List View
A list view in Salesforce is a saved set of filter criteria, columns, and sort order that returns a scrollable list of records from one object, shown as a table in the Lightning UI.
Definition
A list view in Salesforce is a saved set of filter criteria, columns, and sort order that returns a scrollable list of records from one object, shown as a table in the Lightning UI. You open list views from an object's home page, such as the Accounts, Opportunities, or a custom object tab, and use them to find, sort, and act on records that match the saved criteria.
Each list view stores which records appear (the filters), which fields show as columns, the default sort order, and who can see the view (its sharing settings). Standard list views like Recently Viewed ship with every object, and admins or users add custom views on top. List views are how most people find and work with records day to day, so a well-built set of them shapes the whole team's workflow.
How list views are built and used
What a list view stores
A list view is a small piece of configuration with four main parts. The filters decide which records appear, using a field, an operator, and a value (for example Stage equals Closed Won, or Owner equals me). The columns decide which fields show in the table, and you reorder them from Select Fields to Display in the list view controls. The sort order sets how rows are ranked, and Lightning Experience lets you sort by up to 5 columns at once. The sharing settings decide who can use the view: just you, all users including Partner and Customer Portal users, or specific public groups and roles. When you create a custom list view you give it a name and a unique API name. The API name matters because tools like the Metadata API, packages, and some automation reference the view by that name. Recently Viewed is the one standard view you cannot add filters to, since it tracks records you opened rather than a saved query.
Filters and filter logic
Filters are the heart of a list view. You add them by clicking the filter (funnel) icon, choosing a field, picking an operator, and entering a value. Standard and custom fields are both fair game, and date fields accept relative values like LAST_N_DAYS so a view stays current without editing. Owner filters such as My Accounts scope the list to the running user, which is why the same shared view shows different rows to different people. By default the conditions you add are joined with AND, so a record must meet all of them. When you need more nuance you switch on filter logic and write a boolean expression by condition number, like 1 AND (2 OR 3). That lets one view express something like open opportunities owned by me OR by my team. Keep filters on fields the platform can index well, because a view that filters on a long un-indexed text field can slow down or time out once the object holds a lot of records.
Inline editing, search, and pinning
Lightning Experience adds working features on top of the plain table. Inline editing lets you double-click a cell, change the value, and save several edits at once without opening each record. Search inside a list view (the search box, or the g then f keyboard shortcut) looks across all searchable fields, even ones that are not shown as columns, so you can find a record by a value you did not add to the view. The list view dropdown always opens on Recently Viewed rather than remembering your last choice. To make a specific view load by default on an object, you pin it. The Recently Viewed view is the default pinned list everywhere until you pin something else. Lightning console apps add split view, which shows the list and an open record side by side so you can move down a worklist quickly. These touches turn a static list into a place where work actually gets done.
Kanban, charts, and bulk actions
A list view is not stuck as rows. The Kanban display turns the same filtered set into a board of cards grouped by a picklist, which suits stage-driven work like Opportunities by Stage or Cases by Status, and you can drag a card to change its value. The charts panel adds a small visual over the listed records: you pick an aggregate (sum, count, or average) and a grouping field, and choose one of three chart types, vertical bar, horizontal bar, or donut. For acting on many records at once, select the row checkboxes and run a mass action. Common ones are mass inline edit (change a field across the selected rows), mass delete, change owner, or kicking off a process against the selection. Which actions appear is set at the object level, and admins can surface extra list view buttons through setup and the Lightning App Builder. Together these features let a user spot a pattern and act on it without leaving the list.
Sharing, visibility, and record access
Two different layers control what a person sees in a list view, and mixing them up causes a lot of confused tickets. The first layer is the view's own visibility, set in Sharing Settings: keep it private to you, share it with everyone, or share it with chosen public groups and roles. The second layer is the org's record sharing model, which decides which actual records that person can see at all. The record layer always wins. If a shared view is visible to a rep but the rep has no access to certain accounts, those accounts simply do not appear as rows. The view does not grant access; it only filters and displays records the viewer could already reach. A few permissions sit alongside this: Manage Public List Views lets an admin see and manage every public view, and viewing role-based sharing options needs the View Roles and Role Hierarchy permission. Plan shared views with the sharing model in mind so different teams get useful, consistent lists.
List views compared with reports
List views and reports look similar but answer different questions, and most users lean on both every day. A list view is operational. It is the place you go to find a set of records and do something to them: edit a field inline, change an owner, move a card across a Kanban board, or open each one in split view. It lives on the object and is fast to scan. A report is analytical. It summarizes and groups records, supports subtotals and formulas, charts trends over time, and feeds dashboards for leadership. You would not run payroll-style totals from a list view, and you would not bulk-edit records from a report. A handy way to think about it: the list view shows you the records, the report shows you the pattern across them. Build a tight set of shared list views for the daily work, then point reports and dashboards at the same objects when you need to measure and roll up.
Create a custom list view in Lightning Experience
Create a custom list view from an object's home page so your team has a saved, filtered list to work from. You can build one from scratch or clone an existing view and adjust it.
- Open the object and start a new view
Go to the object's home page, click the list view controls (gear) icon, and choose New. To start from an existing view instead, choose Clone while that view is open.
- Name it and set visibility
Enter a list name and a unique API name. Choose who sees it: only you, all users (including Partner and Customer Portal users), or specific public groups and roles. Click Save.
- Add filters
Click the filter icon, then Add Filter. Pick a field, an operator, and a value, then click Done. Add more conditions, and switch on filter logic if you need AND/OR grouping.
- Choose and order columns
From the list view controls, select Select Fields to Display. Use the arrows to add, remove, and reorder columns, then save. Sort by clicking a column header (up to 5 columns).
- Pin it as the default
From the list view controls, choose to pin the view so it loads by default when anyone opens this object instead of Recently Viewed.
The label users pick from the list view dropdown.
A unique developer name; tools, packages, and automation reference the view by this.
Who can use the view: just you, all users, or selected public groups and roles.
- You cannot add filters to the Recently Viewed list view; clone or create a new view instead.
- Sharing a view broadly does not grant record access; users still only see rows they can reach under the org's sharing model.
- Filtering on long un-indexed text fields can slow a view or time it out on high-volume objects; filter on selective, indexed fields.
Prefer this walkthrough as its own page? How to List View in Salesforce, step by step
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on List View.
Hands-on resources to go deeper on List View.
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. A List View returns records from how many objects at a time, and in what form?
Q2. Which List View feature lets users see records as a card board grouped by a status-style field, such as Opportunities by Stage?
Q3. What controls whether a List View is available only to its creator or shared with other users?
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