Winter ‘26 preview orgs are live, and it’s time for a preview party! This exciting time, when changes become available in preview orgs, is about to kick off. We’ll share the sign-up link once preview org registrations go live on August 21. Then, we’ll have the opportunity to explore the new Salesforce release features before they’re pushed to production. It’s the perfect chance to learn how to harness these new capabilities when they are officially released (full details here).
You will be able to access these features before then if you have signed up for a preview org in the past – but if not, you’ll need to wait until then to sign up. This is an excellent reminder to save your preview org credentials so that you can access future features sooner!
1. The Logo Has the Full Release Name
I really don’t want this small but thoughtful change to go unrecognized – especially as an Australian, where our seasons are all backward compared to the majority of the rest of the world. Salesforce has made sure to include the full name of the release in the logo in Winter ‘26, not just the year. This makes it so you’ll never forget which version of Salesforce is currently running again!
2. Setup Menu Sidebar Is Collapsible
Winter ‘26 introduces the ability to collapse the sidebar in the Setup Menu. Gone are the days of the fixed bar across most pages, and the missing sidebar for the rest. The sidebar is consistently across all pages that I’ve checked in the Setup Menu (notably the Object Manager), and can be collapsed when it is not required.
The next big thing I’d love to see here is the ability to drag and expand the sidebar to be bigger or smaller (as we see throughout the Flow Builder now for various menus) and the ability to customize the tabs in the Setup Menu without needing to use Chrome extensions. Maybe this is something that a Setup App could fix?
3. Screen Flow Supports Improved Debug Experience
Summer ‘25 acquainted us with the new Debug Experience, but left us with the legacy version for Screen Flows. That changes with Winter ‘26!
We’ve got access to the side-by-side Debug-Canvas combo and a new Debug-Screen view that is unique to Screen Flow. This is a really nice implementation of such a powerful tool. If you’re curious about how the new Debug Experience works, check out Andreea’s in-depth post, which goes over all the new features and how best to use them.
4. Debug Panel Moved to the Left
The first time you click the Debug button on a Flow in Winter ‘26, you’ll feel like you’ve entered a mirror dimension. Debug now opens on the left-hand side of the page instead of the right. According to Adam White’s post, the key reason for this is so that you can have the Debug Panel open at the same time as the element configuration. He also alluded to “some pretty cool stuff” planned for future releases.
Winter ‘26 also tidies up the formatting of collection data in the Debug view – a welcome change for Flow.
5. QR Code Login on Mobile
Enabled in the Salesforce Mobile App Setup page is the ability to log in with QR codes in Winter ‘26.
Once enabled, users will be able to generate a QR code and log in with their mobile device without needing to enter a username or password.
6. Customizable Mobile Home Page in Salesforce App
Winter ‘26 has lots of love for the Salesforce Mobile App! Now, you can create a customized Mobile Home page for your users.
Similar to the Lightning App Builder, you’ve got a list of components that you can add to the page, and you’ll see a nice preview of a mobile device.
7. User Field History Tracking
You can now keep track of changes to your users in Winter ‘26. Head over to the User Management Settings, toggle on the Enable User Field History Tracking feature, and then go to the User object in Object Manager.
This is super handy, but I must admit it’s odd seeing a new feature have the Classic paint job!
8. Preview Themes and Styles in Screen Flow
If you’re not using the standard Lightning theme in your Salesforce environment, Winter ‘26 lets you see what your Screen Flows will look like with the Preview Style feature.
Notably missing from this new feature is the ability to preview SLDS2 themes. I’m sure they’re cooking up something interesting in their Salesforce ‘kitchen’ here!
9. AI-Driven Decision Element Criteria
Winter ‘26 introduces a new AI feature for us: provide instructions and allow AI to dynamically assess data to determine an outcome rather than a set of decision criteria in Salesforce Flow.
I’m honestly just excited to see a new AI feature without “Agentforce” or “Einstein” in its name!
10. Flow Version Tabular Comparison
New in Winter ‘26, you can now compare multiple different versions of the same Flow and see the changes that were made.
This is handy if you’re experiencing different behaviour that could have been caused by recent Flow changes and want to see exactly what changed between versions.
We’re one step closer to the Spatial Flows future I envisioned!
BONUS: Data Table Supports Apex-Defined Variables
The native Data Table solution has a new Winter ‘26 feature: the ability to display Apex-Defined Collection Variables. Simply specify the variable in the Source Collection field, and make sure you select a Unique Identifier in the Configure Rows section.
Even with this new feature, Salesforce has not yet given us the ability to edit data within a Data Table. Regardless, it’s still a welcome improvement.
WANTED: Missing Features
Flow Trigger Explorer in Automation App
With the Automation App now being where we manage Flows, it would be great to see the Flow Trigger Explorer added to this. I’d also love to see it with some new features and using LWC instead of Aura!
Enhanced Role List View Hierarchy
The Enhanced Role List View was released in Spring ‘25 but did not come with a Hierarchical View. This makes it a great feature that is borderline unusable because it is missing a critical feature.
Editable Data Table Component
I know there are countless third-party solutions – which is brilliant and one of the great strengths of the Salesforce ecosystem – but what about orgs with tight security where installing third-party apps is difficult? What about making the already great Data Table component even greater by allowing editable cells?
New Schema Builder
Schema Builder is a powerful tool but is dreadfully outdated. It shares aesthetics with Cloud Flow Designer, which was replaced in 2019. There are also limitations in terms of screen real estate – a great opportunity to explore making this tool better!
Summary
And there you have it! These are my favorite features (uncovered so far!), including a few that I’ve read about but haven’t yet been lucky enough to get my hands on. This release includes a number of large changes across many areas of the system that will make for an even more polished experience for admins, developers (both declarative and programmatic), and end users alike.
I’m sure there are many more user management and Setup features that I’m yet to uncover, as this has been a key area of focus for the Salesforce development team. These changes are always extremely well received by admins, developers, and users alike, as they help create a sense of seamlessness for the entire core product.
It’ll be exciting to see some of the more hidden features come to light when the Salesforce release notes are available on August 27 – what a bonanza of a release this one is! And don’t forget to sign up for a pre-release org (the link will be available here once registrations are open) to see what you can find.
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