Related List
A Related List in Salesforce is a section on a record page that displays records linked to the parent through a Lookup or Master-Detail relationship.
Definition
A Related List in Salesforce is a section on a record page that displays records linked to the parent through a Lookup or Master-Detail relationship. On an Account page, the Contacts related list shows every Contact whose AccountId matches the current Account. On a Case page, the Case Comments related list shows every CaseComment linked to the Case. Related Lists are the primary way users discover the child records associated with a parent, and they are configurable per page layout to show the right columns and the right actions for each context.
Related Lists are populated automatically. When a child record's relationship field references the parent, the child appears in the parent's related list. No manual configuration links them; the relationship field is the link. What admins configure is the appearance: which columns appear, how the list is sorted, how many rows display by default, which Quick Actions appear above each row. The configuration lives in the parent object's page layout and varies per layout. Different record types or different user populations can see different related list configurations.
How Related Lists surface child records on a parent page
How Related Lists actually populate
A Related List populates from any child object with a Lookup or Master-Detail field pointing to the parent. On Account, the Contacts related list pulls every Contact with AccountId = the current Account.Id. The query runs at page load and respects sharing: users see only related records they have permission to view. The list is a SOQL query under the hood, ordered by the configured sort field, capped at the configured row limit (10, 25, 50, 100, 200), with pagination available. No admin work is needed to "create" a related list; it exists as soon as the relationship field exists.
Page layout configuration
The Related Lists section of the page layout is where admins configure each list. Drag the Related Lists palette item to the right position on the layout. For each list, click the wrench icon to configure: which columns appear, how the list is sorted, how many rows show by default, which buttons appear. The same Account page layout can have Contacts ordered by Last Modified Date in one configuration and by Name alphabetically in another. The configuration applies to every user assigned to the page layout.
Column selection and the Search Layout connection
The columns shown in a Related List are configured per list per layout. The picker shows every field on the child object plus computed columns like Owner and Last Modified Date. Most lists default to 4 to 6 columns; orgs with wider screens often expand to 8 to 10. The Search Layout setting at the child object level controls which fields appear in the Lookup Dialog when picking a parent; the Related List configuration is separate and applies to the parent-side display.
Custom buttons and row-level actions
Each Related List can include custom buttons that appear above the list (Add Contact, Mass Edit) and row-level actions that appear on hover or in the row's dropdown menu (Edit, Delete, View Details). Custom buttons are configured in Setup, Object Manager, the child object, Buttons, Links, and Actions. The Related List configuration on the parent's page layout picks which buttons to expose. This is how lists like "Add Multiple Contacts" or "Mass Convert" surface in the right context.
Related Lists in Lightning Experience
In Lightning, Related Lists render through several patterns. The Highlights Panel page shows them in tabs or accordions on the right rail. The Related tab on a record page shows them all in one scrolling list. The Lightning App Builder lets admins use the Related List Quick Links component (a compact navigation to each related list) and the Related List Single component (a single related list as its own card). The flexibility lets admins design record pages that highlight the most-used related lists without burying everything else.
Related Lists vs Junction Objects
When a many-to-many relationship is modeled through a Junction Object, the Junction's related list on each parent shows the linked records. An Account-to-Contact-to-Project junction might have a Projects related list on Account (showing every Project linked through the junction) and a Projects related list on Contact (same junction, different parent). The junction itself is invisible to the user in this pattern; the related list is the user-facing surface. This is the standard pattern for opportunity contact roles, case contacts, and similar many-to-many models.
Dynamic Related Lists and conditional visibility
The newer Dynamic Related Lists feature (Lightning App Builder) lets admins show or hide related lists based on field values on the parent record. A Cases related list might appear only on Accounts of Type = Customer, hidden on Type = Prospect. This is the modern pattern for context-aware record pages: instead of one page layout cluttered with every possible list, show the right lists based on the record state. Dynamic Related Lists work alongside Dynamic Forms for a fully responsive record page.
Configuring a Related List on a record page
Configuring a Related List is a page-layout exercise: pick which columns appear, set the sort order, configure row count, expose custom buttons. The work is incremental and most useful on the most-viewed parent objects.
- Open the parent object page layout
Setup, Object Manager, Account (or other), Page Layouts. Edit the layout assigned to the relevant user population.
- Drag the Related Lists palette item
Click Related Lists in the palette, drag to the desired position on the layout. The default list set appears (Contacts, Opportunities, Cases, others).
- Configure each list's columns
Click the wrench icon on a list. Add or remove columns from the picker. Set the default sort field. Click OK to save the configuration.
- Set the row count default
On the same configuration popup, set Number of Records to Display: 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200. Higher counts feel more complete but slow page load.
- Add custom buttons
Custom buttons configured on the child object can be exposed at the related list level. Select them in the configuration popup.
- Save the page layout
Save the layout. Open a record to verify the related list configuration. Repeat for other page layouts that need the same treatment.
The fields shown in each row of the related list. Configurable per list per layout.
The field used to sort the list and the direction (ascending or descending). Affects which records appear at the top.
The row count displayed before pagination kicks in. 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 are the options.
Buttons exposed above the list (Add Multiple, Mass Edit) configured at the child object level.
Lightning App Builder feature that conditions related list visibility on parent field values.
- Related Lists do not exist as separate metadata. They are derived from Lookup and Master-Detail relationships. Deleting the relationship field deletes the related list.
- Default sort fields are limited to indexed fields on the child object. Sorting by a non-indexed field may slow page load on records with many child records.
- The row count cap is 200. Records beyond that paginate. For high-volume relationships (hundreds of children), consider a custom list view or Lightning component instead of a default related list.
- Sharing rules apply to related list contents. A user sees only the children they have access to, which may differ from the total count shown on the parent's read-only record header.
- Dynamic Related Lists require Lightning App Builder, not the classic page layout editor. Mixing the two on the same record page is supported but requires deliberate design.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Related List.
- Related Lists OverviewSalesforce Help
- Customize Related List ColumnsSalesforce Help
- Dynamic Related ListsSalesforce 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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