App Launcher
The App Launcher is the grid icon in the top-left of the Salesforce Lightning Experience header that opens the menu of apps and items the user can access.
Definition
The App Launcher is the grid icon in the top-left of the Salesforce Lightning Experience header that opens the menu of apps and items the user can access. Clicking it surfaces a panel with two sections: All Apps (the Lightning apps the user can switch to) and All Items (every tab, object, and Salesforce-built page the user has permission to open). The App Launcher is the primary navigation entry point in Lightning, replacing the Salesforce Classic App Menu dropdown.
App Launcher visibility is profile and permission-set driven. An app appears in a user's App Launcher only if their profile or one of their permission sets explicitly grants access to that Lightning App. The order apps appear in is partly user-customizable (drag to reorder favorites) and partly admin-controlled through App Launcher settings. The Launcher also exposes Connected Apps (third-party SSO apps) and external services if the org has them configured, turning it into a unified launchpad for everything a user needs from Salesforce or from systems integrated through Salesforce.
How the App Launcher organizes navigation in Lightning Experience
How App Launcher visibility is controlled
Each Lightning App has a Visible to Profiles section in the App Manager. Users whose profile is listed see the app in their Launcher. Permission sets layered on top of profiles can extend visibility. The App Launcher itself respects the union: a user sees an app if their profile OR any of their permission sets grants access. The App Launcher hides apps without access automatically, so users do not see grayed-out entries. The default behavior is right for most orgs; the only common adjustment is for trial profiles or community user types that should not see admin-facing apps.
The App Launcher search bar
The Launcher has a search bar at the top that searches across apps, tabs, and items. Typing "case" surfaces the Case tab, the Service Console app, and any Knowledge Article record types tied to cases. The search is fuzzy and respects access: the user sees only items they can open. The search bar is the fastest way to navigate in Lightning. Power users skip the App Launcher panel entirely by hitting the keyboard shortcut and typing the first three letters of their target. Trained users find this faster than scrolling through a navigation menu.
Pinned apps and the favorites pattern
Inside the App Launcher panel, users can drag apps to reorder them. The most-used apps move to the top. Drag-and-drop reordering is per-user and persistent. Admins cannot force a global app order, but they can influence default order through the Default App setting on user profiles. The Default App is what opens after login if the user has not customized their navigation. Setting the Default App for support agents to the Service Console saves a click on every login.
Connected Apps and OAuth-driven SSO entries
Connected Apps with the App Launcher visibility flag appear in the All Apps section alongside Lightning Apps. Clicking a Connected App entry initiates an OAuth flow to the third-party system: Slack, Google Workspace, an internal HR tool. The user lands on the external system already authenticated. This makes the App Launcher a unified SSO launchpad for any tool integrated through Connected App configuration. Most modern Salesforce orgs use this pattern to give employees one-click access to every SaaS tool they use, with Salesforce as the identity provider.
All Items: tabs beyond the active app
The All Items section of the App Launcher shows every tab the user has permission to access, regardless of which Lightning App they are currently in. This is what lets a user in the Service Console app open a quick Account tab without switching apps. The list is dynamic: enabling a new object surface (creating a custom object with a tab, installing a managed package with tabs) automatically updates the All Items list for users with access. Most users use All Items as a search target, not as a browse target. The list is long.
Mobile App Launcher experience
The Salesforce Mobile App has its own App Launcher accessed through a hamburger menu. The mobile version follows the same access rules as the desktop version but with a touch-optimized layout. Apps are listed by name with icons; tabs and items are grouped by app. The mobile Launcher is the entry point for field users who switch between cases, opportunities, and routes during their work day. The unified access model means an admin grants access once and both surfaces respect it.
Customizing app order and the App Launcher Setup page
Setup, App Launcher offers limited customization for admins. The page lets admins control which Connected Apps appear in the Launcher, override the user-customizable order with a sortable list (rare), and disable the All Items section entirely (also rare). For most orgs, the defaults are correct and the Setup page is rarely visited. The exception is multi-tenant identity scenarios where the admin needs precise control over which external apps appear in the Launcher per user population.
Configuring the App Launcher for user navigation
The App Launcher works out of the box for new orgs. Admin work is about controlling visibility per profile and configuring Connected Apps if SSO is part of the deployment.
- Review default app visibility on profiles
Setup, App Manager. For each Lightning App, check Visible to Profiles. Confirm trial, community, and partner profiles do not see admin-only apps.
- Set the Default App per profile
Setup, Profiles, edit the profile. Under App Settings, set the Default App. Support profiles default to Service Console, sales profiles default to the Sales app. Saves a click per login.
- Add Connected Apps to the Launcher
Setup, Connected Apps. For each Connected App, enable Start URL and Mobile Start URL, configure Visibility (Profiles or Permission Sets). The app appears in the All Apps section after the changes propagate.
- Train users on the search bar
Many users do not realize the App Launcher search bar searches tabs and items, not just apps. A 5-minute training accelerates daily navigation across the team.
- Audit the All Items list quarterly
Setup, Tabs. Confirm new objects and custom tabs are visible to the right profiles. The All Items section auto-updates, so audits catch the rare case where a new tab is hidden incorrectly.
App-level setting that controls which profiles see the app in their Launcher. Permission sets can extend visibility beyond profile.
Per-profile setting for which app opens after login. Saves a click on every session for high-frequency users.
Per-Connected-App configuration that adds OAuth-driven external apps to the Launcher.
Per-user drag-and-drop ordering of apps within the Launcher panel. Persistent across sessions.
Top-of-Launcher search across apps, tabs, and items. The fastest navigation path for trained users.
- App visibility is the union of profile and permission set grants. A user might see an app you forgot you granted through a permission set. Audit when access seems unexpected.
- The Default App setting per profile applies on login. Users who switch apps during their session do not return to the Default App on the next page load.
- Connected Apps require the Start URL configured to launch correctly from the App Launcher. Without it, clicking the Connected App entry goes nowhere.
- The Launcher search is fuzzy but case-sensitive in some places. Typing partial matches usually works; obscure abbreviations may not.
- Mobile App Launcher and desktop App Launcher share the access model. A change in profile visibility applies to both surfaces simultaneously.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on App Launcher.
- Lightning App LauncherSalesforce Help
- Create a Lightning AppSalesforce Help
- Connected AppsSalesforce Help
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. Where is the App Launcher located in Lightning Experience?
Q2. What determines which apps appear in a user's App Launcher?
Q3. What feature of the App Launcher is especially helpful in large orgs?
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