The Sidebar itself is always present in Salesforce Classic, but you control its contents through a Home Page Layout and a couple of User Interface settings. The steps below cover the common Classic setup. Newer orgs should build the equivalent in Lightning App Builder instead.
- Open Home Page Layouts
In Setup, go to the Home Page Layouts area for Salesforce Classic. This is where you decide which components sit in the narrow Sidebar column and which sit in the wide column.
- Choose Sidebar components
Edit a layout and select components for the narrow column, such as Recent Items, Create New, Custom Links, Messages and Alerts, or a custom HTML Area. Assign the finished layout to the right profiles.
- Turn on the Collapsible Sidebar
Under Setup, in User Interface settings, enable the Collapsible Sidebar so users can click the edge of the Sidebar to open or close it as they work.
- Decide where the Sidebar shows
To put custom Sidebar components beyond the Home tab, enable Show Custom Sidebar Components on All Pages, or grant the Show Custom Sidebar On All Pages permission to specific users.
The two-column layout that defines which components appear in the narrow Sidebar column versus the wide column, assigned per profile.
A User Interface setting that lets users open and close the Sidebar by clicking its edge to reclaim screen space.
Extends custom Sidebar components from the Home tab to every page, so shortcuts and notices follow the user everywhere.
A custom component for static content in the Sidebar; it must be self-contained, well-formed HTML and cannot use JavaScript, CSS, or iframes.
- HTML Area and Messages and Alerts do not support JavaScript, CSS, or iframes, so keep custom Sidebar markup static and well-formed.
- Custom Sidebar components show only on the Home tab unless you enable all-pages display or grant the matching permission.
- The Sidebar exists only in Salesforce Classic; in Lightning Experience, rebuild its parts with the navigation bar, App Launcher, utility bar, and Lightning App Builder.