Custom App
A Custom App in Salesforce is an app created by an administrator that bundles a set of tabs (for standard objects, custom objects, Visualforce pages, Lightning components, and other items) under a single label with a custom logo.
Definition
A Custom App in Salesforce is an app created by an administrator that bundles a set of tabs (for standard objects, custom objects, Visualforce pages, Lightning components, and other items) under a single label with a custom logo. Custom Apps are defined in the App Manager and appear in the App Launcher. In Classic, Custom Apps can be Classic apps (with a tab bar) or Console apps (with a multi-tab workspace).
In plain English
“A Custom App is a bundle of tabs that an admin creates and groups together under a single name. Instead of showing every tab to every user, admins build different apps for different teams so people only see the things they actually need. Think of it like a custom menu of tools.”
Worked example
The admin at Eldorado Software builds a Custom App for the customer-success team called CS Cockpit - bundling Account, Contact, Case, Knowledge, a custom Health Score object, a Visualforce page that pulls usage metrics, and three tabs for the team's saved reports. CSMs land in the CS Cockpit app at login and see only the tabs that matter to their job, with a CS-themed logo and color. The same admin builds a separate Custom App for the engineering team with totally different tabs - same org, two different curated experiences. Custom Apps are how the platform serves different teams from one Salesforce instance without each team seeing the other's clutter.
Why Custom App matters
A Custom App in Salesforce is an administrator-created bundle of tabs, a home page, and optionally a utility bar and logo, grouped under a single app name. Custom Apps appear in the App Launcher alongside standard apps like Sales and Service, and admins assign them to specific user profiles or permission sets to control who sees which apps. In Lightning Experience, Custom Apps are built in the App Manager and can include standard object tabs, custom object tabs, Visualforce pages, Lightning components, and external web tabs.
Custom Apps are how most organizations tailor the Salesforce experience for different teams or roles. Instead of showing every tab in the org to every user (which is overwhelming), admins build a Sales app for sales reps, a Service app for support agents, a Partner app for partner managers, and so on. Each app bundles the tabs and pages that are relevant to its audience. In Classic, Custom Apps came in two flavors: Classic apps (with a tab bar) and Console apps (with the multi-tab workspace model for agents). Lightning merged these concepts into a unified Lightning App model.
How to create Custom App
Custom Apps bundle a set of tabs under a single label with branding — "Sales App," "Service Console," "Field Service Lightning." Each user picks an App from the App Launcher and the workspace switches to that App's tabs / utility bar / theme. Configured in Setup → App Manager. Distinct from Lightning Out apps (which are externally embedded).
- Open Setup → App Manager
Setup gear → Quick Find: App Manager → App Manager. Same path as Lightning Apps — Custom Apps are just admin-built Lightning Apps.
- Click New Lightning App
Top-right. The wizard walks through the configuration.
- Set App Name, Developer Name, Description, Image
Image appears in the App Launcher; Description shows on hover.
- Pick Navigation Style
Standard Navigation (single-page) or Console Navigation (multi-tab — for Service Console-style workspaces).
- Configure Utility Items
Drag items into the bottom utility bar (History, Notes, Macros, Omni-Channel, etc.).
- Select Navigation Items (tabs)
Which tabs appear in the top nav. Drag to order.
- Assign User Profiles
Multi-select profiles that should see this App in the App Launcher. Profiles control visibility.
- Save
App is created. Users in assigned profiles see it; switching to it changes the workspace.
Required. User-facing label.
Required. API name.
Required.
- Apps are profile-assigned. A great app invisible to everyone is a common admin oversight — confirm Profile assignments after creation.
- Console Navigation enables multi-tab workspace UX but only some objects support it. Custom Object record pages may render oddly in Console — test before committing.
- Apps can be cloned. Often easier to clone an existing app ("Sales App") and customize than to build from scratch.
How organizations use Custom App
Built three Custom Apps for their org: a Banker app for relationship managers, a Lending app for loan officers, and an Admin app for operations staff. Each app shows only the tabs relevant to its users, making the interface less overwhelming.
Uses Custom Apps to separate different business units within a single Salesforce org. Each BU has its own app with its own branding, tabs, and utility bar, so users in one BU don't see data from the others.
Updates their Custom Apps every quarter to reflect changing priorities. Adding or removing a tab from an app takes minutes and propagates to every user assigned to that app.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Custom App.
- Create Lightning AppsSalesforce Help
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is a Custom App?
Q2. Where are Custom Apps configured in Lightning Experience?
Q3. Why build different apps for different user populations?
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