Deliverability
Deliverability is a Setup page that controls the org's email sending settings and access levels.
Definition
Deliverability is a Setup page that controls the org's email sending settings and access levels. Administrators can configure the access level for sending email (No Access, System Email Only, or All Email), which determines whether users, workflows, and Apex code can send outbound emails from the Salesforce org.
In plain English
“Here's a simple way to think about it: Deliverability is the master switch for outbound email. Three settings - All Email, System Email Only, No Access - gate every email Salesforce can send. Sandboxes default to System Only specifically so test data doesn't email real customers.”
Worked example
When setting up a new sandbox, the admin at CloudBridge Solutions navigates to Deliverability and sets the access level to "System email only" to prevent test automation from accidentally sending emails to real customers. Once user acceptance testing begins with test email addresses, she changes it to "All email" so testers can verify email functionality.
Why Deliverability is the master switch for outbound email
Before any workflow Email Alert, any Apex .send(), or any Send Email button can deliver a single message, the org has to allow outbound mail. Deliverability is the page that controls that allowance. The Access Level dropdown - All Email, System Email Only, or No Access - gates everything below it. New sandboxes default to System Email Only specifically to prevent test data from accidentally emailing real customers.
That gating is also why Deliverability is one of the first pages a confused new admin lands on. Email isn't sending? Check here first. Apex tests are failing with EMAIL_DELIVERY_FAILURE? Almost always System Email Only blocking the call. Production access is correct only when it's intentional - flip it during sandbox refreshes, double-check it after every clone, and treat unintended All Email in a sandbox as a near-miss to file a postmortem on.
How to set up Deliverability
Deliverability controls whether your org actually sends outbound email. Sandboxes default to System-Email-Only (no email to real users) to prevent test data from spamming customers. Production should be All Email. Misconfiguration = no emails go out, which often confuses admins debugging silent failures.
- Open Setup → Deliverability
Setup gear → Quick Find: Deliverability → Deliverability.
- Set Access to Send Email Access Level
All Email (production default) / System Email Only (sandboxes default) / No Access (block all). System Email Only allows password resets but blocks user-driven emails.
- Tick Activate Bounce Management
Salesforce monitors bounces and marks invalid addresses. Recommended ON.
- Tick Show Bounce Alert Next to All Instances of the Email Address
When ON, agents see a bounce flag next to the email field — helpful for service teams.
- Configure Email Compliance options
BCC Compliance Email (legal copies all outbound), Email Tracking (open rates), etc.
- Save
Settings take effect immediately.
All Email / System Email Only / No Access. The big switch.
Recommended ON in production. Marks invalid addresses.
Visual flag next to email fields. Helpful for agents.
Auto-BCC outbound to a compliance mailbox. Required by some regulations.
- New Sandboxes default to System Email Only — outbound user-driven email is blocked. Switching to All Email in a sandbox can spam real customers if test data has real emails. Switch only after sanitizing data.
- No Access blocks ALL outbound, including password resets. Don't set this in production unless you really mean it.
- Bounce Management only marks Salesforce-tracked bounces. Email sent via Marketing Cloud / Pardot / external systems doesn't update this flag.
How organizations use Deliverability
Saved a near-disaster when an admin caught Deliverability set to All Email in a sandbox during a refresh - would have emailed 50,000 real customers from test workflows.
Production Deliverability is monitored as part of routine ops; unintended changes here are caught within hours via the Audit Trail.
Compliance team includes Deliverability state in every release readiness check; setting drift is the most common finding.
Test your knowledge
Q1. Can a Salesforce admin configure Deliverability without writing code?
Q2. What is the primary benefit of Deliverability for Salesforce administrators?
Q3. In which area of Salesforce would you typically find Deliverability?
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