Lightning Platform App Menu
The Lightning Platform App Menu is the dropdown menu in the upper-right corner of Salesforce Lightning Experience that lets users switch between apps.
Definition
The Lightning Platform App Menu is the dropdown menu in the upper-right corner of Salesforce Lightning Experience that lets users switch between apps. Each entry in the menu corresponds to a Salesforce App (a packaged collection of tabs, brand, and Lightning pages) the user has access to. Common apps include Sales, Service, Marketing, and any custom apps the admin has built. The menu is the user''s primary way to navigate the Salesforce experience at the app level, distinct from the per-app navigation tabs.
Admins control the App Menu under Setup, App Menu (now part of App Manager in modern releases). The page lists every App in the org and lets admins set the visibility, the order, and which apps appear in the App Launcher (the grid that opens when users click the waffle icon). The App Menu is the top-level navigation; the App Launcher is the discovery surface. Both rely on App permissions to determine what each user sees.
How the App Menu shapes the Lightning Experience navigation
App Menu and App Launcher
Two related navigation surfaces in Lightning Experience cover app-level navigation. The App Menu (the dropdown in the page header) shows the current app name and lets users switch. The App Launcher (the waffle icon) opens a grid of every app the user has access to. Both populate from the same App permissions; the App Menu shows a subset, the App Launcher shows all.
App Manager as the modern configuration node
Modern Salesforce releases consolidate the App Menu configuration into Setup, App Manager. The page lists every Lightning App and Classic App in the org. Admins create new apps, edit existing ones, and control visibility per profile. App Menu management is now a feature of App Manager rather than a separate node.
Lightning Apps vs. Classic Apps
Salesforce supports two app types. Lightning Apps are Lightning Experience-only; they include a brand color, a logo, a navigation menu of items, and Lightning utility bar configuration. Classic Apps are Salesforce Classic-only with a different (older) configuration model. Most modern orgs use only Lightning Apps; Classic Apps persist mainly in inherited orgs.
App visibility per profile
Each app''s visibility is controlled per profile. Admins set the App Settings on each profile (or via Permission Sets in modern orgs) to control which apps the user can see. The App Menu shows only the apps the user has permission to access; the App Launcher does the same.
Default app per user
Each user has a Default App (set on their User record or by their profile''s Default App setting). The user lands on this app when they first log in. Setting the right default per role (Sales reps default to Sales, Service agents to Service) is one of the easiest UX improvements an admin can make.
Pinned apps and the App Launcher
Users can pin apps to the App Menu for quick access. The pinning persists across sessions. Admins can also pre-populate pinned apps via the profile-level Default Pinned Apps setting, ensuring new users start with the right shortcuts without configuring per-user.
Custom Apps and App templates
Admins build custom Apps for specific business processes: a Field Service app for technicians, a Customer Success app for CSMs, a Compliance app for auditors. Each custom app gets its own tabs, brand, and pages. Salesforce ships standard Apps (Sales, Service, Marketing) as templates that admins can clone and customize.
Configure the App Menu and default apps
App Menu setup runs through App Manager. The work is mostly per-profile visibility configuration.
- Open App Manager
Setup, App Manager. The list shows every Lightning and Classic App.
- Edit each app''s visibility
For each App, set the profile-level visibility. Restrict apps to the relevant teams; default to deny.
- Set the default app per profile
Edit each profile''s App Settings to set the default app. Sales reps default to Sales, service agents to Service.
- Configure App Launcher order
Drag apps in the App Manager to set the default order in the App Launcher grid.
- Pre-populate pinned apps
Use profile-level Default Pinned Apps to ensure new users see the right shortcuts.
- Train users on the App Menu
Most users do not realize they can switch apps; a short walk-through removes a common UX confusion.
- App visibility is per profile (or permission set in modern orgs). Granting an app to one user requires editing their profile or permission set, not just adding them to the app.
- Lightning Apps and Classic Apps are different. Switching an org from Classic to Lightning involves either migrating Classic Apps or building new Lightning Apps.
- Default App is per-user but defaults from profile. New hires inherit their profile''s default; admins setting it once per user creates maintenance overhead.
- App Launcher discoverability matters. Users who do not know about the waffle icon never find non-default apps; train explicitly.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- App ManagerSalesforce Help
- Salesforce AppsSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Lightning Platform App Menu.
- Create a Lightning AppSalesforce Help
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Lightning Platform App Menu.
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 does the Lightning Platform App Menu control?
Q2. Why is App Menu configuration important?
Q3. How is app visibility managed?
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