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Full Package Installation entry
How-to guide

How to install a package

These steps cover installing a package through the standard installer, whether you start from AppExchange or from a direct installation URL. Run it in a sandbox first, then repeat in production.

By Dipojjal Chakrabarti · Founder & Editor, Salesforce DictionaryLast updated Jun 16, 2026

These steps cover installing a package through the standard installer, whether you start from AppExchange or from a direct installation URL. Run it in a sandbox first, then repeat in production.

  1. Open the installer

    From AppExchange, click Get It Now on the listing and pick your target org, or paste the publisher's installation URL into a browser already logged in to that org. Use login.salesforce.com for production and Developer Edition, and test.salesforce.com for a sandbox.

  2. Confirm the target and terms

    Verify you are installing into the correct org and the right environment type. Enter an installation password if the publisher provided one, then agree to the terms and conditions and continue.

  3. Choose who gets access

    Select Install for Admins Only, Install for All Users, or Install for Specific Profiles. Choose Admins Only while you test, so business users do not see an unconfigured app.

  4. Approve any external access

    If prompted, review and approve third-party access and the package's remote site settings. Read each entry rather than approving blindly, since you are granting the app the ability to call external services.

  5. Install and wait for completion

    Click Install. Small packages finish in seconds; larger ones run in the background and Salesforce emails you when done. Confirm success on the Installed Packages page in Setup.

  6. Configure and enable users

    Follow the publisher's setup guide: assign permission sets, add components to layouts or Lightning pages, set custom settings, and then enable the users who need the app.

Key options
Install for Admins Onlyremember

Grants access to administrators and users with Customize Application. The safest starting choice while you validate the package.

Install for All Usersremember

Grants access to every internal user with a standard or custom profile. Use only when the app is meant for the whole org.

Install for Specific Profilesremember

Lets you set the access level per profile, giving the finest control over who receives the package's permissions at install time.

Installation passwordremember

An optional key the publisher supplies for private or licensed packages. Enter it before the install proceeds.

Gotchas
  • Some packages cannot be cleanly uninstalled once data depends on them, so always test in a sandbox before production.
  • The install-time access choice is a starting point, not the final access model. Refine it afterward with permission sets.
  • Installing is not configuring. An installed package usually needs setup work before users see any value.
  • For sandbox installs use test.salesforce.com, not login.salesforce.com, or the URL targets the wrong environment.
  • Managed packages upgrade in place, but unmanaged packages have no upgrade path, so plan maintenance around the package type.

See the full Package Installation entry

Package Installation includes the definition, worked example, deep dive, related terms, and a quiz.