Launch Screen Flows in Lightning Experience with a URL
Summary
Salesforce's Spring '26 release introduces a new URL format to launch Screen Flows directly within Lightning Experience and console apps, significantly improving performance and user experience. This updated URL pattern supports Lightning runtime, the Cosmos theme, and local flow actions that were previously unsupported. Salesforce professionals can leverage this pattern to embed flows in buttons or hyperlinks with smooth UI integration and better reliability. It also allows specifying specific flow versions in the URL. Switching to this URL standard enables better flow launching practices inside Lightning environments.
Takeaways
- Use the new /lightning/flow/YourFlowName?flow__VariableName=Value URL format to launch Screen Flows in Lightning Experience.
- Include 'flow__' prefix in URL parameters to properly pass variables to the flow.
- Specify flow versions in the URL with /YourFlowName/versionId format if needed.
- The new URL format supports Lightning runtime, Cosmos theme, and local flow actions like toast messages.
- Avoid the old /flow/flowName?VariableName=Value format for launching flows in Lightning Experience.
There are several ways to launch a Screen Flow such as quick actions, URL buttons, or even hyperlink formula fields. But when you launch a flow from a URL button or hyperlink, Salesforce doesn't open it in the Lightning runtime. That can lead to a slower, less reliable experience, and some local actions won't run as expected. In the Spring '26 release , Salesforce addressed this by introducing a new standardized URL format to launch Screen Flows properly in Lightning Experience and Lightning console apps. New URL Format to Launch Screen Flows in Lightning Experience Salesforce introduced a new standardized URL format for opening Screen Flows in Lightning Experience and Lightning console apps. It brings several benefits: better performance, a smoother experience inside console apps (without bouncing users out), and more consistent behavior in the browser. It also supports the Salesforce Cosmos theme and Flow local actions.