What is the maximum limit of the apex flex queue?

The Apex Flex Queue holds up to 100 batch jobs in Holding status. Combined with the 5 jobs that can be Processing (active) at once, a single Salesforce org can have up to 105 batch jobs queued simultaneously waiting their turn.

The numbers

Try to submit a 106th batch via Database.executeBatch and you get:

System.LimitException: Attempt to add a job to the apex flex queue failed because the queue is full.

How jobs flow through

1. Database.executeBatch(new MyBatch()) is called.
2. If fewer than 5 batches are Processing, your job goes straight to Processing.
3. Otherwise, it goes to the Flex Queue with status Holding.
4. When a Processing job completes, the front of the Flex Queue is promoted to Processing.
5. The queue is FIFO by default — first in, first out — but you can reorder it via Setup or FlexQueue Apex APIs.

Where you see it

Setup → Apex Flex Queue lists all Holding jobs in order. You can:

• View each job’s class and submitted date
• Reorder positions (move up/down/top/bottom)
• Abort individual Holding jobs

The Apex Flex Queue page is sibling to (but distinct from) Setup → Apex Jobs, which shows everything regardless of status.

Programmatic queue management

// Get a specific job's position
Boolean moved = FlexQueue.moveJobToFront(jobId);
Boolean back  = FlexQueue.moveJobToEnd(jobId);
Boolean above = FlexQueue.moveBeforeJob(jobId, otherJobId);
Boolean below = FlexQueue.moveAfterJob(jobId, otherJobId);

Each returns true on success. Reordering only affects Holding jobs — once Processing, the order is fixed.

What the limit applies to

Only batch uses the Flex Queue.

Common interview follow-ups

• What if I submit job #106? — LimitException: Apex Flex Queue is full.
• Can the limit be raised? — No, it’s a fixed platform limit.
• Why is the limit not visible in Limits class? — The Flex Queue limit is org-wide, not per-transaction; Limits.getQueueableJobs is for the per-transaction Queueable cap (50).

Verified against: Apex Developer Guide — Apex Flex Queue. Last reviewed 2026-05-17.