Remote Access
Remote Access is a Setup page for managing legacy Connected App configurations that allow external applications to authenticate and access Salesforce data.
Definition
Remote Access is a Setup page for managing legacy Connected App configurations that allow external applications to authenticate and access Salesforce data. While newer Connected Apps are managed through the App Manager, Remote Access provides backward compatibility for older OAuth integrations.
In plain English
“Here's a simple way to think about it: Remote Access is the legacy page Connected Apps eventually replaced. Old OAuth integrations live here; new integrations should be Connected Apps. The page persists for backward compatibility.”
Worked example
The admin at DataSync Corp opens Remote Access while auditing legacy integrations and finds two old Connected App entries from 2018 that are no longer in use. She verifies with the IT team that the associated applications have been decommissioned, then removes the Remote Access entries to close unnecessary OAuth access points.
Why Remote Access is the legacy page Connected Apps eventually replaced
Before Connected Apps, Salesforce had a feature called Remote Access - a simpler, less flexible mechanism for letting external applications authenticate to the org. The two coexist for backward compatibility: any Remote Access record from years past still works, but new integrations should be built as Connected Apps in App Manager. Remote Access is the page where the old records still live for inventory and (if needed) decommissioning.
The reason most modern admins won't touch this page is that it's a relic - but knowing about it matters when you inherit an org with old integrations. A Remote Access entry that's still active and unaccounted for is exactly the kind of credential an attacker would target. Audit the page during any access review, migrate any active integration to a proper Connected App, and revoke entries you can't tie back to a current owner.
How to set up Remote Access
Remote Access (now Connected Apps) is the legacy term for what Salesforce now calls Connected Apps — third-party app authentication and API access. The old Remote Access page redirects to App Manager / Manage Connected Apps in modern orgs. Knowing the legacy name helps with old documentation.
- Open Setup → Remote Access (legacy) or App Manager (modern)
Most modern orgs no longer have a Remote Access page; the link redirects to App Manager.
- For new app setup: see Connected App
Connected App is the modern equivalent. App Manager → New Connected App.
- For app management: see Manage Connected Apps
Once installed, Manage Connected Apps for OAuth policies, blocking, etc.
- For OAuth scope definition: see OAuth Custom Scopes
Custom scope definition lives separately.
- Treat Remote Access mentions in old docs as Connected Apps
Documentation from before ~2014 may reference Remote Access — same concept, modern name.
Redirects to App Manager / Manage Connected Apps in modern orgs.
The current term. Same OAuth / SAML / API access concept.
- Remote Access is the legacy name. New orgs don't see this menu — Salesforce has consolidated under Connected Apps.
- Old Apex code may reference "Remote Site Settings" — different feature, also Connected-Apps-related but distinct. Remote Site Settings is for outbound HTTP callouts; Remote Access (Connected Apps) is for inbound third-party app authentication.
- Trusted URLs has replaced Remote Site Settings for outbound callouts in modern Salesforce — yet another rename.
How organizations use Remote Access
Quarterly access reviews include Remote Access; old integrations get migrated or revoked.
Inherited org's Remote Access entries audited; orphaned credentials revoked as part of security hygiene.
New integrations always built as Connected Apps; Remote Access is for maintenance only.
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 is the primary benefit of Remote Access for Salesforce administrators?
Q2. Can a Salesforce admin configure Remote Access without writing code?
Q3. Why is understanding Remote Access important for Salesforce admins?
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