Creating a Draft Article is a multi-step workflow: author the content, set metadata, optionally route for review, then publish. The flow takes a few minutes for a single article and is the same in Lightning Knowledge and Classic.
- Open Knowledge and click New Article
Navigate to the Knowledge app, click New Article. Pick the article type (FAQ, How-To, Known Issue, or whatever types your org uses) and the language.
- Author the title and body
Title appears in search results; body is the article content. Use the rich-text editor to format headings, lists, images, and links. Salesforce supports HTML for advanced formatting.
- Set the Data Categories
Assign the article to one or more Data Categories. This drives visibility to readers and search facets. Leaving categories blank typically means the article will not surface in customer-facing searches.
- Fill in metadata fields
Validation Status, Article Type, Channels (Internal App, Customer, Partner, Public Knowledge Base), and any custom fields your org has added. Channels gate which audiences see the article once published.
- Save as Draft
Click Save. The article enters the Draft state. It is not yet visible to readers. You can continue editing, route for approval, or come back later.
- Submit for approval and publish
If approval is required, click Submit for Approval to route the Draft through your configured Approval Process. Once approved (or if no approval is required), click Publish. The article goes live and becomes the Published version.
The article''s headline. Appears in search results and the article header.
The slug used in the article''s URL. Set automatically from the title but editable.
The language of this Draft. Each language version is a separate record.
Drives the available fields and the layout. Org-defined (FAQ, How-To, Known Issue, etc.).
- Drafts are not visible to readers, even with category access. View Draft Articles permission is required to see them; reviewers who lack it cannot help review.
- Save does not publish. Clicking Save preserves the Draft; clicking Publish makes it visible. Mixing these up means readers wait days for content that is already written.
- Channels gate visibility independent of category access. An article with the Public Knowledge Base channel disabled will not appear on your public site no matter what data categories it has.
- Draft Articles count toward Knowledge storage limits. Cleaning up abandoned Drafts is good hygiene, especially in orgs with high authoring volume.