One of the most challenging aspects of Salesforce administration is managing record access and sharing. While organization-wide defaults, sharing rules, and role hierarchies handle most of your organization’s data security needs, there are times when you need more granular control. This is where manual sharing in Salesforce comes into play. Manual sharing allows you to grant ad-hoc access to individual records without changing global settings or user profiles. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about manual sharing, including when to use it, how to implement it, and best practices for maintaining security in your organization.
Manual sharing in Salesforce is a powerful feature that grants temporary or specific record access to users who don’t have access through default sharing rules—perfect for collaboration on time-sensitive projects without restructuring your entire organization.
Manual sharing in Salesforce is a record-level access feature that allows users to share individual records with other users, roles, or groups on an as-needed basis. Unlike automatic sharing mechanisms—such as sharing rules or organization-wide defaults—manual sharing provides precise, granular control over who can access specific records.
At its core, manual sharing enables you to grant temporary or permanent access to a single record without affecting the sharing model for your entire organization. This flexibility is invaluable in scenarios where collaboration is needed on specific opportunities, accounts, or cases.
When Should You Use Manual Sharing in Salesforce?
Temporary Project Collaboration:
A team member is going on vacation, and you need another colleague to handle their opportunities for a few weeks without changing role hierarchies.
Cross-Functional Support:
A customer support representative needs read-only access to a specific opportunity to answer technical questions.
Executive Review:
A C-level executive needs temporary access to sensitive deals without granting them permanent access via role hierarchy.
Partner or Vendor Access:
Sharing a specific account or project record with an external partner while maintaining strict data security.
The beauty of manual sharing is that it bypasses the need to restructure your organization’s sharing model for one-off requests. No profile changes. No Role hierarchy adjustments. Just quick, clean access where it’s needed.
Prerequisites for Manual Sharing in Salesforce
Before you can manually share records, several conditions must be met:
- The object’s sharing setting must be Private or Public Read Only. If it’s set to Public Read/Write, the sharing button won’t appear because everyone already has access.
- You must have full access to the record—either as the record owner, a system administrator, someone above the owner in the role hierarchy, or someone previously granted Full Access to that record.
The user you’re sharing with must have at least View access to the object through their profile or permission set. Manual sharing cannot override object-level restrictions.
Manual Sharing must be enabled for the specific object (which is typically on by default, but can be disabled by admins).
How to Share a Record Manually: Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s the complete process for sharing a record in Salesforce:
1. Open the Record
Navigate to the record you want to share (e.g., Opportunity, Account, Case, etc.). Click on the record name or ID to open the detail page.
2. Locate the Sharing Button
Look for the “Sharing” button near the top right of the record detail page. If you don’t see this button, it’s likely because the object is not set to Private or Public Read Only, or you don’t have permission to share the record.
3. Click the Sharing Button
A sharing dialog or panel will appear, showing who currently has access to the record and options to add new users.
4. Add Users or Groups
In the sharing dialog, search for the user, role, public group, or role hierarchy you want to grant access to. Start typing the name, and Salesforce will display matching suggestions. Select the desired option.
5. Set Access Level
Choose the appropriate access level: “Read Only” (view the record but cannot edit) or “Read/Write” (view and edit the record). Some objects may offer additional access levels.
6. Add a Reason (Optional)
Document why the record is being shared. This helps with auditing and helps you remember the purpose of the sharing later.
7. Click Save
Click the Save button to confirm the sharing. The record is now accessible to the specified user or group with the access level you selected.
Who Can Share Records? Who Can Be Shared With?
Understanding permissions is critical to manual sharing success. Not everyone can share, and you can’t share with just anyone.
Who Can Share Records:
- The record owner
- System administrators
- Any user above the record owner in the role hierarchy
- Any user granted “Full Access” to the record via previous manual sharing
Who You Can Share With:
- Individual users (must have view access to the object via their profile or permission set)
- Public groups (admin-defined collections of users)
- Roles (all users in a specific role)
- Roles and Subordinates (a role plus all subordinate roles in the hierarchy)
IMPORTANT: Manual sharing cannot override object-level restrictions. If a user doesn’t have “View” access to an object in their profile, manual sharing won’t help them access records of that object.
Critical Considerations for Manual Sharing in Salesforce
When using manual sharing, keep these important points in mind:
1. Manual Sharing is Removed When Record Ownership Changes
This is one of the most critical things to understand about manual sharing. When you change the owner of a record, all manual sharing is automatically removed. Automatic sharing (via sharing rules and role hierarchy) remains intact, but any individual manual shares are deleted. You’ll need to re-share the record if continued access is needed.
2. Manual Sharing Cannot Be Used to Restrict Access
Manual sharing only grants access—it cannot be used to deny or restrict access. If someone already has access to a record through their profile, role, or sharing rules, you cannot use manual sharing to remove that access.
3. Manual Sharing Audit Trail
All manual sharing is logged in Salesforce’s audit trail, which is visible to administrators. This is excellent for compliance and security purposes, as you can track exactly who shared what records with whom and when.
4. Performance Considerations with Large-Scale Manual Sharing
While manual sharing is powerful for individual records, it’s not designed for sharing thousands of records at once. If you find yourself needing to share many records with the same set of users, sharing rules or adjusting your role hierarchy might be more efficient.
Best Practices for Manual Sharing in Salesforce
Always Document Your Reasoning: Include a reason or note when sharing records. This helps you (and other admins) remember why the sharing was set up and makes auditing easier.
Use Sharing Hierarchy to Review Access: Click “Sharing Hierarchy” to see a complete list of who has access to each record and how they got that access. This transparency is crucial for security.
Consider Sharing Rules First: Before manually sharing multiple records, consider whether creating a sharing rule would be more efficient and maintainable long-term.
Remove Access When No Longer Needed: Periodically review manual sharing and remove access that’s no longer necessary. This keeps your organization clean and secure.
Train Users on Manual Sharing: Empower your end-users to share records themselves (if they have the permission). This reduces the admin burden and improves team collaboration.
Use Public Groups for Consistency: If you frequently share with the same set of users, create a public group and share with the group instead of individual users. This is easier to maintain and audit.
Common Issues and Troubleshooting Manual Sharing I Don't See the Sharing Button
The Sharing button is only visible when the object is set to “Private” or “Public Read Only“ in the organization-wide defaults. Check Setup > Sharing Settings to verify the object’s default access level.
User Says They Can't See the Shared Record
The most common cause is that the user doesn’t have “View” access to the object via their profile or permission sets. Manual sharing can only grant access if the user already has object-level visibility.
Manual Sharing Disappeared After Changing Record Owner
This is expected behavior. All manual sharing is automatically removed when the record owner changes. You’ll need to re-share the record with the new owner if needed.
Conclusion: Master Manual Sharing in Salesforce
Manual sharing in Salesforce is an essential tool in any Salesforce administrator’s toolkit. It provides the flexibility to grant granular, temporary access to records without disrupting your organization’s overall sharing model. Whether you’re managing collaboration on a special project, assisting a colleague during their absence, or sharing sensitive opportunities with executives, manual sharing offers a quick and secure solution.
Key Takeaways:
- Manual sharing in Salesforce grants individual record access to users, roles, groups, or role hierarchies.
- It only works when object sharing is set to “Private” or “Public Read Only.”
- Only record owners, admins, managers, and those with full access can share records.
- Manual sharing is removed when record ownership changes.
- Always document your sharing decisions and periodically audit record access.
Ready to Master Salesforce Administration?
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Frequently Asked Questions About Manual Sharing Can I undo manual sharing?
Yes, absolutely. Return to the Sharing button on the record, find the user you want to remove, and delete the sharing. This immediately revokes their access to the record.
Can I share a record with external users or portal users?
Portal users and external users cannot be manually shared with directly. However, they may have access through their portal role or sharing rules. For more granular control with external users, consider using sharing rules or portal-specific sharing settings.
Does manual sharing work for all objects in Salesforce?
Most standard and custom objects support manual sharing, but your Salesforce admin can disable it for specific objects if needed. Check with your admin or review the Sharing Settings to confirm manual sharing is enabled for the object you’re working with.
What's the difference between manual sharing and sharing rules?
Sharing rules are automatic and apply to all records that meet specified criteria, affecting many records at once. Manual sharing grants access to specific individual records on a case-by-case basis. Use sharing rules for broad, consistent sharing needs; use manual sharing for ad-hoc, temporary, or specific record access.
This blog post was created to help you understand manual sharing in Salesforce—one of the essential skills every Salesforce administrator must master.
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