Pinned Lists
A pinned list is the list view that Salesforce loads by default when you open an object in Lightning Experience.
Definition
A pinned list is the list view that Salesforce loads by default when you open an object in Lightning Experience. You set it by clicking the pin icon next to a list view, and from then on that view appears first whenever you visit that object's home, instead of the standard Recently Viewed summary.
Pinning is a personal setting. Each user picks their own pinned list per object, and the choice does not sync between browsers. Only one list view can be pinned for a given object at a time, so pinning a new view replaces the previous one.
How pinned lists shape the list view experience
What "default list view" actually means
When you click an object tab in Lightning Experience, Salesforce has to decide which list of records to show first. Out of the box it shows the Recently Viewed summary, a read-only list of records you opened recently. Recently Viewed is convenient, but it cannot be filtered, cloned, or turned into a chart, so it is rarely the view people want to start their day on. The list view dropdown does not remember the last view you selected either. Open the object tomorrow and you are back on Recently Viewed. A pinned list overrides that behavior for one object. The view you pin becomes the default that loads on every visit, for you, until you pin something else. Salesforce ships every org with Recently Viewed pinned by default, which is why new users always land there. The moment a user pins a real list view, such as My Open Cases or Hot Opportunities, that view takes over as their starting point. Nothing changes for other users, and nothing changes on other objects you have not pinned.
Per-user, per-object, and per-browser
Three scoping rules explain almost every question people have about pinned lists. First, the pin is per user. Your pinned Accounts view is yours alone, and a teammate looking at the same org can pin a completely different Accounts view. This is what makes pinning a personal productivity setting rather than an admin configuration. Second, the pin is per object. Pinning a list on Cases does not touch Leads, Opportunities, or any custom object. Each object keeps its own single pinned view, so a heavy Salesforce user might pin a different list on six or seven objects, each tuned to how they work that object. Third, the pin is per browser and tied to local browser data. Pinned lists do not sync across browsers or devices, and clearing your browser cache resets the pin back to Recently Viewed. If a user swears they pinned a view and it keeps reverting, a recent cache clear or a switch from Chrome to Edge is usually the reason. Only one list can be pinned per object at once, so pinning a new view quietly unpins the old one.
Pinning compared with favorites and the nav bar
Pinning is one of several ways to reach a list view quickly, and they solve slightly different problems. A pinned list sets the default view for an object, so it helps when you regularly open that object and want to skip Recently Viewed. It does not add anything to your navigation. You still click the object tab to get there. Favorites work at the page level. Adding a list view to your Favorites stores a direct link in the star menu at the top of the page, so you can jump to that exact view from anywhere without first opening the object. Adding a list view to the navigation bar goes a step further and puts a temporary tab in the bar for the current session, handy when you are living in one list for a few hours. A common pattern is to pin the view you start each day on, favorite the two or three lists you reference across objects, and lean on the navigation bar for short bursts of focused work. The three features stack cleanly, and none of them block the others.
The pin icon and the list view controls
Everything about pinning happens in the list view controls in the top right of any object home. Open the list view dropdown to see the views available to you, including system views like Recently Viewed and All, plus any custom list views shared with you. Select the view you want, and a pin icon appears next to its name. Click that icon to pin the view. A filled pin marks the list that is currently pinned, which gives you a quick visual check of what loads by default. To change the default, switch to a different view and pin it instead. There is no separate unpin button, because pinning is a single-slot setting per object. The same controls hold the gear menu for editing the view, sharing settings, filters, and the chart toggle, so pinning sits right alongside the other day-to-day list view actions rather than buried in setup. Because it lives entirely in the running app, no admin permission is required and users can manage their own pins.
Pinned lists on the Salesforce mobile app
List views matter on mobile too, where screen space is tight and scrolling through a long dropdown is slow. The Salesforce mobile app surfaces pinned lists through a Pinned Lists card on the mobile home page. Rather than drilling into each object to find a view, users see their pinned lists collected in one card and tap straight through to the records that matter. This makes the personal pinning choices a user sets on desktop pay off on the phone as well, since the pinned list for an object is the one that gets the spotlight. For field users and managers who check Salesforce between meetings, that card removes several taps from a routine action. It reinforces why encouraging people to pin meaningful views, not leave everything on Recently Viewed, is worth a few minutes of onboarding. The desktop and mobile experiences pull from the same idea of a default list per object, so the habit you build in the browser follows you to the mobile app.
Where pinning fits in adoption and training
On its own, pinning one list view saves a few seconds. Across a team that opens the same objects dozens of times a day, those seconds add up, and the bigger win is mental. When the right work queue loads automatically, users spend less effort hunting for it and more time acting on it. That is why list view optimization, including pinning, shows up in Salesforce end-user enablement content rather than admin-only material. Practically, treat pinning as part of personal productivity coaching. Build the custom list views your team needs first, share them appropriately, then show users how to pin the one they live in. Because the setting is per user, you cannot pin lists on someone's behalf from setup, so adoption depends on the habit sticking. A short demo during onboarding, plus a reminder that a cache clear resets the pin, usually covers it. Pair pinning with sorting by up to five columns and with list view charts, and a plain object tab becomes a focused, personalized workspace.
How to pin a list view in Lightning Experience
Pinning a list view is a per-user action you do in the running app, not in Setup. These steps set a list view as the default that loads whenever you open an object in Lightning Experience.
- Open the object home
In Lightning Experience, click the object's tab in the navigation bar (for example Accounts or Cases) to open its home page and the list view controls.
- Pick the list view to make default
Open the list view dropdown in the top left of the list, then select the view you want as your starting point, such as a custom view or My Open Cases.
- Click the pin icon
With the view selected, click the pin icon next to its name in the dropdown. A filled pin shows it is now pinned and will load by default for that object.
- Change or repoint the pin later
To pin a different view, select that view and click its pin icon. The new view replaces the old one, since only one list can be pinned per object.
The single list view that loads by default for one object. Defaults to Recently Viewed until you pin another view.
The system list every org starts with as the pinned default. It cannot be filtered or charted, which is why people repin to a real view.
An alternative for cross-object access. Stores a direct link to a specific list view in the Favorites star menu instead of changing an object's default.
Adds the current list as a temporary tab in the navigation bar for the session, useful when you work one list intensively for a while.
- Pinned lists are per user and do not sync between browsers or devices.
- Clearing your browser cache resets the pin back to Recently Viewed.
- Only one list view can be pinned per object at a time; pinning a new one unpins the previous.
- Pinning sets the default view but does not add the list to your navigation; use Favorites or the nav bar for that.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Pinned Lists.
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Pinned Lists.
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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