Configuring a Related List is a page-layout exercise: pick which columns appear, set the sort order, configure row count, expose custom buttons. The work is incremental and most useful on the most-viewed parent objects.
- Open the parent object page layout
Setup, Object Manager, Account (or other), Page Layouts. Edit the layout assigned to the relevant user population.
- Drag the Related Lists palette item
Click Related Lists in the palette, drag to the desired position on the layout. The default list set appears (Contacts, Opportunities, Cases, others).
- Configure each list's columns
Click the wrench icon on a list. Add or remove columns from the picker. Set the default sort field. Click OK to save the configuration.
- Set the row count default
On the same configuration popup, set Number of Records to Display: 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200. Higher counts feel more complete but slow page load.
- Add custom buttons
Custom buttons configured on the child object can be exposed at the related list level. Select them in the configuration popup.
- Save the page layout
Save the layout. Open a record to verify the related list configuration. Repeat for other page layouts that need the same treatment.
The fields shown in each row of the related list. Configurable per list per layout.
The field used to sort the list and the direction (ascending or descending). Affects which records appear at the top.
The row count displayed before pagination kicks in. 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 are the options.
Buttons exposed above the list (Add Multiple, Mass Edit) configured at the child object level.
Lightning App Builder feature that conditions related list visibility on parent field values.
- Related Lists do not exist as separate metadata. They are derived from Lookup and Master-Detail relationships. Deleting the relationship field deletes the related list.
- Default sort fields are limited to indexed fields on the child object. Sorting by a non-indexed field may slow page load on records with many child records.
- The row count cap is 200. Records beyond that paginate. For high-volume relationships (hundreds of children), consider a custom list view or Lightning component instead of a default related list.
- Sharing rules apply to related list contents. A user sees only the children they have access to, which may differ from the total count shown on the parent's read-only record header.
- Dynamic Related Lists require Lightning App Builder, not the classic page layout editor. Mixing the two on the same record page is supported but requires deliberate design.