Feed Item
A Feed Item in Salesforce is a single Chatter feed post stored on the FeedItem object.
Definition
A Feed Item in Salesforce is a single Chatter feed post stored on the FeedItem object. Each FeedItem represents one entry in someone''s feed: a status update, a record-change post (StageChanged on an Opportunity, OwnerChange on an Account), a question, a poll, or a file share. The object holds the post body, the author (CreatedById), the parent record the post relates to (ParentId), the post type (TextPost, ContentPost, LinkPost, PollPost), and metadata like LikeCount, CommentCount, and IsDeleted.
FeedItems are the central record type in Chatter. They appear in feeds across the platform: the Chatter Home page, record pages, Group pages, and Experience Cloud sites. The FeedItem table can grow large in active orgs (millions of records is normal in mature orgs with engaged communities). Reports against FeedItem drive engagement analytics: posts per user, posts per topic, sentiment over time, top performers.
How FeedItem records work in Chatter
Post types and the Type field
FeedItem.Type distinguishes the kind of post. TextPost: a plain text status update. ContentPost: a file or document share. LinkPost: an external URL share. PollPost: a multiple-choice question. QuestionPost: a question seeking answers (Chatter Q&A). TrackedChange: an automated post about a record field change. Each type renders slightly differently in the feed UI.
The Parent relationship
Every FeedItem has a ParentId pointing to the record it belongs to: a User (for posts on someone''s personal feed), an Account or Opportunity (for posts on those records), a Chatter Group, a CollaborationGroup, or other parent. The Parent determines feed visibility: a post on a record appears in that record''s feed and in the feeds of anyone following the record.
Reactions, likes, and comments
FeedItems support engagement actions: Like, Comment, Bookmark, Share. Likes are counted on the FeedItem itself (LikeCount). Comments are stored on a separate FeedComment object, with one FeedItem having many FeedComments. Bookmarks are per-user (FeedBookmark object). Reactions are stored on FeedReaction with type (Heart, Celebrate, Smile, etc.).
@Mentions and notifications
When a FeedItem text or comment includes @username, the platform creates EntitySubscription records linking the mentioned user to the post and triggers a notification. Mentioned users see the post in their To Me feed filter and receive an email or in-app notification depending on their preferences.
Tracked changes and automatic FeedItems
When a tracked field on a record changes, the platform can automatically create a TrackedChange FeedItem. Field tracking is configured per object in Setup: pick which fields to track. The result: feed entries like Sarah changed Stage from Prospect to Negotiation. Tracked changes are the most common automatic feed posts in mature orgs.
Search, indexing, and feed performance
Salesforce indexes FeedItems for search: full-text search of post bodies, partial-text search of comments, and attachment-content search for supported file types. The feed UI uses a pre-built feed cache keyed by user-following relationships. Heavy posters in large orgs can stress the cache; Salesforce optimizes the indexing but very large groups (thousands of members) need careful design.
Storage and retention
FeedItems count toward your org''s data storage allocation. A typical FeedItem is small (under 1 KB) but volume adds up: a million posts is 1-2 GB of storage. Orgs with chatty Chatter use cases often need archival strategies: bulk-delete old posts, archive to Big Object, or use Salesforce''s built-in feed retention policies.
How to query FeedItems and report on Chatter activity
Querying FeedItems via SOQL or building reports on the FeedItem object surfaces Chatter engagement metrics that the feed UI does not show directly.
- Confirm Chatter is enabled in the org
Setup, then Chatter Settings. Confirm Chatter is enabled and the relevant feed-tracking is on for objects you care about.
- Run a SOQL query in Developer Console
Query: SELECT Id, ParentId, Type, CreatedById, CreatedDate, LikeCount, CommentCount FROM FeedItem WHERE CreatedDate = LAST_N_DAYS:30 LIMIT 100. Adjust filters per your needs.
- Build a report on Chatter Activity
Salesforce includes a Chatter Usage report type. Reports against FeedItem can group by author, parent, type, date. Build a dashboard showing top posters, post volume trends, engagement rates.
- Join to FeedComment for full engagement
For posts plus comments analytics, join FeedItem to FeedComment. The two-step report shows total engagement: posts created plus comments received.
- Use ApexFeedItem for programmatic posting
Apex code creates FeedItems via FeedItem fi = new FeedItem(); fi.ParentId = recordId; fi.Body = postText; insert fi. Useful for automated posting from Flows or triggers.
- Plan storage and archival
As FeedItem volume grows, audit storage. Bulk-delete posts older than your retention policy. Move historic posts to Big Objects if compliance requires retention beyond the data-storage horizon.
Plain text status update. Most common feed post.
File or document share. Has linked FeedAttachment records.
External URL share. Renders as a link card in the feed.
Multiple-choice question. Has FeedPollChoice and FeedPollVote child records.
Automatic post about a tracked field change on a record.
- FeedItem volume scales with engagement. A noisy org can grow FeedItem records into the millions; plan storage and archival.
- Feed-tracked field changes generate FeedItems automatically. Excessive tracking on high-velocity fields produces feed noise; disable tracking on fields that change too often.
- Deleting a FeedItem also deletes its FeedComments and FeedAttachments. The cascade is automatic; plan reports to query before deletes.
- Feed access is governed by feed-tracking visibility, parent-record sharing, and Group membership. A user sees a FeedItem only if all three layers allow it; debugging missing posts means checking all three.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Feed Item.
- FeedItem ReferenceSalesforce Developers
- Chatter SettingsSalesforce 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.
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