How to Manage Active and Inactive Scenarios in Make.com

Understanding how active and inactive scenarios work in make.com is essential for controlling automations, staying within plan limits, and ensuring workflows run when you expect them to.

This step-by-step guide explains what “active” really means, how concurrency works, what affects the scenario limit, and how to safely manage status changes.

Key Concepts for Active Scenarios in Make.com

Before turning scenarios on or off, it helps to clarify a few core concepts used inside make.com.

What an Active Scenario Means in Make.com

In make.com, a scenario is considered active when any of the following apply:

• It is switched on in your dashboard.
• It is currently being executed by the scenario engine.
• It is scheduled to run according to a trigger or timetable.

An inactive scenario is simply one that is turned off and not scheduled to run, but it still counts toward your total number of scenarios in the account.

Concurrency in Make.com Scenarios

Concurrency refers to the number of scenario executions that can run at the same time across your account in make.com.

Important points about concurrency:

• Each plan defines a maximum number of concurrent executions.
• If the limit is reached, additional runs will wait in a queue until capacity is available.
• Concurrency works across all active scenarios, not just one scenario.

This means that starting many active scenarios at once can lead to queued runs if your plan’s concurrency limit is exceeded.

How Make.com Calculates Active and Inactive Scenarios

The platform distinguishes scenarios by their current status, not just their existence in your account.

Status Types for Scenarios in Make.com

Each scenario in make.com can appear in one of several states:

• On (Active) – The scenario is enabled and can run based on its trigger or schedule.
• Off (Inactive) – The scenario is disabled and will not start automatically.
• Running – The scenario is currently executing one or more runs.
• Queued – The run is waiting for concurrency capacity.

While the main distinction for planning is between on and off, it is useful to recognize when a scenario is actively processing or just waiting.

What Counts Toward Scenario Limits in Make.com

On most plans, the number of scenarios is limited. Keep these rules in mind:

• Every created scenario counts, whether it is active or inactive.
• Turning a scenario off does not remove it from the scenario count.
• Deleting a scenario is the way to free up a slot when you reach your limit.

This design allows you to keep configurations safe as inactive while still respecting limits.

How to Activate a Scenario in Make.com

Turning a scenario on is the first step to making it run automatically in make.com.

Step-by-Step: Switching a Scenario On

1. Open your Scenarios list in your make.com account.
2. Select the scenario you want to activate.
3. Check that the trigger, schedule, and modules are configured correctly.
4. Click the On switch or activation button for the scenario.
5. Confirm that the status indicator shows the scenario as active.

After this, the scenario will start running based on its defined trigger or schedule.

Verify Triggers Before Activating in Make.com

Before you activate, confirm:

• The trigger type (webhook, schedule, event, etc.) is properly set.
• Any required connections are authorized and valid.
• Filters and conditions are correct to avoid unnecessary operations.

These checks help you avoid unintended executions when the scenario becomes active.

How to Deactivate a Scenario in Make.com

Sometimes you need to temporarily stop automations without losing your configuration.

Step-by-Step: Switching a Scenario Off

1. Go to the Scenarios section in make.com.
2. Locate the scenario you want to deactivate.
3. Open the scenario details if needed to review its current state.
4. Click the Off switch or deactivation control.
5. Ensure the scenario is now marked as inactive.

Deactivating stops new runs from being scheduled, but any currently running operations will usually finish unless manually stopped.

When to Deactivate vs Delete in Make.com

Use Deactivate when:

• You need a temporary pause.
• You want to preserve settings and mappings.
• You plan to re-enable later.

Use Delete when:

• You have reached your scenario limit and no longer need that workflow.
• The configuration is obsolete or replaced by another scenario.
• You want to permanently free a slot in your make.com plan.

Managing Concurrency and Queues in Make.com

Efficient concurrency management prevents bottlenecks and delays across active scenarios.

How Concurrent Executions Work

When multiple scenarios run at once, they share the concurrency pool defined by your plan.

• If the number of running executions is below your limit, new runs start immediately.
• If the running executions reach the maximum, new runs are queued.
• Queued runs start automatically as soon as capacity becomes available.

Monitoring concurrent usage helps you decide whether to reschedule scenarios or upgrade your plan.

Tips to Reduce Queues in Make.com

To keep your automations responsive:

• Spread scheduled runs across different times instead of on the hour for all scenarios.
• Limit unnecessary triggers, especially for high-volume data sources.
• Combine related operations into fewer, well-designed scenarios.
• Regularly review logs and queued runs to identify bottlenecks.

Best Practices for Scenario Lifecycle in Make.com

Good lifecycle management keeps your workspace clean and within limits.

Plan Scenario Structure in Make.com

When designing workflows:

• Group related tasks into logical scenarios instead of many small ones.
• Use filters and routers to reduce the number of separate workflows.
• Document purpose and owner in scenario descriptions for easier maintenance.

Audit Active and Inactive Scenarios Regularly

Schedule a periodic review, focusing on:

• Scenarios that have not run for a long time.
• Workflows that duplicate each other’s function.
• Old experiments that should be deleted.

This review keeps your make.com account organized and avoids hitting scenario limits unexpectedly.

Where to Learn More About Make.com Scenario Behavior

For complete official details on active and inactive scenarios, refer to the platform documentation at this make.com help article.

If you need expert assistance with designing scalable automations, optimizing concurrency, or planning scenario structure, you can also consult specialists at Consultevo for tailored implementation support.

By understanding how active and inactive states, concurrency, and limits work together in make.com, you can keep automations reliable, efficient, and aligned with your plan’s capabilities.

Need Help With Make.com?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Make scenarios, work with ConsultEvo — certified workflow and automation specialists.

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