> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zeotap.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add Concurrent Entry

> Control whether the same user can be active in a journey more than once at the same time.

## Overview

Concurrent entry is a journey setting that controls whether the same user can be active in a journey more than once at the same time.

By default this setting is off. A user can only be at one point in a journey at a time, which is the correct behaviour for most journeys. Enable concurrent entry only when you have a specific need for multiple independent instances of the same user to run through the same journey simultaneously.

<Warning>
  This is a non-default, advanced setting. For most journeys — onboarding, re-engagement, suppression — leave this off.
</Warning>

***

## How it works

When concurrent entry is **off** (default), a journey enforces one active instance per user. If a user is already in the journey and a new trigger fires, that trigger is held until the current instance has exited and the re-entry window has passed.

When concurrent entry is **on**, each new trigger creates a fresh, independent instance for that user immediately — regardless of whether they already have an active instance. Each instance runs with its own state, timing, and destination output.

| Concurrent entry off (default)                   | Concurrent entry on                                       |
| ------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| One active instance per user at any time         | Multiple active instances per user allowed simultaneously |
| New triggers held until current instance exits   | Each new trigger starts a fresh instance immediately      |
| Recommended for profile-based journeys           | Recommended for event-driven or multi-context journeys    |
| Re-entry controlled by the re-entry time setting | Each instance runs independently end to end               |

***

## When to use concurrent entry

Enable concurrent entry when all of the following are true:

* Multiple signals or triggers can fire for the same user simultaneously or in very quick succession.
* Each signal carries distinct data that must be processed and forwarded independently.
* It is acceptable — and intentional — for the same user to receive multiple outputs from the journey at the same time.

### Common use cases

* **High-frequency independent event forwarding** — Multiple distinct events for the same user fire in rapid succession and each must be forwarded to a downstream destination without any being dropped or queued behind another.
* **Multi-context user identities** — A single user identity in your data represents more than one relationship, account, or subscription, and each context needs to progress through the journey independently.
* **Parallel data processing flows** — Each incoming data signal for a user carries its own payload that must be enriched, transformed, and sent separately — rather than being merged or deduplicated with other signals.

### When not to use concurrent entry

Keep concurrent entry off for:

* **Onboarding journeys** — A user should move through onboarding once in a single controlled sequence.
* **Re-engagement campaigns** — Sending the same re-engagement message to a user multiple times simultaneously is unlikely to be the intended outcome.
* **Suppression journeys** — Concurrent entry can interfere with suppression logic — one instance may trigger suppression while another is still progressing through earlier nodes.
* **Any journey where duplicate communications are undesirable** — If receiving the same message more than once simultaneously would be a problem for your users, leave concurrent entry off.

***

## Configure on a new journey

Concurrent entry is configured during journey creation in the settings panel.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click Create Workflow">
    From the Journeys listing page, click **Create Workflow** to open the journey creation flow.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Allow user to re-enter the journey to Yes">
    The concurrent entry option only appears when re-entry is enabled. Set re-entry to **Yes** first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The Allow concurrent entry? field appears">
    Once re-entry is on, the **Allow concurrent entry?** field becomes visible directly below it. **No** is selected by default.

    <Frame caption="Create Workflow settings panel with re-entry enabled and concurrent entry set to No (default).">
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zeotap/yEXnSt8GP1CDvIMx/articles/orchestrate-customer/Storage/orchestrate-customer/add-concurrent-entry/add-concurrent-entry-2026-04-24-1.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=yEXnSt8GP1CDvIMx&q=85&s=e9bd21de75cba787b2b2b6effd3eda1b" alt="" width="720" height="1000" data-path="articles/orchestrate-customer/Storage/orchestrate-customer/add-concurrent-entry/add-concurrent-entry-2026-04-24-1.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Yes if needed">
    Selecting **Yes** enables concurrent entry. An inline warning appears confirming that users may receive multiple simultaneous communications from this journey.

    <Frame caption="Concurrent entry set to Yes, with the inline warning 'May cause duplicate communications — verify before publishing.'">
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zeotap/yEXnSt8GP1CDvIMx/articles/orchestrate-customer/Storage/orchestrate-customer/add-concurrent-entry/add-concurrent-entry-2026-04-24-2.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=yEXnSt8GP1CDvIMx&q=85&s=8178e76666bdf13bf83caf4d7971c6a9" alt="" width="720" height="1000" data-path="articles/orchestrate-customer/Storage/orchestrate-customer/add-concurrent-entry/add-concurrent-entry-2026-04-24-2.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete your journey setup and publish">
    Configure the rest of your journey and publish when ready.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Click the **?** icon next to the **Allow concurrent entry?** label to expand an inline help guide explaining when this setting is appropriate, without leaving the settings panel.

  <Frame caption="Inline help expanded from the ? icon next to Allow concurrent entry?">
    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zeotap/yEXnSt8GP1CDvIMx/articles/orchestrate-customer/Storage/orchestrate-customer/add-concurrent-entry/add-concurrent-entry-2026-04-24-3.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=yEXnSt8GP1CDvIMx&q=85&s=46b0a70f3593ece8d81b47d6fab4b45d" alt="" width="1250" height="700" data-path="articles/orchestrate-customer/Storage/orchestrate-customer/add-concurrent-entry/add-concurrent-entry-2026-04-24-3.png" />
  </Frame>
</Note>

***

## Configure on an existing (published) journey

You can change the concurrent entry setting on a live journey at any time.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the journey in edit mode">
    From the journey canvas, click the edit icon in the top-left corner. The same settings panel opens.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update the concurrent entry setting">
    Change **Allow concurrent entry?** to **Yes** or **No** as needed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Publish Workflow">
    A confirmation popup appears asking how to handle returning users.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the publish popup">
    If concurrent entry is enabled, an amber information box appears in the popup confirming it is on and summarising its behaviour. Review and confirm.

    <Frame caption="Publish this Workflow popup showing the amber 'Concurrent entry is enabled' callout.">
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zeotap/yEXnSt8GP1CDvIMx/articles/orchestrate-customer/Storage/orchestrate-customer/add-concurrent-entry/add-concurrent-entry-2026-04-24-4.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=yEXnSt8GP1CDvIMx&q=85&s=83138565a3923a6a5992004c051e810f" alt="" width="720" height="1000" data-path="articles/orchestrate-customer/Storage/orchestrate-customer/add-concurrent-entry/add-concurrent-entry-2026-04-24-4.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select how to handle returning users">
    Choose **Remember users** (existing journey state is preserved) or **Reset users** (journey state is cleared and users may be re-evaluated). Then publish.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  **Concurrent entry is enabled**

  With this on, the same user can run through this journey more than once at the same time. Each new trigger starts a fresh, independent instance for that user.

  For most journeys — onboarding, re-engagement, suppression — keep this off. This can result in duplicate communications or break suppression logic.
</Warning>

The journey will not publish until you explicitly confirm. This ensures the setting is always a deliberate choice.

***

## Check the current status

The concurrent entry status is always visible in the top-right corner of the journey canvas, alongside the other journey settings.

<Frame caption="Journey canvas header showing the re-entry and concurrent entry status at the top-right.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/zeotap/yEXnSt8GP1CDvIMx/articles/orchestrate-customer/Storage/orchestrate-customer/add-concurrent-entry/add-concurrent-entry-2026-04-24-5.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=yEXnSt8GP1CDvIMx&q=85&s=a8acfc220cbfe9ea67f447cf32b49624" alt="" width="1894" height="200" data-path="articles/orchestrate-customer/Storage/orchestrate-customer/add-concurrent-entry/add-concurrent-entry-2026-04-24-5.png" />
</Frame>

| Status        | Canvas header display                                                        |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Off (default) | **Concurrent entry: Disabled** — shown in neutral grey                       |
| On            | **Concurrent entry: Enabled** — shown in amber to signal a non-default state |

***

## Relationship with the re-entry setting

Concurrent entry and re-entry are related but separate settings.

| Setting                                 | What it controls                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Allow user to re-enter the journey?** | Whether a user who has already exited the journey can enter it again. Controlled by a time window after exit. See [Add Re-entry Criteria](/articles/orchestrate-customer/add-re-entry-criteria). |
| **Allow concurrent entry?**             | Whether a user who is currently active in the journey can also start a new instance simultaneously.                                                                                              |

Concurrent entry only appears as an option when re-entry is set to **Yes**. However, they control different things — re-entry is about users returning after they have left; concurrent entry is about users having multiple active instances at the same time.

<Note>
  If re-entry is off, concurrent entry is not available. Turn re-entry on first to access the concurrent entry option.
</Note>

***

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What happens to active instances if I turn concurrent entry off on a live journey?">
    Active instances are not interrupted. They complete normally. Only new triggers are affected — they will queue as standard (one at a time) once concurrent entry is turned off.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a limit to how many concurrent instances one user can have?">
    There is no hard cap. Each qualifying trigger creates a new instance. Design your journey with your expected trigger frequency in mind.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Will suppression logic still work with concurrent entry on?">
    Suppression actions apply per instance. If a user has multiple concurrent instances, one may trigger suppression while others are still progressing through earlier nodes. For journeys where suppression is critical, keep concurrent entry off.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does concurrent entry affect journey analytics?">
    Yes. Journey analytics count instances, not unique users. With concurrent entry on, a single user contributing multiple instances will be counted multiple times in node-level metrics.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I'm not sure if my use case needs this. Who can help?">
    Reach out to your Customer Success Manager. They can review your journey design and advise on whether concurrent entry is the right approach.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Quick reference

| Item                     | Detail                                                                                              |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Default state            | Off                                                                                                 |
| Where to find it         | Journey settings panel → **Allow concurrent entry?** (visible only when re-entry is set to **Yes**) |
| Access on a new journey  | Click **Create Workflow** → set re-entry to **Yes** → the concurrent entry field appears            |
| Access on a live journey | Open journey → click the edit icon (top-left) → the settings panel opens                            |
| Inline help              | Click the **?** icon next to the label to expand usage guidance                                     |
| Warning on enable        | Inline warning appears in the settings panel when set to **Yes**                                    |
| Publish confirmation     | Amber callout in the publish popup when concurrent entry is on                                      |
| Canvas status indicator  | Amber chip top-right when enabled; neutral grey when off                                            |
| Recommended for          | High-frequency event forwarding, multi-context user identities, parallel data flows                 |
| Not recommended for      | Onboarding, re-engagement, suppression journeys                                                     |