What happens when I modify a step in an active sequence?

Last updated: May 4, 2026

Context

When managing sequences, you may need to update or modify steps within an active sequence that already has enrolled prospects. It's important to understand how these changes affect both existing and new enrollments.

Answer

When you modify a step in an active sequence, the changes will affect prospects differently based on their enrollment status:

For new prospects:

  • Any prospects enrolled after your modification will automatically receive the updated version of the sequence

For currently enrolled prospects:

  • By default, they remain on the original version of the sequence that was active at the time of their enrollment

  • If prospects are still on Step 1, you can upgrade them to the latest version (even if emails have been sent):

    1. Go to the Enrollments tab

    2. Filter for contacts on Step 1 using the “Any step” filter

    3. Select the relevant enrollments

    4. Click the "Upgrade to latest version" button

For prospects who have completed the sequence:

  • Prospects who have already completed the sequence will not receive any newly added steps

  • To send new content to completed enrollments, you must create a new sequence and re‑enroll them (subject to your re‑enrollment cooldown settings in Settings > Organization > Sequences > Rulesets)

Note: You cannot upgrade prospects to the latest version if they are at or past step 1 in the sequence (meaning any email has already been sent). In this case, you have two options:

  • Manually update the copy in your outbox for pending emails

  • Unenroll the prospects from the current sequence and enroll them in a new sequence starting at the modified step. To bulk unenroll:

    1. Go to the Enrollments tab

    2. Use search/filters (e.g., by persona, company, or other shared traits) to select the affected contacts

    3. Click "Unenroll" at the bottom-right to bulk remove them

  • If you deleted steps and need to identify prospects who were queued for those steps, filter enrollments by the previous version number (e.g., v7) since deleted steps won't appear in the UI filters

Important: Deleting vs Modifying Sequences

Warning: If you delete a sequence that has enrolled prospects, those prospects will remain enrolled in the deleted sequence and cannot be re‑enrolled in other sequences until properly handled.

If you’ve already deleted a sequence and need to move prospects to a new one:

Option A - Using enrollment history:

  1. Create an audience: Person Enrolled in "[Old Sequence]" (Anytime) where Status = Canceled

  2. In Settings > Organization > Sequences > Rulesets, enable "Allow re‑enrollment into Sequences" and set the wait to 0 days

  3. Create a Play that enrolls the audience from step 1 into your new sequence

Option B - Using a contact list:

  1. Export a CSV of the contacts you want to move

  2. Upload the CSV as a new audience

  3. Enable re‑enrollment rules (set wait to 0 days if needed)

  4. Create a Play that enrolls the new audience into your new sequence

Tip: Always modify existing sequences rather than deleting and recreating them to avoid enrollment complications.