Chatter Favorite
Chatter Favorite is the Salesforce feature that lets users save records, list views, Topics, or Chatter posts as personal favourites for quick access from the Favorites menu in Lightning Experience.
Definition
Chatter Favorite is the Salesforce feature that lets users save records, list views, Topics, or Chatter posts as personal favourites for quick access from the Favorites menu in Lightning Experience. The Favorites menu appears in the top navigation bar; selecting a saved favourite navigates the user back to that record, list view, or filtered feed. Where Chatter Bookmarks save Feed Items specifically, Chatter Favorites saves broader entities including Accounts, Opportunities, Cases, custom-object records, list views, and Chatter Topics.
Chatter Favorites matter because Salesforce users navigate to the same records repeatedly: their top accounts, the dashboard they check daily, the list view they use to triage cases. Without Favorites, every navigation requires search or app-launcher clicks. With Favorites, the top navigation surfaces the user's most-used destinations one click away. Lightning Experience replaced the legacy Chatter Favorites tab (Classic Chatter) with the Favorites menu in the global header; the feature is more useful in the modern surface because it covers more entity types and integrates with the navigation bar that users already look at constantly.
How Chatter Favorites speed Salesforce navigation
What can be favourited
Records (any object), list views, Chatter Topics, Reports, Dashboards, and certain feed surfaces all support favouriting. The star icon in the page header marks the current location as a favourite; the Favorites menu in the global navigation lists every saved item.
Adding and removing favourites
The star icon in the page header toggles favourite state for the current page. Clicking once adds; clicking again removes. The Favorites menu also exposes Manage Favorites for bulk reorder and removal.
Per-user storage
Favorites are personal. No one else sees a user's favourites; the action is not a recommendation, share, or follow. The user-specific storage is per Salesforce user.
Favorites versus Bookmarks
Chatter Bookmarks save Chatter Feed Items specifically. Chatter Favorites save broader entities (records, list views, Topics). Both are personal organisation tools but operate on different objects. Use Favorites for navigation; use Bookmarks for feed items to revisit.
Favorites versus Following
Following a record pulls its updates into the user's Chatter feed. Favouriting a record adds it to the user's quick-navigation menu. The two are independent; users typically follow far fewer records than they favourite.
Lightning Experience versus Classic
Classic Chatter had a separate Favorites tab. Lightning Experience replaced that with the global header Favorites menu. The Lightning approach is more discoverable and supports more entity types. Most users adopt the Lightning Favorites menu naturally; Classic-era documentation references the older tab pattern.
Mobile favourites
The Salesforce Mobile App surfaces favourites in the navigation menu. Mobile users tend to favourite their top-three or top-five records and rely on those for daily access; the small screen makes the Favorites menu more valuable on mobile than on desktop.
Common patterns
Three patterns recur. Sales reps favourite their top accounts and daily list views. Service agents favourite the case queue list view they triage. Executives favourite the dashboards they check daily. Each pattern produces dramatically faster navigation than search-and-click.
How to use Chatter Favorites effectively
Favorites need no admin configuration. The work is training users to use them and pairing with the other navigation tools.
- Star the destinations you visit often
Click the star icon in the page header on records, list views, dashboards, and Topics you visit repeatedly. The destination joins the Favorites menu.
- Access from the global Favorites menu
Click the Favorites star in the top navigation. The menu lists every saved favourite; clicking navigates back instantly.
- Reorder or remove with Manage Favorites
From the Favorites menu, click Manage Favorites. Drag to reorder, delete the ones no longer used. Keep the menu lean.
- Train users during Salesforce onboarding
Favorites are one of the highest-leverage productivity tips for new Salesforce users. Make them part of onboarding rather than discovery.
- Combine with Topics following and Bookmarks
Favorites for navigation, Topics for ongoing feeds, Bookmarks for specific Chatter posts. The three together cover most personal organisation needs.
- Favorites are personal. No one else sees them; the action is not a share or recommendation.
- Favorites accumulate without curation. Periodic Manage Favorites cleanup keeps the menu useful.
- Classic Chatter's Favorites tab is legacy. Modern documentation uses the Lightning global header Favorites menu.
- Following and Favouriting are independent. Many users conflate them; the distinction matters for navigation versus feed behaviour.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Favorites in Lightning ExperienceSalesforce Help
- Chatter OverviewSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Chatter Favorite.
- Add and Remove FavoritesSalesforce 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. What does a Chatter Favorite save?
Q2. How does a Chatter Favorite differ from a Chatter Bookmark?
Q3. What is a common use case for Chatter Favorites?
Discussion
Loading discussion…