-step process:

• The Main Menu on the Left side of your screen has all the main areas that you work in when using GHL

1.1 Click on the Automation Menu Item.

• Access the ‘Automation’ section of GoHighLevel
• You’ll now be in the ‘Automation’ section of GHL, where you can access the “Global Workflow” section from the top menu:

1.2 Click on the ‘Global Workflow’ menu link.

• Inside in the “Global Workflow Settings” Scroll down the Global Workflow Settings page.

2.1 Find the “Pause Workflow” section.

2.2 Click into the Start Date and Time field.

• Choose both a start and end date, then confirm your selection.
• Remember, the time span between start and end cannot exceed 15 days.

2.3 Click the “Select Workflows” dropdown.

• Choose one workflow, multiple workflows, or all published workflows.
• Only published workflows will appear in the list.

2.4 Use the “Add Date” button to create additional date ranges.

• You can add up to 15 unique date ranges, as long as they don’t overlap.

2.5 Enable Annual Recurrence

• If you want pauses to repeat every year, tick the “Annually” checkbox.
• This ensures seasonal campaigns or holiday pauses repeat automatically.

2.6 Clone or Delete Rows

• To duplicate an existing pause rule, click the Clone icon.
• To remove one, click the Delete icon.

2.7 Click Save

3.1 Verify Workflow

• After saving, head back to the Workflow Landing Page.
• Any paused workflow will display a highlighted “Paused” status.

• That’s it when the pause time reach it’s end it will the workflow will resume automatically, you can also jump back to Global Workflow Settings for adjustments.

The Pause Workflows feature is powerful on its own, but you can squeeze even more value out of it with a few smart strategies.

First, use it for seasonal campaigns. If your clients run Black Friday promos, holiday greetings, or summer specials, set annual pauses in advance. This way, automations won’t run off-season, and you’ll never need to scramble to turn things off manually.

Second, avoid overlapping pauses. Since GoHighLevel won’t allow workflows to exist in two overlapping date ranges, be strategic about how you set them. A clean schedule avoids confusion and ensures every automation resumes exactly when you want.

Third, take advantage of cloning. If you’ve built a complex pause setup for one client, clone rows instead of starting from scratch. This keeps your timing consistent and speeds up campaign adjustments.

Fourth, combine Pause Workflows with Smart Lists or trigger filters. By pairing pauses with audience segmentation, you can keep control not just over timing but also over who receives messages when campaigns resume.

Finally, always check Builder Settings. It’s easy to forget which workflows are paused when managing multiple accounts. Builder Settings give you a quick view of pause dates, so you never accidentally leave something idle longer than intended.

Agencies live and die by automation efficiency. The Pause Workflows feature gives agencies a critical lever to manage multiple clients without chaos.

Picture this: your client has a retail brand, and they’re running a back-to-school campaign. Once it ends, you don’t want abandoned messages firing during the holiday season. Instead of tearing down the workflow, you simply pause it until next year. No wasted time, no lost assets.

This also reduces misfires. Nothing tanks a client relationship faster than a mistimed promo email, like sending a Valentine’s Day discount in March. By pausing workflows, you guarantee campaigns only fire when they’re supposed to.

There’s also the benefit of reducing manual workload. Agencies often juggle dozens of workflows across different industries. Having a centralized pause tool saves time and prevents costly errors when teams get busy.

Finally, it protects client reputation. Timely communication builds trust, while irrelevant or awkwardly timed messages do the opposite. Pause Workflows ensures you’re always aligned with the client’s business calendar, keeping their brand polished and professional.

When you start using Pause Workflows in GoHighLevel, you’ll notice the impact almost immediately. Campaigns run more smoothly, clients see fewer awkward misfires, and your automation stays aligned with real-world business needs.

The first big result is consistency. Workflows won’t accidentally push out irrelevant or out-of-season messages. That means more control over your communication and less chance of confusing your audience.

Next, you’ll see happier clients. Agencies that master workflow pausing protect their clients from sending untimely promotions, which builds trust and credibility. A business that only delivers messages when it makes sense always feels more professional to customers.

Another benefit is efficiency. Instead of scrambling to deactivate and rebuild automations around every seasonal change, you can set pauses in advance and let GoHighLevel handle the rest. It’s a massive time-saver, especially when running multiple accounts.

Finally, you’ll gain peace of mind. Knowing that workflows will automatically resume when they should means you can focus on bigger-picture strategies rather than babysitting automation schedules

Conclusion – Why Pause Workflows Is a Must-Use Feature

The Pause Workflows option in GoHighLevel isn’t just a convenience toolit’s a control lever for smarter automation. By pausing workflows instead of disabling or deleting them, you keep everything intact while avoiding poorly timed campaigns.

For agencies, this feature means fewer mistakes, less manual work, and smoother client management during seasonal or sensitive periods. For businesses, it ensures customers only receive messages when they’re relevant, keeping trust and professionalism high.

If you want more precision, efficiency, and peace of mind in your automations, it’s time to start using Pause Workflows. Test it out, apply it to your seasonal campaigns, and watch how much smoother your automation strategy becomes.

Have you tried the Pause Workflows feature yet? Share your experience and let us know how it’s changing your campaigns.