Classic Letterheads
Classic Letterheads in Salesforce are the legacy branded header-footer wrappers that HTML Classic Email Templates used to apply consistent visual branding across outbound emails.
Definition
Classic Letterheads in Salesforce are the legacy branded header-footer wrappers that HTML Classic Email Templates used to apply consistent visual branding across outbound emails. Each Letterhead is a metadata record under Setup, Email, Classic Letterheads that defines a header (logo, banner image, top section), a footer (legal text, social links, opt-out instructions), and the colour palette and font defaults that wrap the email body. HTML Classic Email Templates link to one Letterhead; the Letterhead's wrapper renders around the template's body content at send time.
Classic Letterheads have been deprecated since 2021. Salesforce stopped enabling Letterheads for new orgs and moved branded-email capability into Lightning Email Templates with Email Branding (a Lightning-era replacement that uses Builder UI instead of HTML editing). Existing Letterheads still work in orgs that had them; new orgs do not see the Letterheads UI. Reading any contemporary Salesforce documentation, treat Classic Letterheads as a legacy feature; modern email branding uses Lightning Email Template branding instead. The Workflow Email Alert dependency on Classic templates (which often reference Letterheads) is the main reason Classic Letterheads persist in many production orgs.
Classic Letterheads and the migration to Lightning Email Branding
How Letterheads worked
Each Letterhead defined a header band (top of email), a footer band (bottom of email), and the visual settings (background colour, body font, alignment) for the email body in between. HTML Classic Email Templates picked one Letterhead; the template wrote the body content that rendered between the header and footer.
Why Letterheads existed
Pre-Lightning Salesforce had no first-party email-branding system. Letterheads gave admins a way to ensure all branded HTML emails shared a consistent header and footer without copy-pasting the same HTML into every template. The branding decision lived once in the Letterhead; templates inherited it.
Letterhead deprecation
Salesforce stopped enabling Letterheads for new orgs in 2021 as part of the broader Classic Email Template deprecation. Existing orgs retained Letterheads for backward compatibility, particularly because Workflow Email Alerts and Approval Process Email Alerts still depend on Classic templates that may use Letterheads.
Lightning Email Templates and Email Branding
Lightning Email Templates replace the Classic template plus Letterhead combination with a unified branded template authored through the Lightning UI. Email Branding records hold logo, colours, and footer defaults; templates inherit branding without the rigid Letterhead wrapper model.
Migrating Letterhead-based templates
Migration involves recreating each Classic HTML template (with its Letterhead) as a Lightning Email Template that inherits an Email Branding record. The visual result usually matches if the Email Branding is configured to mirror the Letterhead. Any Workflow Email Alert references to the old template must update to the new Lightning template (where supported) or keep using the Classic template alongside Lightning equivalents.
Why orgs still keep Letterheads alive
Workflow Email Alerts and Approval Process Email Alerts continue to reference Classic Email Templates, some of which use Letterheads. Until those automation surfaces migrate to Lightning equivalents, Letterheads survive in production. Most large orgs have a mix: Lightning Email Templates for new authoring, Classic templates with Letterheads for legacy automation.
Letterhead structure in metadata
Letterhead metadata includes Background Color, Top Line Color, Header Properties (logo, alignment, height), Footer Properties (footer text, links, alignment), Body Color, and Middle Line Color. The structure is rigid by modern standards; Lightning Email Branding is much more flexible.
Common pitfalls when working with Letterheads
Three patterns recur. Logo images stored outside Salesforce can break when the source URL changes. Footer text that includes regulatory disclosures may need legal review when changed. And cross-client email rendering varies; Letterhead-based emails that render perfectly in Salesforce can break in Outlook.
How to manage Classic Letterheads and migrate to Lightning Email Branding
For surviving Letterheads, the work is keeping them stable plus planning eventual migration to Lightning Email Branding when automation dependencies allow.
- Inventory existing Letterheads and dependent templates
Setup, Classic Letterheads. List every Letterhead and the HTML Classic Email Templates that reference it. Map automation references (Workflow Email Alerts) that use those templates.
- Build Lightning Email Branding equivalents
Setup, Lightning Email Templates, Email Branding. Create a Branding record that mirrors each Letterhead's header, footer, and colour palette.
- Recreate Classic templates as Lightning Email Templates
For each Classic HTML template, create a Lightning Email Template that uses the matching Email Branding. Recreate the body content; the result usually matches visually.
- Update automation references where possible
Workflow Email Alerts in legacy automation still need Classic templates. As those automation pieces migrate to Flow, update them to use Lightning Email Templates instead.
- Retire Letterheads after migration
Once no active Classic template references a Letterhead, the Letterhead can be archived. Until then, keep it in place; deleting prematurely breaks downstream sends.
- Deleting a Letterhead while templates still reference it breaks those templates. Audit dependencies before deletion.
- Lightning Email Branding mirrors Letterhead behaviour but not pixel-identical. Validate the visual result against representative emails.
- Workflow Email Alerts and Approval Processes still need Classic templates. Full Letterhead retirement waits on automation migration.
- Cross-client rendering varies. Test Letterhead-based emails in Outlook and Apple Mail before assuming they render correctly.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Classic LetterheadsSalesforce Help
- Lightning Email BrandingSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Classic Letterheads.
- Email Templates OverviewSalesforce Help
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Classic Letterheads.
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 is the primary benefit of Classic Letterheads for Salesforce administrators?
Q2. In which area of Salesforce would you typically find Classic Letterheads?
Q3. Why is understanding Classic Letterheads important for Salesforce admins?
Discussion
Loading discussion…