Salesforce Process Builder + How to Migrate to Flow Builder [Complete Guide]

If you’ve been using Salesforce Process Builder to automate business processes, or you’re preparing for a Salesforce certification exam and came across this feature, there’s one important thing you should know.

Salesforce officially retired Process Builder on December 31, 2025.

This means Salesforce no longer provides new updates, bug fixes, or official support for Process Builder.

Existing processes may still continue to run in your org, but Salesforce recommends moving all automation to Flow Builder because future platform changes could impact older Process Builder automations.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

• What Salesforce Process Builder is and how it works
• How admins used to create processes in both Salesforce Lightning Experience
• The most common mistakes admins make while building Process Builder automations
• How to migrate existing Process Builder automations to Flow Builder step by step
• A practical migration checklist to help you move your automation safely

Whether you’re preparing for the Salesforce Admin certification, working in an older Salesforce org, or trying to understand why Salesforce replaced Process Builder with Flow Builder, this guide will help you understand everything in simple terms.

What is Salesforce Process Builder?

Salesforce Process Builder was designed to help admins automate actions on records without writing any Apex code.

The concept was simple: whenever something happened in Salesforce, for example, when an Opportunity was marked as Closed Won, Process Builder would check the defined criteria and automatically perform actions in the background.

These actions could include updating records, sending emails, posting to Chatter, launching a Flow, and much more.

Here are some common things Process Builder could do:

• Create Records — Automatically create records such as Tasks, Cases, or custom object records when specific conditions are met
• Update Records — Update fields on the current record or related records automatically
• Post to Chatter — Post messages to a Chatter group, user, or record feed
• Launch a Flow — Start an auto-launched Flow for more advanced automation logic
• Submit for Approval — Automatically send records into an Approval Process
• Send Email Alerts — Send email notifications to users, contacts, or other recipients

One of the biggest reasons Process Builder became popular was that it allowed Salesforce admins to build automation using a visual interface instead of code. Admins can create powerful business logic with just clicks, conditions, and actions.

However, Salesforce later shifted its automation strategy toward Flow Builder. Process Builder was eventually replaced because Flow Builder is more powerful, more flexible, and capable of handling advanced automation scenarios.

For example, Flow Builder supports:

• Screen-based user interactions
• Loops and collections
• Complex decision branching
• Before-save and after-save automation
• Scheduled paths
• Integration with external systems
• Better debugging and error handling

Today, Flow Builder is the primary automation tool in Salesforce, and Salesforce recommends migrating all existing Process Builder automations to Flows.

Is Process Builder Still Available in Salesforce in 2026?

This is the most common question right now, so let me answer it directly.

Yes, Process Builder still exists in your Salesforce org. But no, Salesforce no longer supports it.

Here’s what that means in practice:

• Your existing automations will continue to run — they haven’t been switched off
• You cannot create new Process Builder automations — Salesforce has already disabled that
• If a bug appears in your existing automations, Salesforce won’t fix it
• If a future platform update breaks your Process Builder flows, you’re on your own
• There are no more updates, patches, or enhancements coming to the tool

Think of it like running an old version of software that the vendor no longer maintains. It might work fine for months or years — or it might break without warning. That’s the risk you’re taking by leaving Process Builder automations untouched.

The right move is to migrate to Flow Builder. We’ll get to that later in this guide.

Create a Process with Process Builder in Salesforce

Although Salesforce no longer supports creating new Process Builder automations, understanding how Process Builder works remains valuable, especially for preparing for the Salesforce Admin certification and for reviewing existing automations before migrating them to Flow Builder.

Step-1: From Setup in Salesforce Lightning Experience, enter Process Builder in the Quick Find box, then select Process Builder under Process Automation.

Step-2: In the Process Builder, click on the New button to create a new process.

Step-3: Enter the required details for the new process.

• In the Process Name field, enter the name of the process.
• In the Description field, add a short description of the process.
• The process starts when you select an A record change from the dropdown list.

This option means the process will run whenever a record is created or updated. After entering all the details, click Save.

Step-4: After clicking Save, the Process Builder canvas opens. Click Add Object to define which object will trigger the process.

On the right panel:

• Select the required object from the Object field.
• Under Start the process, choose when a record is created or edited.

This means the process will run whenever a new record is created or an existing record is updated. After configuring the settings, click Save.

Step-5: After adding the object, click Add Criteria to define when the process should run. On the right panel, enter the following details:

• In the Criteria Name field, enter a name for the criteria, such as Stage = Closed Won.
• Under Criteria for Executing Actions, select Conditions are met.
• In the Set Conditions section, define the condition by selecting the Field, Operator, Type, and Value.
• To add multiple conditions, click Add Row.
• Under Conditions, select All of the conditions are met (AND) if all conditions must be true.

After configuring the criteria, click Save.

Step-6: After saving the process, click the Activate button to activate it.

Step-7: After clicking Activate, a confirmation pop-up window appears. Click Confirm to activate the process.

After clicking Confirm, the process is activated successfully and becomes visible in the Process Builder list, as shown in the image below.

You have now successfully created and activated a process using Salesforce Process Builder in Lightning Experience.

Common Mistakes Admins Make in Salesforce Process Builder

This section draws on real-world Salesforce experience and covers some of the most common mistakes admins make when working with Process Builder.

Mistake 1: Not Using ISNEW() or ISCHANGED() in Your Criteria

This is one of the most common mistakes in Salesforce Process Builder and can cause unexpected automation behavior.

When you configure the process to run when a record is created or edited, it evaluates each time the record is saved.

If you do not add a condition to check whether a specific field changed, the automation may run even when unrelated fields are updated.

For example, if your process is based on the Opportunity Stage field, but you do not use the formula:

ISCHANGED([Opportunity].StageName)

The process will run every time the Opportunity record is edited even if the Stage value remains the same.

This can lead to issues such as:

• Duplicate Chatter posts
• Multiple email alerts
• Repeated task creation
• Unnecessary record updates

To avoid this, add the formula condition above in the criteria so the process runs only when the StageName field actually changes.

Mistake 2: Having Multiple Processes on the Same Object

Salesforce does not guarantee the execution order of multiple Process Builder automations on the same object. If you have several processes running on the Opportunity object, Salesforce may execute them in any order.

This can create automation issues where one process updates a field before another process evaluates it, leading to unexpected results or conflicting updates.

For example, one process may change the Opportunity Stage while another process is still checking the old field value.

To avoid these issues, Salesforce’s best practice is to keep automation consolidated:

• Use a single Process Builder process per object whenever possible
• Create multiple criteria nodes inside the same process instead of creating separate processes
• Even better, migrate the automation to a single Record-Triggered Flow in Flow Builder

This makes automation easier to manage, troubleshoot, and maintain.

Mistake 3: Activating Directly in Production Without Testing

It can be tempting to activate a Process Builder automation immediately after creating it, especially when working under tight deadlines. However, testing is extremely important before deploying any automation to production.

Since Process Builder runs automatically when records are created or updated, an incorrect condition or action can quickly affect large amounts of Salesforce data.

To avoid issues, follow these best practices:

• Build and test the process in a Sandbox org first
• Test with records that should meet the criteria and trigger the process
• Also, test with records that should not meet the criteria to confirm the automation does not run unexpectedly
• Verify that all actions, field updates, email alerts, and related record updates work correctly
• Deploy the process to the Production org only after successful testing

Proper testing helps prevent data issues, duplicate records, unwanted emails, and incorrect automation behavior in Salesforce.

What Replaced Salesforce Process Builder? Meet Flow Builder

Flow Builder is now Salesforce’s primary tool for point-and-click automation. Salesforce has invested heavily in Flow Builder, and it is now the recommended solution for building all types of automation in Salesforce.

Flow Builder can do everything Process Builder can, plus many advanced capabilities that were never available in Process Builder.

Here’s a quick comparison between Process Builder and Flow Builder:

Flow Builder is more powerful and flexible than Process Builder in almost every area. Although it has a slightly steeper learning curve, it offers better control, advanced functionality, and enhanced automation capabilities.

Once you become comfortable working with Flow Builder, managing automation becomes much easier and more efficient than using Process Builder.

How to Migrate Process Builder to Flow Builder

Salesforce actually built a migration tool called Migrate to Flow — it’s built right into Setup and can automatically convert some of your simpler Process Builder automations.

Here’s how to use it:

Using the following steps, we will see how to migrate the Process Builder to Lightning Flow.

Prerequisites:

To demonstrate the migration process, first select an existing Process Builder automation that you want to convert into a Flow.

In this example, the process contains two criterion nodes:

• The first criteria updates the related Account record.
• The second criteria creates a new Contact record and sets the Contact Last Name using the Account Name field.

Migrate Process Builder Into Salesforce Flow

2. After the Salesforce Spring ’23 release, Process Builder displays a message recommending admins use Flow Builder instead of creating new Process Builder automations.

Salesforce now recommends building all new automation in Flow Builder, as Process Builder has been retired.

3. To convert an existing Process Builder automation into a Flow, click Use Migrate to Flow Tool in Process Builder.

This opens Salesforce’s migration tool, which helps convert eligible Process Builder automations into Record-Triggered Flows.

4. To migrate a Process Builder automation to Flow Builder:

Go to Setup in Salesforce, enter Process Builder in the Quick Find box, and then select Process Builder under Process Automation.

5. Now, you can migrate previously created processes into Lightning Flow by clicking on the Use Migrate to Flow Tool option. Click on it.

6. After clicking Use Migrate to Flow Tool, the Migrate to Flow page opens.

Select the Process Builder automation that you want to convert into a Flow, and then click Migrate to Flow. In this example, the Create or Update Records process is selected for migration.

7. A pop-up window will appear showing the details of the Process Builder criteria and migration status.

The following columns are displayed:

• Criteria Name — Displays the criteria nodes available in the Process Builder. You can choose which criteria you want to migrate to Flow Builder.
• Migratable — Indicates whether the selected criteria can be converted into a Flow.
  • Yes means the criteria can be migrated successfully.
  • No means the criteria contain unsupported or complex logic that cannot be converted automatically.
• Scheduled Actions — Displays any scheduled actions configured in the Process Builder. If no scheduled actions exist, this section remains empty.
• Evaluate Next Criteria — Shows whether the process evaluates the next criteria after the current criteria are met.

After reviewing the details, click Migrate to Flow to begin the migration.

8. Then, you need to test the Flow by clicking on the Test in Flow Builder option. It will redirect you to the Flow Builder. Then, you can deactivate the Process. It is optional.

9. After the migration is completed, Salesforce automatically converts the Process Builder automation into a Record-Triggered Flow with all supported criteria and actions.

Click Save to save the Flow. While saving the Flow:

• Enter a Flow Label
• The API Name is automatically generated
• Optionally, add a Description to explain the purpose of the Flow

After saving the Flow, click Debug to test the automation and verify that it works correctly.

Once the testing is completed successfully, click Activate to activate the Flow. It is always recommended to debug and test a Flow before activating it in Salesforce.

This is how we can migrate the process builder into Lightning Flow.

Checklist: Before You Migrate Process Builder to Flow

Use this before touching any existing Process Builder automation:

• Document all active Process Builder processes in your org (name, object, trigger, criteria, actions)
• Identify which processes are simple (good candidates for auto-migration) and which are complex
• Check whether any processes call other processes — these need extra care
• Set up or confirm access to a sandbox that mirrors your production data
• Use the Migrate to Flow tool for simple processes first to get comfortable with it
• Manually recreate complex processes in Flow Builder — don’t force the migration tool on them
• Test each migrated Flow with records that should trigger it AND records that shouldn’t
• Deactivate the original Process Builder process only after confirming the Flow works
• Track migration progress in a spreadsheet or a Salesforce record — it’s easy to lose track

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Salesforce Process Builder was one of the most popular automation tools for admins because it allowed users to automate business processes without writing Apex code. It helped automate tasks such as record updates, email alerts, approval processes, and record creation using a simple point-and-click interface.

However, Salesforce has now retired Process Builder and officially recommends using Flow Builder for all new automation. Flow Builder is more powerful, flexible, and capable of handling both simple and advanced business logic within Salesforce.

If your Salesforce org still contains older Process Builder automations, now is the best time to start planning your migration to Flow Builder. Moving to Flow Builder will help you build scalable, future-ready automation that is fully supported by Salesforce.

You may like to read:

• How to Create a Briefcase Builder in Salesforce
• Chatter is not available in Salesforce Lightning App Builder
• How to Create a Custom Object with Schema Builder in Salesforce
•  Set up Omni Channel in Salesforce

Bijay Kumar

I am Bijay Kumar, the founder of SalesforceFAQs.com. Having over 10 years of experience working in salesforce technologies for clients across the world (Canada, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, etc.). I am a certified salesforce administrator and expert with experience in developing salesforce applications and projects. My goal is to make it easy for people to learn and use salesforce technologies by providing simple and easy-to-understand solutions. Check out the complete profile on About us.