# Adding a new Flow

Section: Flows

Description: Create a new flow from a template or from scratch, or import an exported flow.

Verified against Tidio panel 12.331.0

Last updated: 2026-11-10

Source: https://help.tidio.com/articles/adding-a-new-flow/

Create a new flow from a template or from scratch. You can also import an exported flow.

 



 

**In this article, you'll learn:**

 

- [How to create a flow from scratch ](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/adding-a-new-flow/#h_01J0NVKWZX4JZS53NRPE6Z6WK8>)
- [How to add nodes in the editor](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/adding-a-new-flow/#h_01J58DNB4B54EEPJP702ZWP6PT>)
- [How to connect, disconnect, move, and delete nodes](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/adding-a-new-flow/#h_01J58EW1ERKR0WWFKMKB9T3QDZ>)
- [How to save your flow](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/adding-a-new-flow/#h_01J58EWT7E7N6K2RBH1YZC7V5K>)
- [How to use a pre-made flow template](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/adding-a-new-flow/#h_01J0NVMHP4Y7485WM3TYTRTNQN>)
- [What other materials to check out](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/adding-a-new-flow/#h_01J58F1ADBKZRAYJVMRCVDYWRE>)



[Video](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/walkthrough.mp4>)



Silent walkthrough. Choose a trigger, add a welcome message, and close the flow as a draft without activating it.

 



 



 

## Creating a flow from scratch

 



 

If you already have an exported flow file, use **Import** in **My Flows** to add it as a draft. Open the imported flow to complete its setup before activating it.

 

To build a custom flow, open the **Flows** section in your Tidio admin panel and click on the **Create from scratch** button - you will find it in the **My Flows** section, as well as the **Templates** section.

 



 



 ![My Flows with the Import and Create from scratch buttons](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.1.png>) 



 



 

Creating a flow manually allows you to build a scenario using available nodes. Each flow needs to begin with a **[trigger](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/flow-editor-triggers/>)** that tells the flow when to start. After setting the trigger, you can add [actions](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/flow-editor-actions/>) and **[conditions](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/flow-editor-conditions/>)** to complete your flow. Of course, you can modify the trigger(s) later as well.

 



 



 

## Adding nodes (triggers, actions, conditions)

 



 

The first thing you'll see when creating your flows is a window with all available triggers. Triggers are categorized by visitor actions on your page or widget, and by actions you initiate:

 



 



 ![The trigger selection window in a new flow](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.2.png>) 



 



 

After choosing your trigger, you'll see the visualflow editor. It provides a grid where you can add and connect nodes (such as triggers, conditions, and actions). Think of it as creating a "map" for your flow , a logical chain of events that occur on the visitor's side, often referred to as a flow decision tree.

 



 

On the right, you will see a menu with all the available nodes: triggers, conditions, and actions. That is where you select all your building blocks for the current flow; to place a node, simply click on it and drag it onto the editing area.

 



 



 ![The flow editor menu with Triggers, Conditions and Actions](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.3.png>) 



 



 

## Connecting, disconnecting, and moving nodes

 



 

Connect the nodes on your flow map manually. To do that, click on one of the node's points (located around each node) and drag a link towards the other node:

 



 



 ![Two flow nodes joined by a connector](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.4.png>) 



 



 

You can easily reorganize and reconnect these nodes. To disconnect a node, hover over the link and click the X icon:

 



 



 ![The highlighted connection between a First visit on site trigger and a Send a chat message action.](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.5.png>) 



 

After disconnecting one node, you can link another one that you prefer:

 



 



 ![A message node reconnected to an Ask a question node](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.6.png>) 



 



 

If you wish to move several nodes at once, first ensure that you have the **Select cursor** enabled in the lower-left of the editor (that is the default):

 



 



 ![The Select cursor control in the flow editor toolbar](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.7.png>) 



 



 

This mode allows you to select nodes and move them around, using your left mouse click. You can select a larger area with multiple nodes as well:

 



 



 ![Several flow nodes selected together on the canvas](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.8.png>) 



 



 

The other option is the **Move cursor**:

 



 



 ![The Move cursor control in the flow editor toolbar](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.9.png>) 



 



 

This mode will aid you with dragging and moving the screen around for better visibility and navigation (using the left mouse click). You can still select and edit nodes, but only one at a time.

 



 

💡

 

Please note: when in **Select cursor** mode, you can quickly (and temporarily) enable **Move cursor** mode by pressing and holding the spacebar on your keyboard, or by using the right mouse click\!

 



 



 

To delete a node, hover your mouse pointer over the node and click on the X button on the right:

 



 



 ![The Delete control on a flow node](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.10.png>) 



 



 

You can also delete multiple nodes at once. First, select the nodes you wish to delete (by clicking and dragging, as explained earlier). You can't use the X button to delete them all at the same time, however; you need to use either the backspace or delete key on your keyboard.

 



 



 ![Several selected nodes ready for deletion in the flow editor](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.11.png>) 



 



 

## Saving your flow

 



 

While the editor will save your progress automatically (creating a draft version of your flow), you can manually save any changes by hitting the **Activate** button in the top-right. That will also enable your flow, so that it starts working.

 



 



 ![The flow editor header with draft status, Close and Activate](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.12.png>) 



 



 

Of course, you can simply use the **Close** button as well, to exit the editor and keep your changes saved as a draft - you can keep editing the flow later on.

 



 



 

## Adding a Flow template

 



 

If you prefer a quicker start, Tidio offers a variety of pre-designed flow [templates](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/flow-templates/>) categorized by goals - inside the general **Flows** section:

 

- **Sales Flows**
- **Leads Flows**
- **Support Flows**

 



 



 ![The Flows navigation with Sales Flows, Leads Flows and Support Flows](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.13.png>) 



 



 

If **Welcome to Flows** is available in your project, you can open it from the Flows menu to see a recommended starting flow. Not every project shows this tab.

 



 

![The Welcome to Flows screen with a recommended flow](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/legacy-14529484273052.webp>)

 



 



 

### Navigating the templates

 

You can see all the available templates when you access a specific list. You can use the **Search for template...** option if you know what you're looking for; you can also limit your view by using the filter and sorting options at the top:

 



 



 ![The Support Flows template list with search and filter controls](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.15.png>) 



 



 

For example, you can select the communication channel where the template should work (live chat, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp):

 



 



 ![The template channel filter listing Live chat, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.16.png>) 



 



 

... or sort the templates by relevance, popularity, recommendation, date added, or name:

 



 



 ![The template sorting menu with relevance, popularity, recommendation, date and name options](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.17.png>) 



 



 

💡

 

When available in your project, you also get access to **Strategies** - a quick way of adding several flows that work well together. You can learn more about this particular tool in [this article](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/flow-strategies/>).

 



 ![The Flows navigation showing Strategies alongside the template categories.](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.18.png>)

 



 



 

### Adding a template

 

To add and activate a template, you first need to decide which one(s) you like. Find a template in one of the lists, e.g. the **Support Flows** list:

 



 



 ![The Support Flows entry in the navigation](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.19.png>) 



 



 

All of the relevant templates will be listed there in the form of tiles. Hover your mouse over a chosen template to see some more information - and click on the blue **Learn more** button:

 



 



 ![A support template card with Learn more](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.20.png>) 



 



 

You'll see a new window where you can test the flow (as it would appear in your chat widget) by clicking on the **Test it out** button, or customize (and later activate it) by clicking on the blue **Use template** button.

 



 



 ![A template details window with Use template and Test it out](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.21.png>) 



 



 

When you choose **Use template**, templates with a setup wizard show basic customization options, such as message fields. Other templates open directly in the flow editor:

 



 



 ![A template customization screen with an editable message and Activate](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.22.png>) 



 



 

💡

 

Please note that some of the pre-made flows are available on Shopify only. If you select one of the Shopify-specific flows, the system will ask you to connect the flow with your Shopify store.

 



 



 

From the setup wizard, click **Advanced editing** at the bottom to open the flow editor. If you have changed anything in the wizard, a warning explains that continuing will discard those changes.

 

Click on each of the nodes you see on the editing map, and modify the texts to your preference:

 



 



 ![A flow message selected in the advanced editor with its message text open](<https://help.tidio.com/article-media/adding-a-new-flow/2.23.png>) 



 



 

Remember to click **Activate** when finished to ensure the changes are saved, and your new flow is enabled.

 



 



 

## Further reading

 



 

If you wish to learn more about the manual flow creation process (or you're just looking for inspiration), see some of our other articles:

 

- [Collecting valuable data with the Send a Form node](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/send-a-form/>)
- [Create an FAQ flow](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/create-an-faq-flow/>)
- [Flow portals - start one flow from another](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/flow-portals/>)
- [Create an autoresponder for missed conversations](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/autoresponder-missed-conversations/>)
- [Adding links to flows](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/add-links-to-flows/>)
- [Using the Visitors Says trigger](<https://help.tidio.com/articles/visitor-says-flow-trigger/>)