You can change a Journey after it’s been published. Existing learners stay on the version they started; new learners see the updated Journey. This article covers what’s safe to change, what to watch for, and how Continu handles in-progress versus new learners during an edit.

The model

Every Journey has a version. When you edit a published Journey and save, that creates a new version under the hood. Learners are tied to the version they were on when they started.

• In-progress learners — continue on the version they started. Their experience doesn’t change when an admin edits the Journey.
• New learners — start on whichever version is current when they begin.
• Completed learners — already finished; edits don’t apply retroactively.

This is the rule that prevents the “the new content isn’t showing up for half my team” support ticket. The reason it’s not showing up: those learners are on the previous version of the Journey.

What you can safely edit

Section content. Add, remove, or reorder content within a section. New learners see your changes; in-progress learners see what was there when they started.

Section structure. Add new sections, remove sections, change the order. Same versioning rule applies.

Completion requirements. Switch a section from All Content to Some Content, change the required count, or mark a section optional. Applies to new starts only.

Section order rule. Change between Locked and Open at the Journey level. Applies to new starts only.

Test-out assessments. Add, change, or remove the test-out assessment for a section. Applies to new starts only.

Delays. Adjust the days between sections. Applies to new starts only.

Title, description, banner, thumbnail. Visual and metadata changes. These generally apply to everyone (because they’re rendered fresh each page load), but the underlying structure stays versioned.

Smart Segmentation audience. Change who can see the Journey. This may add or remove access for learners depending on the rule change.

What to think carefully about

Removing content from a section. In-progress learners still see the content they’re on — but if you remove content that was required and they’re partway through, their completion math may shift. Their experience generally remains stable, but spot-check after major removals.

Switching completion mode from All to Some (or vice versa). Only affects new starts. In-progress learners continue with the original rule. If you want all learners to move to the new rule, the cleanest path is to assign a new version explicitly.

Adding or removing entire sections. New sections appear for new starts only. Removing a section that in-progress learners haven’t reached yet leaves their Journey shorter than they originally saw.

Changing the test-out assessment. Only affects new starts. In-progress learners keep the test-out they originally had.

Changing delays. Only affects new starts and only for sections they haven’t yet unlocked. A learner whose Section 3 already unlocked won’t be re-locked if you increase the delay.

How to edit a live Journey

1. Open the Journey in the admin
2. Click Edit (no need to unpublish or pause)
3. Make changes — content, sections, completion rules, order, test-outs, delays
4. Save

[SCREENSHOT: Edit view of a published Journey showing the changes being made to a section]

The save creates a new version. Anyone who starts the Journey after this point sees the new version.

Communicating changes

Because in-progress learners stay on the version they started, edits don’t immediately reach everyone. If you want to communicate a change:

Add a note to the section description. Free-text changes (like the section title or description) generally render fresh, so adding a note like “Updated May 2026 — see new module on regulatory changes” can reach existing learners.

Send a notification. Use an Automation or a manual notification to alert learners that the Journey has been updated. Direct them to revisit the relevant section.

Re-assign the Journey. For a major refresh you want everyone to see, create a fresh assignment. Existing learners will be added to the latest version of the Journey.

What learners see during an edit

In-progress learners notice nothing. They continue with their version of the Journey, with no indication that admin work is happening behind the scenes. Their progress, their completion status, their next section — all stable.

This is by design. Mid-Journey learners shouldn’t be surprised by structural changes mid-flight.

Versioning isn't a manual operation

You don’t pick a version number, name a version, or roll back to a previous version. Continu manages versioning automatically. From the admin’s perspective: you edit, you save, the new version is live for new starts.

If you need to make a major change that should reset everyone (rare), the cleanest pattern is to:

1. Archive the existing Journey
2. Create a new Journey with the new structure
3. Assign the new Journey to the audience that should be on it

This is heavier than an in-place edit but gives a clean break.

Common pitfalls

See Also

• Journeys v2: What’s New
• Section Order: Locked vs. Open
• Section Completion: All, Some, or Optional
• Automations