Custom View
A Custom View in Salesforce, more commonly called a List View today, is a saved filter on an object's record list that shows a defined subset of records with a defined set of columns.
Definition
A Custom View in Salesforce, more commonly called a List View today, is a saved filter on an object's record list that shows a defined subset of records with a defined set of columns. Each Custom View has a name, filter criteria (which records to include), columns (which fields to show), sort order, sharing scope (private, public, or shared with specific groups), and an optional pinning to the user's default. Users create Custom Views for their personal workflows; admins create them for team-wide use.
Custom Views exist because every object has more records and more fields than fit usefully in one default list. A sales rep working their pipeline needs My Open Opportunities filtered to their owner and Stage not in Closed. A service supervisor needs Cases assigned to my team, sorted by SLA, with custom fields visible. The Custom View is how each user (and each team) crafts their working list rather than scrolling through everything. List Views are one of the most-used Salesforce surfaces and one of the most-customized per user.
Why Custom Views are the daily-workflow surface for most Salesforce users
Where Custom Views live and how they are created
Every object's list page (Accounts list, Opportunities list, Cases list) has a view picker at the top. Users click the gear icon, New List View, configure name, filters, columns, sharing. The view saves; the user (and others depending on sharing) sees it in the view picker. Admins create org-wide views the same way and share publicly. View Edit lets users adjust later. The terminology has shifted over time: Custom Views in Classic, List Views in Lightning, same underlying concept.
Filter criteria and the record scoping
Filters scope which records the view shows. Multiple criteria can combine with AND or OR. Common filter patterns: Owner = me (the personal pipeline view), Stage IN (Prospecting, Qualification) (early-stage deals), Created Date = THIS WEEK (recent activity), Custom_Field__c = specific value (org-specific scoping). Filter criteria reference field values; comparisons support equals, not equals, contains, starts with, less than, greater than, in/not in. Complex filter combinations are possible through the Add Filter Logic option that lets admins write boolean expressions like (1 OR 2) AND 3.
Columns and the at-a-glance data display
Columns determine which fields display per row in the list. Users pick from any field on the object (subject to field-level security) and arrange them in the desired order. Most working list views show 6 to 10 columns; more becomes horizontally cluttered. The right columns are workflow-driven: a sales pipeline view shows Account Name, Stage, Amount, Close Date, Owner. A support queue view shows Subject, Priority, Created Date, Contact, SLA Remaining. Columns can be reordered by drag-and-drop; sort order is set by clicking column headers.
Sharing scope: private, public, group
Each Custom View has a sharing scope. Private views are visible only to the creator. Public views are visible to every user with access to the object (subject to record-level sharing). Group-shared views are visible to specified groups, roles, or queues. Most rep-personal views are private; team views are group-shared; standard org views (All Accounts, My Pending Cases) are public. Users can pin views to their default; the pinned view is the one that loads when they navigate to the object.
Chart, list, and Kanban view modes
Lightning List Views support three render modes. Table (the default) shows records as rows with columns. Kanban shows records as cards grouped by a picklist (Opportunity Stage Kanban is the canonical example). Charts overlay above the table show aggregations (Sum of Amount by Stage). Mode is per-user-per-view; the user toggles based on the moment's need. Most rep-personal views default to Table; pipeline-coaching views often default to Kanban for the visual.
Mass actions and the list-driven workflow
List Views support mass actions: select multiple records, click a mass action (Change Owner, Send List Email, Mass Update Field, Delete). The action applies to every selected record. Mass actions are the productivity gain that makes List Views workflow surfaces rather than just display surfaces. Custom mass actions can be added via Lightning Actions or Quick Actions exposed at the list level. Mass action access respects user permissions; an action that calls Apex requires the user to have Run Apex permission.
Performance, list view limits, and the cleanup question
List Views with very wide filter criteria (no filter, or filter that returns millions of records) can time out. Salesforce limits list view query execution; queries beyond the limit produce a list with a partial result and a warning. The mitigation: tighten the filter scope. Most production-grade list views filter on indexed fields (Owner, Status, Created Date) and bound result counts to a few thousand records. List View governance also matters; orgs accumulate hundreds of private views over years, most unused. Quarterly review and retire stale views to keep the picker manageable.
How to design Custom Views that drive daily workflow
The successful pattern: identify the recurring workflow, build a view that scopes records and surfaces the right columns, share with the team if applicable, pin to default for users who use it daily. The cost is minutes; the workflow gain compounds across thousands of list visits per quarter.
- Identify the workflow the view serves
My open opportunities for this week, cases I own with SLA breach, accounts in my territory needing renewal review. The workflow drives filter and column choices.
- Open the object's list page and click New List View
The gear icon, New List View. Name the view per the workflow.
- Set the filter criteria
Scope tightly to the workflow. Owner = me, Stage IN (open stages), Close Date = THIS QUARTER. Tight scope keeps the list useful; broad scope produces noise.
- Pick the columns
6 to 10 columns. The fields the user needs to make decisions from the list, not every available field. Order matters; left-to-right by importance.
- Set the sharing scope
Private for personal, public for org-wide, group for team. Default to private if unsure; sharing later is easy.
- Test the view performance
Load the view, time the response. Slow loads usually mean filters are too broad or hit non-indexed fields.
- Train the team if the view is shared
Users do not discover shared views on their own. A five-minute training brief gets adoption; without it the view sits unused.
Which records the view shows. Supports AND/OR logic and boolean filter expressions.
Which fields display per row. 6 to 10 is the workable range.
Private, Public, or Group-shared. Drives who sees the view.
Table, Kanban, or Chart-on-top. Per-user toggle.
Per-user default view for the object. The view that loads when the user navigates to the object.
- Broad filters can time out on large objects. Filter on indexed fields (Owner, Status, Created Date) and bound result counts.
- Private views accumulate. Quarterly review and retire stale ones; the view picker becomes unusable past a few dozen entries.
- Shared views need user training. Discovery is poor; users find views they were briefed on, not views that exist quietly.
- Mass actions respect user permissions. A view that exposes a mass action a user cannot run produces a confusing error.
- Kanban mode requires a picklist for grouping. Custom objects without a picklist field cannot use Kanban mode.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- List Views referenceSalesforce
- List View sharing referenceSalesforce
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Custom View.
- Create List ViewsSalesforce Help
- Share List ViewsSalesforce Help
- List View FiltersSalesforce 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 a List View (also called a Custom View)?
Q2. What can users configure on a List View?
Q3. What feature lets users drag records between stages on a List View?
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