User License
A User License is the base license that defines what kind of Salesforce login a user has - Salesforce (full CRM), Salesforce Platform (custom-app-only), Chatter Free, Chatter External, Customer Community, Customer Community Plus, Partner Community, and others.
Definition
A User License is the base license that defines what kind of Salesforce login a user has - Salesforce (full CRM), Salesforce Platform (custom-app-only), Chatter Free, Chatter External, Customer Community, Customer Community Plus, Partner Community, and others. It gates which objects and features the user can ever access; Permission Sets, Permission Set Licenses, and Feature Licenses layer on top to grant specific capabilities within the user type. A user has exactly one User License, assigned at user creation.
In plain English
“A User License is "what kind of Salesforce seat do you have." The common ones are Salesforce (full CRM), Salesforce Platform (custom apps only, no CRM objects), and the various Community licenses for external customers and partners. It's the foundation - what User License you have gates what features you can ever touch; Permission Sets and Feature Licenses layer on top.”
Worked example
At Ridgeway Insurance, admin Kiara onboards three user types in one week. A new sales rep gets a Salesforce User License so she can touch Leads, Opportunities, and Accounts out of the box. A back-office analyst who only uses internal custom apps gets a Salesforce Platform License - it's cheaper and sufficient because Platform licenses have no access to standard CRM objects. And an external partner gets a Partner Community Plus License so they can log into the Experience Cloud portal with visibility into the Accounts and Opportunities they're assigned. One user, one User License each; Permission Sets and Feature Licenses fine-tune what each can do from there.
Why User License matters
A User License is one of three license types layered into every Salesforce user's access model: the User License (what kind of login: Salesforce, Salesforce Platform, Customer Community, etc.), Permission Set Licenses / Feature Licenses (unlock specific feature sets like Service Cloud User, Marketing User, Knowledge User), and Permission Sets (grant specific permissions within the licensed features). The User License is foundational and rarely changed after user creation - changing it usually means deactivating the user and creating a new one.
User Licenses determine the ceiling of what a user can ever access. For example, a Salesforce Platform User License cannot access standard CRM objects (Opportunity, Lead, Case) no matter what Permission Sets are assigned - the license itself doesn't include those objects. Customer Community licenses are further restricted and exclude features like Chatter in most configurations. Admins monitor User License utilization in Setup ▸ Company Information ▸ User Licenses; contracts are generally sold in fixed counts per license type, so running out blocks new hires until a true-up. Mature orgs align license selection with role (rep = Salesforce; internal-app user = Platform; external user = Community variant) to balance capability and cost.
How to set up User License
User License is the base license type assigned to each user — Salesforce (full CRM), Salesforce Platform (custom-app-only), Customer Community, Partner Community, and others. Drives which objects and features the user can ever access. A user has exactly one User License, picked at user creation; switching licenses requires deactivation and recreation.
- When creating a User: Setup → Users → New User
User License is one of the required fields on the New User form.
- Pick the License Type
Salesforce (full CRM access), Salesforce Platform (Custom Object access only), Identity (SSO only), Customer Community / Partner Community (Experience Cloud users), Chatter Free / External, Salesforce Integration (API-only service accounts), and others. Locked once saved.
- After User creation: assign Permission Sets / PSLs
User License is the floor. Permission Sets and Permission Set Licenses layer additional capabilities on top within the User License's allowed scope.
- For changing a user's license: deactivate and recreate
User License cannot be edited on an existing User. Deactivate the User, create a new User with the desired License, transfer record ownership.
- For monitoring license usage: Setup → Company Information
Shows used vs total per License Type. Approaching cap means it's time to add seats or reclaim from inactive users.
Full CRM access. Most expensive.
Custom Objects + Accounts/Contacts. No standard CRM objects (Lead, Opportunity).
Experience Cloud users. Limited objects.
B2B partner portal users.
API-only service account. Cheaper than full Salesforce license for integrations.
- User License is locked after Save. To switch a user from Platform to Salesforce, you must deactivate the user and create a new one with the desired license — losing user-level customizations and ownership.
- License type drives which Profiles are available. A Salesforce Platform User can't use the Standard User profile — they need a Platform-license-compatible profile.
- License usage counts against the org's contract. Hitting the cap blocks new user creation — Setup → Manage Subscription to see usage and pursue capacity additions.
How organizations use User License
Assigns Salesforce, Salesforce Platform, and Partner Community Plus licenses to different user populations based on role - cheaper license types for narrower users, full CRM licenses only for staff who need them.
Audits User License utilization quarterly and true-ups with their AE ahead of quota - blocking new-hire activation on a license cap is a recurring pain point they solved proactively.
Migrated 40 back-office users from Salesforce to Salesforce Platform licenses after a license audit showed the cheaper tier still covered their internal-app-only work - resulted in measurable cost savings at renewal.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on User License.
- User LicensesSalesforce Help
- Standard User LicensesSalesforce Help
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