Rename Tabs and Labels
Rename Tabs and Labels is a Setup page where administrators change the display names of standard objects and tabs to match their organization's terminology.
Definition
Rename Tabs and Labels is a Setup page where administrators change the display names of standard objects and tabs to match their organization's terminology. This allows companies to customize Salesforce vocabulary without creating custom objects, making the platform feel natural to users.
In plain English
“Here's a simple way to think about it: Rename Tabs and Labels lets the platform speak your team's vocabulary. Customers, not Accounts. Deals, not Opportunities. The platform translates internally; users see your terminology.”
Worked example
A real estate company renames "Accounts" to "Properties," "Contacts" to "Clients," and "Opportunities" to "Deals" using Rename Tabs and Labels. Now the entire Salesforce interface uses real estate terminology that agents understand immediately, and all related labels, help text, and error messages update automatically to match.
Why Rename Tabs and Labels lets the platform speak your team's vocabulary
Salesforce calls them Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, and Cases - but the people in your org may call them Customers, People, Deals, and Tickets. Rename Tabs and Labels is the page that lets you change the displayed names without creating custom objects. Internally the platform still references the standard names; externally to users, every tab, list view, validation message, and help text uses your terminology.
The reason it's worth doing in any org with strong internal vocabulary is adoption. Users who think in their own terms have to translate every Salesforce screen into their mental model otherwise; renamed labels remove that translation tax. Rename early in the org's life, document both the original name and the renamed one (so support cases and Trailhead tutorials still make sense), and avoid ad-hoc additional renames once the team has settled into the vocabulary.
How to set up Rename Tabs and Labels
Rename Tabs and Labels lets admins customize standard Salesforce labels — call "Account" "Customer," call "Opportunity" "Deal," etc. Org-wide; affects every reference to that label in the UI. Translation Workbench handles per-language overrides separately.
- Open Setup → Rename Tabs and Labels
Setup gear → Quick Find: Rename Tabs → Rename Tabs and Labels.
- Pick the language
Org-wide rename is per-language. The default language is what most users see; others get the original until you rename per-language.
- Click Edit on a tab / object
Standard tabs and standard fields are editable. Custom tabs and fields are renamed via Object Manager.
- Set Singular and Plural names
Singular for record-detail headings; Plural for list views and tab labels. Both are required.
- (Optional) override Field Labels
On the same edit page, scroll down to override standard field labels (Account → Company Name).
- Save
Renames take effect immediately for users in the matching language.
Both required. "Customer" / "Customers."
What appears on the tab and list view.
Override standard field labels for renamed objects.
Each language has its own rename set.
- Renames affect every UI mention of the standard label. Reports, dashboards, list views, validation rule error messages — everything updates. Plan as a one-time rebrand.
- Custom labels (Apex / LWC / Visualforce) don't auto-update. If your code hardcodes "Account", you need to update those strings too.
- Per-language renames are independent. Renaming in English doesn't propagate to Spanish — must rename in each language separately.
How organizations use Rename Tabs and Labels
Renamed Account to Customer and Opportunity to Deal; rep adoption rose because the platform finally matched team language.
Patient-Facing labels replaced internal jargon; clinicians work with familiar terms in their daily flow.
Partner Portal uses partner-relevant labels; the same data appears with audience-appropriate terminology.
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. Can a Salesforce admin configure Rename Tabs and Labels without writing code?
Q2. In which area of Salesforce would you typically find Rename Tabs and Labels?
Q3. What is the primary benefit of Rename Tabs and Labels for Salesforce administrators?
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