Sharing Settings
Sharing Settings is a Setup page where administrators define the organization-wide default (OWD) access levels for each object and create sharing rules to extend access beyond the defaults.
Definition
Sharing Settings is a Setup page where administrators define the organization-wide default (OWD) access levels for each object and create sharing rules to extend access beyond the defaults. OWD settings control the baseline visibility (Private, Public Read Only, Public Read/Write) for records across the org.
In plain English
“Here's a simple way to think about it: Sharing Settings is the foundation for every who-can-see-what question. OWD per object - Private, Public Read Only, Public Read/Write - is the floor; everything else extends access from there.”
Worked example
The admin at Apex Dynamics sets the OWD for Opportunities to "Private" in Sharing Settings so reps can only see their own deals. She then creates a sharing rule that grants read access to all Opportunities in the same territory, and another rule that shares Closed Won deals with the entire finance team for invoicing purposes.
Why Sharing Settings is the foundation for every who-can-see-what question
Sharing Settings is the page where Organization-Wide Defaults (OWD) get set per object - Private, Public Read Only, Public Read/Write, or Controlled by Parent. Everything else in the sharing model (the role hierarchy, sharing rules, manual shares, Apex shares) extends access beyond the OWD; nothing reduces it below. So this page sets the floor, and the rest of the security model is the addition you stack on top.
The reason most orgs spend serious time getting this right at launch is that changing OWD on a populated object is operationally expensive - all sharing must be recalculated, which on large orgs means a maintenance window. Match the default to the most restrictive use case for each object (most internal data should be Private; some reference data Public Read Only; almost nothing Public Read/Write), and build access up from there with rules. The page is the contract; sharing rules are the exceptions.
How to set up Sharing Settings
Sharing Settings is the org-wide sharing model dashboard — Org-Wide Defaults (OWD) per object, Sharing Rules summary, manual sharing toggles. The OWD per object is the foundational decision: Public Read/Write means everyone sees everything; Private means only owners and the role hierarchy.
- Open Setup → Sharing Settings
Setup gear → Quick Find: Sharing Settings → Sharing Settings.
- Review the Organization-Wide Defaults table
Each object has Default Internal Access, Default External Access, and Grant Access Using Hierarchies columns. The combination defines the floor of visibility.
- Click Edit at the top of the OWD table
Edit lets you change the OWD for each object. Changes recalculate sharing across the entire object — slow on large data volumes.
- Set OWD per object
Public Read/Write / Public Read Only / Private / Controlled by Parent. Private = only owner sees by default; sharing rules and the role hierarchy add access on top.
- Configure Sharing Rules per object
Below the OWD table, each object has its own Sharing Rules section. New = open access from one group to another.
- Configure Manual Sharing settings
Allows record owners to manually share records via the Sharing button on the record detail page.
- Save
OWD changes trigger a sharing recalculation. Can take hours on large data volumes — plan for off-hours.
Public Read/Write / Public Read Only / Private / Controlled by Parent. Foundational.
Separate OWD for external users (Customer Community, Partner Community).
Toggle. When ticked, role-hierarchy ancestors automatically see records owned below them.
Per-object rules to widen access beyond OWD.
- OWD changes trigger a sharing recalculation across the entire object. On a 5M-row Account, this can take many hours. Schedule for off-hours; users may see inconsistent visibility until the recalc finishes.
- OWD can only be made MORE restrictive (or kept the same) for some objects without a wizard. Going from Public Read to Public Read/Write is fine; going from Public Read/Write to Private requires careful rebuild of sharing rules first.
- Default External Access can't be more open than Default Internal Access. Misconfiguration here breaks Experience Cloud / partner / customer site visibility.
How organizations use Sharing Settings
Migrated to OWD Private during compliance project; sharing rules layered on top to grant access deliberately.
Mixed OWD per object based on data sensitivity; reference data Public, customer data Private.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Sharing Settings.
- Sharing Rule TypesSalesforce Help
Test your knowledge
Q1. Why is understanding Sharing Settings important for Salesforce admins?
Q2. What is the primary benefit of Sharing Settings for Salesforce administrators?
Q3. Can a Salesforce admin configure Sharing Settings without writing code?
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