Web Tab
A Web Tab is a custom tab type in Salesforce that displays an external web page or web-based application inside the Salesforce user interface.
Definition
A Web Tab is a custom tab type in Salesforce that displays an external web page or web-based application inside the Salesforce user interface. Admins point the tab at a URL, and Salesforce renders that page in a frame (an iframe) so users can reach an outside resource without opening a separate browser window.
Web Tabs sit alongside the other custom tab types, such as Object Tabs, Visualforce Tabs, and Lightning Component Tabs. They are configured entirely through Setup with no code, which makes them the quickest way to surface a vendor portal, an internal wiki, or a simple mashup next to a user's Salesforce work.
How a Web Tab embeds an outside page
The custom tab family and where Web Tabs fit
Salesforce gives admins several custom tab types, and a Web Tab is the one built for outside content. An Object Tab surfaces records for a standard or custom object. A Visualforce Tab renders a Visualforce page you wrote. A Lightning Component Tab exposes an Aura or Lightning web component. A Web Tab is different because it does not display Salesforce data or a Salesforce-hosted page at all. It points at any web address and shows whatever lives there. That distinction matters when you plan navigation. If the destination is a Salesforce record list, you want an Object Tab. If you built a custom screen on the platform, a Lightning Component Tab or Visualforce Tab keeps everything native. Reach for a Web Tab only when the content is external, such as a partner site, an intranet page, or a hosted tool your team checks often. Because all of these tab types share the same Setup area under Tabs, an admin can mix them inside one app. Each tab you create can be added to custom apps and shown or hidden per profile, so the choice of tab type is independent of who sees it.
The create-tab wizard, step by step
You build a Web Tab from Setup by entering Tabs in Quick Find, selecting Tabs, then clicking New in the Web Tabs related list. The wizard opens with a layout choice. Full page width gives the embedded page the entire content area, which suits a full application. Column (the narrower option in Salesforce Classic) places the content in a sidebar-style frame for a compact widget. Next you pick a Tab Style, which sets the color and icon shown in the navigation bar, and you enter the Tab Label, Tab Name, and an optional description. The Tab Name is the internal API name and cannot contain spaces. You then supply the content the tab points to. The Button or Link URL field holds the web address, and you can choose a frame height for how tall the embedded area renders. After that you decide whether to add the tab to user profiles and to which custom apps it belongs. A final step lets you add the tab to the apps where it should appear. None of this requires Apex or markup, which is why Web Tabs remain a fast admin tool.
Passing record context through URL merge fields
A static link is fine for a homepage, but a Web Tab can also pass context to the outside system. In the URL field you can insert merge fields so the address is built from data at click time. For example, an admin might append a user or org value to a vendor URL so the external page opens already filtered. This is how teams turn a plain link into a light mashup that feels connected to Salesforce. There is an important limit. A Web Tab opened directly from the navigation bar has no record in scope, so any record-specific merge value will be empty. The classic pattern around this used a Web Link or an S-Control to first capture the record ID and then redirect to the tab URL with the value appended, using something like top.window.location set to the tab URL plus the ID. That technique is legacy now. On Lightning, the cleaner path is to drive context from a button or component on the record page rather than expecting the global tab to know which record you came from. Plan the merge values around where the tab is actually launched.
The iframe constraint that breaks some sites
A Web Tab works by loading the target URL inside an iframe. That is convenient, but it is also the single biggest reason a Web Tab fails. Many websites send response headers like X-Frame-Options or a Content-Security-Policy frame-ancestors rule that tells the browser to refuse being framed by another domain. When that happens, the embedded area shows a blank box or a browser error instead of the page, and there is nothing to configure in Salesforce to override it. The block lives on the external server. Always test the exact URL inside a Web Tab before you roll it out, because a site that opens fine in its own window can still refuse to be framed. If the destination blocks framing, your options are to ask that vendor to allowlist your Salesforce domain, switch to a custom link that opens the page in a new browser tab, or use Canvas for a properly integrated app. Mixed content is a second trap. A Salesforce session runs over HTTPS, so an embedded page served over plain HTTP is usually blocked by the browser as insecure content.
Behavior in Lightning Experience versus Classic
Web Tabs predate Lightning Experience and were a staple of Salesforce Classic, but they still function in Lightning Experience. The layout choices read a little differently between the two interfaces, and the full page width option is the one that translates most cleanly to the Lightning navigation bar. When a Web Tab is part of a Lightning app, you can navigate to it programmatically using the standard__navItemPage page reference, where the tab API name identifies the destination. Lightning also tightens security around framed content. Lightning Web Security governs how embedded iframe content can interact with the host page, so scripts on the external page run under stricter rules than they did in older Classic mashups. For brand-new integrations, Salesforce generally steers admins toward Lightning components or Canvas because those approaches handle authentication and data exchange far better than a raw iframe. Web Tabs stay useful for the simple case, which is giving users one click to an external page they visit often. Treat them as a quick link, not as an integration layer.
Visibility, profiles, and good housekeeping
Creating a Web Tab does not automatically show it to everyone. During the wizard you set the default tab visibility for each profile, choosing Default On, Default Off, or Tab Hidden. You can adjust this later in profiles or permission sets under tab settings, and you control which custom apps include the tab. This per-profile control lets you expose a finance portal only to the finance team while keeping it hidden from everyone else. Good housekeeping keeps Web Tabs from becoming dead weight. Because the destination is outside Salesforce, a link can rot when a vendor changes domains or retires a tool, and nothing inside the org warns you. Review your Web Tabs periodically and confirm the URLs still resolve and still allow framing. Give each tab a clear label and description so future admins know why it exists. If a Web Tab points at something sensitive, remember the external system enforces its own login, so the user may be prompted to authenticate inside the frame. Document that expectation so the experience does not surprise people.
How to create a Web Tab in Setup
Create a Web Tab from Setup to give users one-click access to an external page inside Salesforce. No code is required.
- Open the Tabs setup page
From Setup, enter Tabs in the Quick Find box and select Tabs. In the Web Tabs related list, click New to launch the wizard.
- Pick a layout and style
Choose Full page width for a full application or the column layout for a compact widget. Select a Tab Style for the icon and color shown in the navigation bar, then click Next.
- Name the tab and set the URL
Enter the Tab Label and Tab Name, then supply the web address in the Button or Link URL field. Insert merge fields if you want to pass context, and set a frame height for the embedded area.
- Set visibility and add to apps
Choose the default tab visibility per profile (Default On, Default Off, or Tab Hidden), select which custom apps include the tab, and click Save.
Full page width or column. Controls whether the embedded page fills the content area or sits in a narrower frame.
The color and icon shown for the tab in the navigation bar and App Launcher.
The display name users see on the tab. The Tab Name (API name) is generated from it and cannot contain spaces.
The external web address the tab loads in its frame. Merge fields can be inserted to build the URL dynamically.
- If the target site sends X-Frame-Options or a frame-ancestors policy, it will refuse to load in the iframe and show a blank box. Test the exact URL first.
- A tab opened from the navigation bar has no record in scope, so record-specific merge fields resolve to empty. Drive context from a record-page button instead.
- An HTTP destination is usually blocked as mixed content because the Salesforce session runs over HTTPS. Use an HTTPS URL.
- The tab is hidden until you set its visibility per profile or permission set and add it to the relevant custom apps.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Create Web Tabs (Salesforce Help)Salesforce
- CustomTab (Metadata API Developer Guide)Salesforce
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Web Tab.
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Web Tab.
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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