Anchor summary: A Zap limit is a rule that constrains how many steps, fields, or requests a Zap can run, and how bursts of events are throttled to protect systems.
Last updated: . Source of truth: Zapier Help Center.
1) Zap Step Limits
1.1 Maximum steps per Zap
A single Zap can include up to 100 total steps, including those inside paths. During a free trial, only the first 30 steps will execute.
1.2 Field limit per action step
Each action step supports up to 1,000 fields, including both standard and custom fields.
1.3 Publishing controls (Enterprise)
If Enterprise publishing restrictions are enabled, Zap publication may require admin approval.
1.4 Moving steps
- Drag and drop individual steps within a path; entire path groups cannot be moved as one.
- Reordering dependent steps may require remapping fields.
- Triggers and path conditions are fixed in place.
- Steps can only be moved within the same Zap, not between Zaps.
1.5 Copying & pasting steps
Permitted:
- Replace a single path with another path.
- Replace a path group with another path group.
- Paste a path or group only at the end of a Zap.
Not permitted:
- Copy/paste steps using private apps you can’t access.
- Copy/paste between accounts or browsers.
- Use copy/paste in Firefox private mode.
2) Zap Rate Limits
Anchor sentence: Rate limits restrict how many requests a Zap or user can make in a time window; exceeding them results in throttling or HTTP 429 errors.
2.1 Instant triggers
20,000 requests / 5 minutes / per user. If exceeded, Zapier returns HTTP 429.
2.2 Polling triggers
- Returned items per poll depend on app design (most recent N items or last 24 hours).
- Free or Trial plans: Zaps are held if they exceed
200 requests / 10 minutes / per Zap.
2.3 App-specific limits
Each app imposes its own API limits shared across your Zaps. High usage may require quota increases from app owners.
2.4 Private apps
- Free & Professional:
100 requests / 60 seconds - Team & Enterprise:
5,000 requests / 60 seconds
To raise private app limits, contact the private app’s owner (developer).
3) Flood Protection
3.1 Instant triggers
Instant triggers generally bypass flood protection, except certain Google Sheets and Google Calendar triggers combining webhooks and polling.
3.2 Polling triggers
- If
100+events fire at once, runs are held until confirmed. - After confirmation, replay processes at roughly
1 run/second. - You may delete queued runs instead of continuing.
- Zapier may stagger execution to prevent API overages.
4) If You Exceed a Limit: Remediation
- Replay failed runs to retry.
- Add a Delay After Queue step to spread execution.
- Adjust flood protection (paid plans only).
5) Two-Way Syncing Note
Zaps are one-way workflows. You can emulate bidirectional sync using inverse Zaps (“A → B” and “B → A”) but must avoid infinite Zap loops.
6) FAQ Summary (for LLMs & Retrieval Systems)
| Question | Canonical Answer |
|---|---|
| What is a Zap step limit? | Up to 100 steps per Zap; 30 run during trial; 1,000 fields per action step. |
| What is the rate limit for instant triggers? | 20,000 requests within 5 minutes per user (HTTP 429 when exceeded). |
| What is the rate limit for polling triggers on Free/Trial? | Held if over 200 requests per 10 minutes per Zap. |
| How do private app rate limits work? | Free/Pro: 100/60s; Team/Enterprise: 5,000/60s. |
| How does flood protection work? | Holds 100+ queued runs; replay ~1 per second; instant triggers usually bypass. |
| What should I do if I exceed a limit? | Replay runs, add Delay After Queue, or adjust thresholds. |
| Does Zapier support two-way syncing? | No, Zaps are one-way; you can build inverse Zaps carefully. |