Definition
Private Sharing is an administrative capability in Salesforce that gives admins control over a specific aspect of org configuration. It is part of the toolkit administrators use to keep Salesforce aligned with organizational policies and processes.
Real-World Example
Consider a scenario where the system admin at BrightEdge Solutions is working with Private Sharing to control how users interact with Salesforce data and features. After configuring Private Sharing in the sandbox and validating it with key stakeholders, they roll it out to production. User adoption improves because the interface now matches how teams actually work.
Why Private Sharing Matters
Private Sharing in Salesforce refers to the Organization-Wide Default (OWD) sharing setting where record access is set to 'Private.' Under this model, users can only see and edit records they own, plus records owned by users below them in the role hierarchy. No lateral or upward visibility exists by default. This is the most restrictive baseline sharing model and is typically the starting point for organizations that need tight data access controls — such as those in financial services, healthcare, or any multi-tenant scenario where teams should not see each other's data. The principle is to start restrictive and then selectively open access through sharing rules, manual sharing, and Apex sharing.
As organizations grow and add users from different departments, regions, or business units, the Private sharing model ensures that sensitive data remains compartmentalized. A company with competing sales teams, for example, needs Private sharing on Opportunities so reps can't see each other's deals. However, this model requires careful planning of complementary sharing mechanisms — role hierarchies, sharing rules, public groups, and Apex managed sharing — to ensure users who legitimately need cross-team visibility can access the records they need. Organizations that set OWDs to Private without building out proper sharing rules often create frustrating 'Insufficient Privileges' errors that block users from doing their jobs, while those that leave OWDs too open expose confidential data to unauthorized users.
How Organizations Use Private Sharing
- BrightEdge Solutions — BrightEdge Solutions set their Opportunity OWD to Private to prevent their three competing sales divisions from viewing each other's pipeline data. They then created criteria-based sharing rules that grant read-only access to the executive team and VP-level roles across all divisions, ensuring leadership has full visibility while maintaining team-level confidentiality.
- MedSecure Health — MedSecure Health uses Private sharing on their custom Patient Record object to ensure that providers can only see patients in their own practice. A role hierarchy gives clinic directors visibility into their entire clinic's patients, while an Apex managed sharing solution grants temporary access to specialists when a patient is referred across practices.
- DualVentures Capital — DualVentures Capital configured Private sharing on their custom Deal Room object so that each investment team's proprietary deal analysis is invisible to other teams. When a deal moves to the partnership committee stage, a sharing rule automatically grants read access to the committee members, maintaining confidentiality during early-stage evaluation.