Custom Help
Custom Help in Salesforce is the feature that lets administrators replace or supplement the default Salesforce help links and inline help text with org-specific help content.
Definition
Custom Help in Salesforce is the feature that lets administrators replace or supplement the default Salesforce help links and inline help text with org-specific help content. Custom Help applies at multiple levels: field-level help text (tooltips on individual fields), object-level help (custom URLs the Help link on an object's tabs points to), and the broader Custom Help Settings that govern which help content users see when they click contextual help links throughout the org.
The feature exists because Salesforce's default help text is generic; an org with custom processes, custom fields, and custom workflows benefits from help content that explains those specifics. A field labeled Tier means different things to different orgs; field-level help text on that field tells users what the org means by Tier. Custom Help is one of the cheapest enablement investments; users with relevant help content adopt the platform faster and call the helpdesk less.
Why Custom Help is the cheapest enablement investment most orgs underuse
Where Custom Help appears in setup
Three levels. Field-level help text is configured on each Custom Field (in the field definition, the Help Text box). Object-level help is configured under Setup, Customize, [Object], Help Settings, where the Help link on the object's pages can point to a custom URL (typically a Knowledge article or internal wiki). Org-wide Custom Help is configured under Setup, Customize, Help & Training Settings (or under Help Settings depending on edition), letting admins replace the global Help link target. Each level is configured separately; together they form the help layer users see.
Field-level help text and the daily impact
The help text on a custom field is a tooltip users see when they hover over the field's information icon. Well-written field help text dramatically improves data entry quality. A field labeled Tier with help text "Select the customer's negotiated tier from our 2026 pricing schedule. Tier 1 = standard, Tier 2 = preferred, Tier 3 = enterprise" produces consistent data; the same field without help text produces inconsistent data because users guess what Tier means. Every custom field should have help text; the cost is one sentence at field creation.
Object-level help and the workflow guidance
Object-level Custom Help redirects the Help for this Page link to a custom URL. Most orgs point to an internal Knowledge article or wiki page that explains the object's purpose, the standard workflow, and the org-specific fields. The redirect is per-object. A user clicking Help on the Case page sees org-specific case workflow guidance instead of Salesforce's generic Case help. The pattern is most valuable for objects with org-specific customizations (custom objects, heavily-customized standard objects); generic Salesforce help is fine for objects used out of the box.
Org-wide Custom Help and the global help link
The global Help link in the Salesforce header (top-right) defaults to Salesforce's help.salesforce.com. Custom Help Settings can redirect it to an org-specific portal: a Help Center built in Experience Cloud, a SharePoint site, a vendor-hosted training platform. Most orgs leave the global link pointing to Salesforce help and add object-level redirects where org-specific help adds value. Redirecting the global link is appropriate for orgs that have invested in a full internal help portal; less mature orgs are better served by Salesforce's default.
Salesforce Help vs custom content trade-offs
Salesforce's default help is comprehensive, updated per release, and free. Custom help is org-specific but requires maintenance every time fields, objects, or workflows change. The right balance: keep Salesforce help for product-level questions (How does the platform handle X?) and use Custom Help for org-level questions (How does our company handle X in Salesforce?). Replacing Salesforce help wholesale produces help content that goes stale faster than admins can maintain; layering on top with org-specific additions is the sustainable pattern.
Maintenance and the help-content lifecycle
Custom Help content drifts as the org's processes evolve. Help text written in 2024 may describe a workflow that changed in 2026. The maintenance discipline: when a field changes, update its help text. When a workflow changes, update the linked Knowledge article. The discipline is rarely followed in practice; most orgs accumulate stale help content that confuses more than it helps. The annual audit: pull help text for fields modified in the past year, confirm the help still matches the field's current meaning.
In-App Guidance and the modern Custom Help complement
In-App Guidance is a newer Salesforce feature that complements Custom Help with contextual prompts and walkthroughs inside the UI. Admins build prompts that appear on specific pages or for specific user populations, guiding users through workflows. Custom Help is the static help layer; In-App Guidance is the contextual one. Modern enablement strategies use both: help text and links for reference, In-App Guidance for first-time workflow walkthrough.
How to layer Custom Help on top of Salesforce defaults
The pattern: write field help text on every custom field at creation, add object-level help links for heavily-customized objects, keep the global help link pointing to Salesforce, layer In-App Guidance for first-time workflows. The cost is small per item; the cumulative enablement gain is meaningful.
- Make field help text a required field-creation step
Add to the admin checklist: every custom field gets help text. The one-sentence cost is trivial; the data quality benefit compounds across thousands of record entries.
- Audit existing custom fields for missing help text
Salesforce Optimizer can identify fields without help text. Schedule the audit; backfill help text for the highest-traffic fields first.
- Add object-level Help URLs for customized objects
For objects with org-specific workflows (custom objects, heavily-customized Cases), point the object Help link to an internal Knowledge article explaining the workflow.
- Keep the global Help link pointing to Salesforce help by default
Replacing the global link with a custom portal is heavy maintenance. Layer org-specific help at the object level; let Salesforce maintain its own product help.
- Build In-App Guidance for first-time workflows
Renewal flows, escalation flows, new-feature rollouts. The contextual prompts complement static help; the combination is what gets adoption.
- Document the help content owner per object
Help text and linked articles need maintainers. Without ownership, help content goes stale within a year of the workflow change it described.
- Schedule an annual help content audit
Pull help text for fields modified in the past year. Confirm the help still matches. Update where the workflow drifted.
Per-custom-field tooltip explaining what to enter. The most-used Custom Help level.
Per-object redirect for the Help for this Page link.
Org-wide redirect for the header Help link. Heavy maintenance; usually keep defaulting to Salesforce.
Contextual prompts and walkthroughs complementing static help.
Named maintainer per object. Without it, help content goes stale.
- Field help text without an owner goes stale fast. Workflow changes propagate to the field; the help text stays unless someone updates it.
- Replacing the global Help link with a custom portal is heavy maintenance. The Salesforce-default link is free and updated per release.
- Custom Help can confuse users when the help content describes a different workflow than the current one. Stale help is sometimes worse than no help.
- Object-level Help URLs need to be valid links. Broken Knowledge article links produce a 404 when users click Help; quarterly link check catches breakage.
- In-App Guidance and Custom Help complement each other but cover different needs. Replacing one with the other leaves a gap.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Custom Help referenceSalesforce
- Field help text referenceSalesforce
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Custom Help.
- Customize HelpSalesforce Help
- Add Field-Level Help TextSalesforce Help
- In-App GuidanceSalesforce 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 is Custom Help in Salesforce?
Q2. Where does field-level Custom Help appear?
Q3. Why is writing Custom Help considered a low-effort improvement?
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