Configure Object-Level Help in two steps: build the content (a Visualforce page or external URL), then point the custom object at it. Total elapsed time for a URL-based override is usually under 10 minutes.
- Decide on Visualforce or URL
Pick URL if your help docs live in Confluence, Notion, or a similar external system and require no personalization. Pick Visualforce if help content needs profile-aware logic or must stay inside the Salesforce chrome for compliance.
- Build the Visualforce page (if applicable)
Create a new Visualforce page under Setup > Visualforce Pages. The page can be as simple as static HTML or as rich as an Apex-controlled component. Test that the page renders for the profiles that will use it; grant page-level access through profiles or permission sets.
- Open the custom object's setup
Setup > Object Manager > [object name] > Details. Scroll to the Custom Help Settings section. Click Edit.
- Choose Help Setting and link
Set Help Setting to either Open a window using a Visualforce page or Open a window using a custom URL. Pick the page or paste the URL. Save.
- Verify in each context
Click the help icon on the object's tab home, on a list view, on the New dialog, and on a record detail page. Confirm the configured content appears every time. If it falls back to the default Salesforce help, recheck the Custom Help Settings save.
Default behavior. Help icon points to Salesforce''s generic documentation. Useful only for objects users do not interact with often.
Renders a VF page inside Salesforce. Best for personalized, branded help that needs to stay in the platform.
Opens an external URL in a new browser tab. Best for docs hosted in external systems like Notion, Confluence, or a public site.
- Object-Level Help is custom-object only. Trying to configure it for standard objects through metadata API or workbench will not work; the help link is hard-coded for standard objects.
- The Visualforce page needs profile-level Enabled Visualforce Pages access. Users without access see Insufficient Privileges when clicking Help. Test as a low-privilege user before launch.
- External URLs that send X-Frame-Options DENY will fail to render inside a Salesforce iframe in older help-link implementations. Open in a new tab to avoid the issue.
- The help link is invisible to most users until somebody points it out. Pair Object-Level Help with onboarding documentation so users know to click the question mark.