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Salesforce Winter ’27 Release Highlights

November 13, 2026

What’s new and how to switch it on

If you’re newer to Salesforce administration, a big release like Winter ’27 can feel like a lot to take in at once. This guide walks through the changes that matter most, in plain English, along with some steps to turn them on. We’ll start with headline updates first, cover key platform updates, and then move into everything new for Nonprofit Cloud.

A quick note before you dive in: some of the features below are still in Beta or Pilot, which means Salesforce hasn’t published full public documentation for them yet. Where that’s the case, we’ve said so and given you the best available details rather than guessing at exact click paths. And as always, remember to double-check settings in a Sandbox before rolling anything out to production.

Headline Updates

New Salesforce Licensing Model

In conjunction with Salesforce’s Winter ’27 Release, came an update to their licensing model. We are highlighting this, as it’s a big update for the nonprofit community, and it is important to some of the information we share below.

As of September 2026, Salesforce has launched new Core, Advanced and Max Editions for Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Industries, including Nonprofit Cloud. These new editions bring together the AI, security, analytics, collaboration, and support nonprofits need to scale in a single purchase.

Every license edition now includes Agentforce, Slack (and Slackbot), Tableau Next, data security, and Premier Success Plans (for those paying for licenses above the 10 free donated licenses to qualifying nonprofits).

Each edition also includes a starting amount of Flex Credits to give customers immediate capacity to experiment, deploy, and scale AI agents across their workflows. Core Editions include 500,000 Flex Credits, Advanced Editions include 1 million Flex Credits, and Max Editions include 2.75 million Flex Credits.

New Pricing is below

Enterprise Edition → Nonprofit Sales and Service Core – £50 per user per month (PUPM)
Unlimited Edition → Nonprofit Sales and Service Advanced – £100 PUPM
Nonprofit Agentforce 1 Edition → Nonprofit Sales Max – £228 PUPM
Nonprofit Agentforce 1 Edition → Nonprofit Service Max – £228 PUPM

Learn more about the new pricing here: https://www.salesforce.com/nonprofit/pricing/

Slack becomes a much bigger part of the Salesforce experience

If your team lives in Slack, this release is a big one. Slackbot (Slack’s built-in AI assistant) has picked up a genuine Salesforce connection in this release, along with the ability to remember context across conversations. In practical terms, that means people on your team can ask Slackbot things like “pull up our open opportunities” or “how’s the forecast looking?” and get an answer grounded in real, live CRM data, without switching over to Salesforce at all. Slackbot Memory means it can also remember stated preferences over time, so it gets more useful the more it’s used. And approvals can now be reviewed and actioned entirely from within Slack too.

How to switch these on: Slackbot Memory is on by default with no admin toggle needed, though each person can turn it off individually if they’d rather it didn’t remember things. To bring Salesforce approvals into Slack, go to Salesforce Settings > Approval Settings and turn on “Notify Approvers in Slack” and “Notify Submitters in Slack” for the relevant Flow Orchestration processes. The Salesforce MCP connection that powers the natural-language queries is set up as its own dedicated integration, worth asking your Salesforce partner or Slack admin whether it’s been connected for your workspace yet.

Platform Highlights

What’s new with Flows and Automation?

Flow picked up a genuinely large number of improvements this release, more than most other areas, so it’s worth a proper look even if you don’t touch Flow Builder every day.

Flow Tags have been removed from the update

This feature would have let you tag and categorise your flows for easier organisation, but it was pulled entirely in mid-September, with Salesforce saying it wasn’t quite ready. We were a bit disappointed by the decision to recall this feature, as we were using it and found it very helpful. Hopefully, it will be back soon, new and improved!

Approvals and work guides

If you use Approval processes, Flow Builder’s Request Approvals component now offers up to 10 different Autolaunched Flow approval processes for a record, instead of being limited to just one. Admins no longer need to build separate record pages, conditional visibility rules, or complex routing logic to guide users to the correct approval path. The Orchestration Work Guide component (in Lightning App Builder and Experience Builder) can now be set up to automatically open someone’s next work item the moment they finish the one they’re on. This means fewer clicks for your users, by auto-surfacing the next work item, and is a great productivity boost.

Improved testing (Test Mode, Beta)

Flow Builder’s old Debug feature is being replaced by Test Mode for Record-Triggered and Autolaunched Flows. It lets you save a test with a fixed set of input values and re-run it repeatedly to check nothing’s broken as you make changes, rather than re-entering test data by hand every time. This is a real time saver!

How to use it: Go to Process Automation Settings in Setup. Turn on the Flow Test Mode (Beta) opt-in setting.

Open a Flow in Flow Builder and look for Test alongside the Build option. As this is still in Beta, test it on a non-critical Flow first. Add a label and description to your test scenario, then, as with Debug, choose your triggering record (from a resource value or via an ID number). Next, update the values in the record update section, and add one or more Expected Results (e.g. the Create records element Equals True). Save Scenario (top Right), then Run Scenario. Flow Builder will then run the flow using your exact saved configuration, and if you’ve added assertions to the Test, will give you a clear Pass or Fail. Like Apex Test Classes, it also evaluates and updates the test coverage metrics for your Flow, and you can then inspect the Test run step by step, to see exactly what happened. This is a higher level of detail than Debug mode and will be a great asset to those of you creating complex Flows.

Run a Flow against multiple records at once (Bulk Screen Flow Processing)

Previously, a Screen Flow could only be launched against one record at a time from a List View, which meant either building a workaround or processing records one by one. Now, a Screen Flow can be launched from a List View or related list and act on every selected record in one go. Saving you ample time.

How to set it up: Create a Flow Quick Action for your Screen Flow, then add it to a List View or related list on the relevant object. Inside the Flow, the selected records are passed in automatically as a text collection variable (an ordered list that holds multiple text values at the same time), which you name “ids” (must be exactly this). Your Screenflow will then surface with the Ids of the records you chose already primed and entered into the Flow via the record Ids collection variable that is available for input that you have created, and you can carry on with your Screenflow.

Flow Builder catches more mistakes before they cause problems

Two related, smaller improvements worth knowing about:

Flow Builder now warns you if a Create Records element (via a record variable) doesn’t have all its required fields mapped,
And separately warns you if a value you’re assigning to a field is longer than that field allows.

Both used to be the kind of thing you’d only find out about when a Flow failed in production; now you get the warning at build time instead – saving you time and avoiding failed Flows.

Where to find it: These warnings appear automatically in Flow Builder as you build and save, no setup needed.

Run a flow with the user’s own permissions (User Context)

A new run-context option lets a Flow execute using the permissions of whoever’s running it, rather than with elevated system access. This closes off a way Flows could previously be used to get around a user’s normal permission restrictions, ensuring only the people who should be able to see and interact with specific records can do so.

How to switch it on: In an Autolaunched or Screen Flow, open How to Run the Flow and select User Context – Enforces User Permissions.

Keeping bigger Flows manageable

A few improvements aimed squarely at anyone maintaining large, complex Flows:

1. Element Grouping: select a section of a Flow, give it a label and description, and collapse or expand it, so you can focus on the part you’re working on. Once you’ve added the Group – add new Elements as usual inside it, or cut and paste existing Elements into the Group section.

2. A filter for unused resources: quickly find Flow Resources that aren’t being used, or that are missing a description, to help keep things tidy.

3. Easier version comparison: click through comparison results to drill into exactly what changed on a specific element, rather than scanning a single change list. Switch between Table and Flow view to visualise the changes.

Full edit history: a timeline view of every save, with the ability to see exactly what changed and restore an earlier version if needed. This is a game-changer. It’s more than the Version history we are used to; it’s a timeline of changes between new versions, which will really help us to revert to a time when we know a part of the Flow was working.

Where to find these: All four are built into Flow Builder directly, no separate setup. Look for them in the canvas toolbar, the resources panel, and the version comparison and history views, respectively.

Split paths by date or field value, no formulas needed

There are two new elements in Flow Builder: Split by Field Value and Split by Date. With Split by Field Value, you pick a field, and each path follows its value. Split by Date works off today’s date. You set up the paths and choose values from simple drop-down pickers, so there’s no need to write expressions or formulas. Salesforce aimed this at marketers who want to send people down different paths based on something as simple as the date, but it’s available in Flow Builder for everyone. Available in Lightning Experience in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited and Developer editions.

Smaller Flow Builder polish

A handful of smaller fixes rounding out the release: Flow “end” points are now saved into the Flow’s underlying metadata, which matters if you use external tools or version control. For example, this Release allows you to use ‘latest’ instead of hardcoding a version number in your REST API URIs. Keyboard shortcuts have also been added for navigating around the canvas, and Flow Builder’s look now supports Salesforce’s newer Cosmos theme (an SLDS 2 theme), which gives us a more modern-looking canvas, colour palette and contrast. The spacing and layout are nicer, too.

Marketing Cloud Flow updates (if relevant to your org)

If your organisation uses Marketing Cloud Growth or Advanced edition, order-related Flow triggers (return, shipment, and status change events) now fire in around 3 seconds instead of 7–10 minutes. And Audience Flows can now be copied with the choice of duplicating or linking their underlying emails, SMS, WhatsApp and RCS messages, so cloning a Flow no longer risks disrupting a live Campaign.

List Views

Two new settings give you more control over inline editing in List Views, and they’re both switched off by default, so nothing changes in your Org until you turn them on.

Edit fields that aren’t on the Page Layout. Previously, a field had to be added to the Page Layout before it could be edited inline from a List View. This setting removes that requirement and saves the Admin time by avoiding the need to temporarily add the field to the Page Layout so someone can fill in a field on a list of records.

Inline editing on List Views with mixed record types. Previously, inline editing was disabled entirely on a List View showing more than one record type. This setting switches it back on. Gone are the days of creating a List View for each Record Type just so Users can make changes within it. Now, users can inline edit any List View, even with multiple Record Types.

How to switch these on: In Setup, go to User Interface, then User Interface again to get to the settings, and turn on the two inline editing options there. Leave them off and list views keep behaving exactly as they do today, although we can’t imagine why you would not want to turn these updates on.

Agentforce is now switched on for everyone, automatically

This one needs no action from you at all, which is exactly the point. Previously, turning on the Agentforce platform meant flipping a setting in Setup first. As of the Winter ’27 release, that separate on/off toggle disappears entirely. If your Org has Agentforce access, the platform is switched on by default, at no extra cost and with no billing changes. One less thing to remember before you can start experimenting with agents.

IMPORTANT: Please note that using Salesforce Agents consumes your Flex Credits. If you are on the new licensing model, then please see the top of this blog for an indication of the number of flex credits you can receive based on your edition. If you are on a previous licensing model, then you will need to set up Salesforce Foundations for your 100,000 free Agentforce Flex Credits that you can use to test your Agents. Be careful to monitor responsibly, as overage fees will apply. If you need advice on this, please reach out.

Tidier, fairer record sharing

A batch of small but genuinely useful sharing improvements landed in this release, several of them driven by long-standing requests from admins on IdeaExchange. Together they solve two problems that have quietly annoyed Salesforce admins for years:

Manual shares disappearing when a record changes hands,
And sharing with a queue accidentally notifying half the management chain.

The first fix means that if you manually share a record with a colleague and then the record’s owner changes, that colleague no longer automatically loses access, something that used to require an Apex workaround to fix. The second means you can create your own named reasons for programmatic shares on standard objects (rather than everything just showing up as “Manual” in the audit trail), which makes life much easier if you’re ever asked to explain who has access to what, and why.

How to switch these on:

To stop disappearing manual shares:

In Setup, search for Sharing Settings.
Scroll all the way down to turn on “Keep manual shares when transferring records” (this is off by default, so existing behaviour won’t change until you switch it on).

To stop sharing a queue with the entire role hierarchy:

To stop a queue from sharing records up the entire role hierarchy, open the queue’s settings and turn off “Grant Access Using Hierarchies”; there’s also an Org-wide default for this on the same Sharing Settings page.

2. To use custom sharing reasons on standard objects, these can be created and managed via the Metadata API or through Setup with Agentforce.

Accessibility

Getting ready for the zoom accessibility updates

Three separate accessibility updates hit their enforcement deadline this release, with one more following next release, so it’s worth getting ahead of them now rather than waiting for Salesforce to switch them on for you. All of these form part of Salesforce’s ongoing work towards WCAG 2.2 Resize and Reflow compliance, which is essentially about making sure Lightning Experience still works properly when someone zooms in past 200%.

Two of the three Winter ’27 release updates have actually been waiting in the wings for a while. The page headers and modal windows update was originally due back in Summer ’26, and the date pickers, popovers, utility bars and record headers update was due around the same time, but Salesforce postponed both to Winter ’27. A newer update covering cards, docked containers, menu lists and panels is also enforced in this release, and it depends on the page headers and modals update being switched on first. A fourth update, covering To Do lists and dual listboxes, isn’t due until Spring ’27, so there’s a bit more breathing room on that one specifically.

If you have any Users who could benefit from this update (for example, those with visual impairments who often use a significant zoom on their screens), please consider switching these on to enable a smooth and reliable experience for your Users who need them.

How to check and switch these on:

1. In Setup, search for Release Updates.
2. You’ll see all four accessibility (Resize and Reflow) updates listed there; use Test Run on each one to see how it affects your Org before switching it on for real.
3. Enable Page Headers and Modal Windows first, as both the Date Pickers/Popovers/Utility Bars/Record Headers update and the Cards/Docked Containers/Menu Lists/Panels update depend on it.
4. To Do Lists and Dual Listboxes can be left until closer to Spring ’27, though there’s no harm in testing them early.

Dark Mode is now generally available to all for your Org’s theme

A nice one for user comfort: SLDS 2 themes can now offer a genuine dark mode, aimed at reducing eye strain in low light and helping users who are sensitive to bright screens. It works with any SLDS 2 theme and keeps your Org’s existing brand colours intact, so it’s a low-risk change to test.

How to switch it on:

In Setup, go to Themes & Branding.
Select your SLDS 2 theme and enable the Dark Mode permission on it, then activate the theme.

3. Once it’s on, individual users can toggle Colour Mode for themselves from their own profile menu.

This is now generally available, but it’s worth trying in a sandbox with a small group first.

Setup with Agentforce gets a lot more capable

Setup with Agentforce (the conversational assistant for admin tasks) has had a big round of upgrades this release, and it’s worth spending a bit of time with it if you haven’t already. It can now act on several users at once (handy for offboarding a batch of leavers, or resetting passwords after a security incident), summarise what a Permission Set or Profile actually grants in plain English, and even create or update Roles conversationally with a confirmation step before anything’s saved. Granting access to it is also simpler, as a single Permission Set group now covers what used to need two.

How to get started: In Setup, search for Setup with Agentforce to find the (now redesigned) guided enablement page, which will walk you through granting the right Permission Set group. Once it’s on, you can simply chat with it from anywhere in Setup.

Nonprofit Cloud Updates

Household names and greetings that update themselves

If you’ve ever sent a mailing with the wrong name on it because a household changed and nobody updated the record, this update is aimed squarely at you. It lets you build naming and greeting templates directly in the setup interface. You map the fields you want to use, choose a naming pattern, and set rules so that deceased or underage household members are automatically left out. From there, whenever someone’s added to or removed from a household, say after a marriage, a new family joining, or a separation, the household name and greeting update themselves automatically, with no manual editing needed.

How to set it up: Group Membership must already be activated. Look for the household naming and greeting template builder in Setup (search for “Household” to find it). You’ll map your fields, choose a pattern, and set your exclusion rules there. A per-household opt-out is available for anyone who needs one, and sequencing overrides are supported, too.

Household automation: less manual admin when creating households

Creating and maintaining household records has traditionally been a fiddly, manual job, fiddly enough that it’s put some organisations off moving away from NPSP. This update lets you switch on household automation and choose which Account Record Type new households should use. Once it’s on, creating a household from Gift Entry, the Fundraising Business Process APIs, or a custom Flow will automatically set up the Party Relationship Group, the household Account, and the Account Contact Relationship for you, no manual record creation required.

How to switch it on: Turn on household automation in Setup and choose your preferred Account Record Type for new households. You can trigger the automation itself from Gift Entry, the Fundraising Business Process APIs, or the FSC New Household wizard. And stay tuned: a standalone invocable action for your own custom entry criteria is coming in November.

Donor Engagement Agent: capture donor conversations before they’re forgotten

Grant teams often end up fielding the same handful of questions over and over. The questions often revolve around eligibility rules, application requirements and submission status, and often come in outside of office hours when nobody’s available to answer. This release provides applicants and grantees with a self-service Agent that can answer these questions directly, drawing on your uploaded policy documents and knowledge base.

How to switch it on: Turn it on in Grantmaking Settings. Once enabled, make sure your policy documents and FAQs are uploaded so the agent has something accurate to draw on.

IMPORTANT: All Agent usage requires Agentforce Flex Credits. Please monitor your usage carefully, and pay attention to the number of free or paid credits available to your organisation. Once you exhaust your free credits, you will be charged for each credit consumed thereafter.

Applicant and Grantee Support Agent: answers outside office hours

How to switch it on: Turn it on in Grantmaking Settings. Once enabled, make sure your policy documents and FAQs are uploaded so the agent has something accurate to draw on.

Evaluation Form Templates: one consistent review process per funding round

Without a standard structure, grant review teams have often had to rebuild evaluation forms from scratch for each new funding cycle, leading to inconsistent scoring and a heavier admin load than necessary. This update lets you apply a single preconfigured evaluation template across all applications in a given round, so every reviewer works from the same structure – saving time and ensuring consistency.

How to set it up: Turn on “Track Applications” in Grantmaking Settings, then create an Action Plan Template with the target entity set to “Application Form Evaluation.” From there, add and configure your Application Form Evaluation Sections.

Evaluation Form Section Sharing: the right reviewer sees the right section

When several specialists, say financial, legal and technical reviewers, are all assessing the same grant application, it’s historically been hard to limit each person to just their own area without duplicating records. This update lets you restrict visibility so each reviewer only sees the sections relevant to their expertise, protecting sensitive information and reducing the chance of one reviewer’s notes influencing another’s.

How to switch it on: Go to Setup > Security > Compliant Data Sharing > Object Enablement Settings, and turn on Application Form Evaluation Section.

Resources

There are, of course, many other Salesforce Winter ‘27 Release updates, so it’s important to highlight some helpful Salesforce resources.

Salesforce Winter ’27 Release Page
Salesforce Winter ’27 Release Notes
Release Readiness Live (watch demos)
Release in a Box (summarised slide deck)
Salesforce Winter ’27 Release Module on Trailhead

We hope the highlights and guides above were useful, and we’re happy to discuss them with you if you have any questions.

Come back in the Spring for our Spring Release blog.

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Salesforce Winter ’27 Release Highlights

What’s new and how to switch it on