Top New Features in Winter ’26 Release: [Salesforce Platform in Lightning]

Introduction

Winter ’26 brings a fresh set of updates to the Salesforce Platform in Lightning, aimed at making automation smarter, flows easier to manage, and developer work more efficient. From improved flow debugging and version comparison to new Lightning Web Components and better event tracking, these features help you build and deploy solutions with confidence.

In this blog, we’ll cover key highlights such as local LWC actions in screen flows, persistent logging for more visibility, simplified approval assignments, and faster data recipe runs. Each update is designed to save time, reduce errors, and make your workflows smoother.

Discover how Winter ’26 is shaping the Salesforce Platform into a faster, smarter, and more developer-friendly environment.

Troubleshoot Flow Approval Processes in Flow Builder

Use Debug mode in Flow Builder to thoroughly test your flow approval process before deployment and ensure that it works as intended. Running a flow approval process in debug mode helps to streamline development, reduce time to deployment, and build trust in your solutions.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

Who: This feature is available to users with the Modify Flow user permission.

How: We recommend that you fully test a flow approval process in a sandbox before deploying it to production. Open a flow approval process in Flow Builder, and click Debug on the Button Bar. The Setup tab of the Debug panel opens.

If you opened a record-triggered flow approval process, on the Setup tab of the Debug panel, specify the record to use as a trigger for debugging. If you opened an autolaunched flow approval process, specify values for the input variables.

To debug the flow approval process without changing your Salesforce data, select Run automation in rollback mode. The orchestration run associated with the flow approval process doesn’t run any asynchronous steps.

For each asynchronous step on the Stages tab of the Debug panel, click Edit.

On the Debug Configuration tab of the Step properties panel, turn on Manually Set Output Values. Then enter values to use as this step’s output when you debug the flow approval process. Optionally, you can also set manual output values for one or more synchronous steps. After you set your steps’ manual output values, save the flow approval process.

After you set manual output values for all asynchronous steps, click Run on the Setup tab of the Debug panel. The Details tab of the Debug panel displays information about the orchestration run associated with the flow approval process.

To see more information about a card, expand Details.

To debug a flow approval process and make changes to your Salesforce data, deselect Run automation in rollback mode. The orchestration run associated with the flow approval process automatically overrides all approval work item assignees to be the person who’s debugging the automation. All changes to your Salesforce data are permanent. Enter values for the flow approval process’s triggering record or input variables. All flow approval processes require values for recordId and submitter before they can be run. The information on the Details tab of the Debug panel is refreshed after the automation completes each decision, stage, and step.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_automated_approvals_debug_flow_approval_processes.htm&release=258&type=5

Preview a Single Lightning Web Component by Using Local Dev

Now, when you preview a single Lightning web component with Local Dev, you can access platform modules such as public Lightning Data Service wire adapters, @salesforce scoped modules, and Apex controllers. Previously, these resources weren’t available in single component previews.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in all editions.

How: To learn more about Local Dev’s single component preview command, see Lightning Web Components Developer Guide: Preview a Single Component.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_lwc_single_component_preview.htm&release=258&type=5

Track Event Publishing and Consumption in Your Salesforce Org

Gain insights into the events being published and consumed in your Salesforce org with the Event Studio dashboard. Understand how different events, such as platform events and event relays, and Lightning web components, impact the publish and delivery entitlements in your Salesforce org so that you can optimize your eventing strategy.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: To view event metrics, from Setup, enter and select Event Studio. To see a list of all the entities that are publishing events in your Salesforce org, select Event Publishers. To see a list of all entities that are consuming events in your Salesforce org, select Event Subscribers. Select a time range and click Submit.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_messaging_pe_event_studio.htm&release=258&type=5

New and Changed Lightning Web Components

Build UI easily with these new and changed components.

Changed Lightning Web Components

These components have changed.

lightning-accordion

This attribute has changed.

• allow-multiple-sections-open—If the accordion has only one accordion section, it can’t be closed. Previously, you could close the single accordion section even if this attribute was set to false.

lightning-datatable

These attributes are new.

• disabled-rows—Prevents row selection with a list of key-field values.
• hide-borders—If present with hide-table-header, the table borders are hidden.

This cell attribute is new.

• highlightClass—Sets SLDS classes on a column on row hover or focus. Custom classes aren’t supported. If the classcell attribute is also present, only the classes you provide via highlightClass are applied on row hover or focus.

lightning-dual-listbox

These accessibility behaviors are new.

• When you type a character, focus moves to the next item with a name that starts with the typed character. To select a focused item, press Ctrl + Space.
• The first character is matched with the first character of the label in the order the options occur. Typing the same character moves focus to the next item that starts with the same character.

For more information, see Speed Up List View Configuration with Type-Ahead Search.

lightning-formatted-name

This attribute is new.

• locale—Specifies the locale that’s used to determine the layout and order of the name fields. In Lightning Experience, this value defaults to the Localefield on the Language & Time Zone page in the user’s personal settings.

lightning-input

The input field of type checkbox has changed. A read-only checkbox is no longer focusable and you can’t interact with it. Other changes to a read-only checkbox include:

• A read-only checkbox that’s specified as required no longer displays with an asterisk because it can’t be checked or unchecked. Adding the requiredattribute to a read-only checkbox has no effect on the component.
• A read-only checkbox that’s selected now displays a checkmark without a checkbox border.
• A read-only checkbox that’s not selected now displays as an empty checkbox with a dotted border.

The input field of type checkbox has these accessibility changes.

• A read-only checkbox displays with Trueor False as hover text.
• A read-only checkbox provides the Trueor False hover text as assistive text for screen readers.

The input field of type file has changed.

• The field is no longer read-only.
• You can assign the file input to one of these types—FileList, a Fileobject, or an array of File

The input field of type search has changed.

• When clicking the X button to clear the search and while the field is in focus, the blur, change, and commitevents now fire one time each in that order.

This attribute is new for input fields of type date, datetime, and time.

• time-step-minutes—Specifies the time interval in minutes for the dropdown options. The minimum is 5-minute intervals. The default is 15-minute intervals.

Required fields of these types—text, number, email, tel, url, search, password, range—have these accessibility changes.

• The required indicator (*) now renders with aria-hidden=”true”.
• The “required” information is no longer repeated multiple times on NVDA screen readers in Firefox browsers.

lightning-input-name

This attribute is new.

• locale—Specifies the locale that’s used to determine the layout and order of the name fields. In Lightning Experience, this value defaults to the Localefield on the Language & Time Zone page in the user’s personal settings.

lightning-omnistudio-flexcard

Displays a Flexcard using its unique name. For more information, see Embed Omnistudio Wrapper Components in Custom LWCs for Enhanced Functionality.

lightning-omnistudio-omniscript

Uses an Omniscript within a custom component. For more information, see Embed Omnistudio Wrapper Components in Custom LWCs for Enhanced Functionality.

lightning-output-field

The checkbox field type has changed. A read-only checkbox is no longer focusable and you can’t interact with it. Other changes to a read-only checkbox include:

• A read-only checkbox that’s specified as required no longer displays with an asterisk because it can’t be checked or unchecked. Adding the requiredattribute to a read-only checkbox has no effect on the component.
• A read-only checkbox that’s selected now displays a checkmark without a checkbox border.
• A read-only checkbox that’s not selected now displays as an empty checkbox with a dotted border.

The checkbox field type has these accessibility changes.

• A read-only checkbox displays with Trueor False as hover text.
• A read-only checkbox provides the Trueor False hover text as assistive text for screen readers.

lightning-select

These accessibility behaviors are new.

• The validation error message now renders in an element with role=”status”.
• The field label is provided as assistive text for screen readers.

lightning-textarea

These accessibility behaviors are new.

• When the character limit specified by maxlengthis reached, the component renders an error message as assistive text with role=”alert”. The message notifies users of assistive technologies that the limit is reached.
• When you specify read-onlyon the component, the text area displays with a bottom border only.

lightning-tree-grid

These attributes are new.

• disabled-rows—Prevents rows that are specified with a list of key-field values from being selected or deselected.
• hide-table-header—If present, the table header is hidden.
• hide-borders—If present with hide-table-header, the table borders are hidden.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_lwc_components.htm&release=258&type=5

Debug and Fix Your Flows More Effectively

In the more efficient and precise Flow Builder debug experience, debug setup now opens in a resizable side panel that you can minimize and maximize. After a debug run, results appear as cards in the side panel. Use the result card’s dropdown menu to go directly to the relevant element in your flow. Seeing debug results, the flow canvas, and element properties in one place makes it easier to set up, understand, and act on the results of a debug run.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: To open the debug setup panel from the flow canvas, select Debug. Enlarge the panel up to 80% width or fully collapse it. To see debug setup options, click the Setup tab in the side panel.

To see debugging inputs, click the Details tab. To go to the relevant element on your canvas, go to the dropdown menu ( ) in the element’s input card and select View on Canvas.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_flow_debug_improvements.htm&release=258&type=5

Compare Flow Versions to Track Changes More Efficiently

Pinpoint changes between any two flow versions of the same flow definition in Flow Builder. Avoid issues with changes to complex flows before they go live, or track change history faster. Previously, you compared flow versions manually or even sifted through hard-to-read XML files. You can compare flow versions in autolaunched, scheduled-triggered, platform event-triggered, and record-triggered flows.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Essentials, Pro Suite, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, Developer, and all Einstein 1 editions.

How: From the Automation app, you can compare flow versions from the Flows list view or the flow’s details page. From the Flows list view, click the flow’s actions, and then click Compare Versions.

From the flow’s details page, click the flow’s actions, and then click Compare Versions.

Select another flow version to compare the two flow versions, and then click Compare Versions. You can change either flow version to compare. The comparison results show the changes made relative to the target version. In this example, Version 1 is the base version and Version 2 (Latest) is the target version. The comparison results show information such as the total number of each change type and API names of elements and resources.

For more information about changes to an element or resource, click View Details. For example, the Create Records element label was changed from Create Accounts in Version 1 to Create Active Accounts in Version 2. The Update Existing Records option was changed from False in Version 1 to True in Version 2.

You can share URLs to flow comparison results or use them to access specific comparisons.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_flow_mgmt_compare_versions.htm&release=258&type=5

Simplify Flow Approval Processes with Easier Resource Assignment

Use the new Resource assignee type, which replaces User Resource, Group Resource, and Queue Resource, as the simplified method of assigning an approval step to a resource. When an approval is submitted, the associated orchestration run identifies the type of assignee stored in the resource and validates the assignee.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: Add a text resource to your flow approval process that contains a username , the API name of a group, or the API name of a queue at run time. Select an approval step. In the Select the Approver section, for Assignee Type, select Resource. Then for Resource, select the text resource that you created.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_automated_approvals_assignee_resource_type_changes.htm&release=258&type=5

Troubleshoot Orchestrations in Flow Builder

Use Debug mode in Flow Builder to thoroughly test your orchestrations before deployment and ensure that it works as intended. Running an orchestration in debug mode helps to streamline development, reduce time-to-deployment, and build trust in your solutions.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

Who: This feature is available to users with the Modify Flow user permission.

How: We recommend that you fully test an orchestration in a sandbox before deploying it to production. Open an orchestration in Flow Builder, and click Debug on the Button Bar. The Setup tab of the Debug panel opens.

If you opened a record-triggered orchestration, on the Setup tab of the Debug panel, specify the record to use as a trigger for debugging. Otherwise, if you opened an auto launched orchestration, specify values for the input variables.

To debug the orchestration without changing your Salesforce data, select Run automation in rollback mode. The orchestration doesn’t run any asynchronous steps.

For each asynchronous step on the Stages tab of the Debug panel, click Edit.

In the Debug Configuration tab of the Step properties panel, set turn on Manually Set Output Values. Then enter values to use as this step’s output when you debug the orchestration. Optionally, you can also set manual output values for one or more synchronous steps. After you set your steps’ manual output values, save the orchestration.

After you set manual output values for all asynchronous steps, click Run on the Setup tab of the Debug panel. The Details tab of the Debug panel displays information about the orchestration run.

To see more information about a card, expand Details.

To debug an orchestration and make changes to your Salesforce data, deselect Run automation in rollback mode. The orchestration run automatically overrides all orchestration work item assignees to be the person who’s debugging the automation. All changes to your Salesforce data are permanent. Enter values for the orchestration’s input variables. The information on the Details tab of the Debug panel is refreshed after the automation completes each decision, stage, and step.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_orchestrator_debug_flow_approval_processes.htm&release=258&type=5

Find Where Actions Are Used

Search for the standard and custom invocable actions available in your org using the new Action Hub tab in the Automation app. You can search the full list or apply a filter. Select an action to view its details and every flow or process where the action is used.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: When you enable access to the Automation app, the Action Hub tab is automatically available. From the App Launcher, find and select Automation, and then click the Action Hub tab.

The main tab shows a list of all actions available in your organization. In the list, search or filter by Action Type to find a specific action.

To see where an action is used, click its name in the list. The detail page includes the action’s description, source, and type, along with related lists that show every flow or process where the action is used.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_automation_app_action_hub.htm&release=258&type=5

Use LWC Components for Local Actions in Screen Flows

Make your screen flows more powerful and efficient with Lightning Web Component (LWC) local actions. For example, add a confirmation toast or navigate to a record page. Local actions run directly in your browser, which means they have access to browser functionalities.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience, and Salesforce Classic in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: In your Salesforce Developer Experience (SFDX) project, create a Lightning web component and deploy it in your org. Then, in Flow Builder, click Add Element and then click Action. In the list of available actions, select your component. Here’s an example of the configuration file and JavaScript for a component that displays a toast message on a flow screen.

<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>
<LightningComponentBundle xmlns=”http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata”&gt;
<apiVersion>65.0</apiVersion>
<isExposed>true</isExposed>
<targets>
<target>lightning__FlowAction</target>
</targets>
<targetConfigs>
<targetConfig targets=”lightning__FlowAction”>
<property name=”toastTitle” type=”String” label=”Toast title to display” />
<property name=”toastMessage” type=”String” label=”Toast message to display” />
</targetConfig>
</targetConfigs>
</LightningComponentBundle>
import { api, LightningElement } from ‘lwc’;
import { ShowToastEvent } from ‘lightning/platformShowToastEvent’;
export default class ShowToastExampleComponent extends LightningElement {
@api toastTitle;
@api toastMessage;
@api invoke() {
this.dispatchEvent(new ShowToastEvent({
title: this.toastTitle,
message: this.toastMessage,
}));

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_lc_lwc_local_actions.htm&release=258&type=5

Design Components to Adapt to User Display Density

Density-aware styling hooks in Salesforce Lightning Design System 2 (SLDS 2) automatically adjust spacing and typography according to the Salesforce user’s display density setting. Use them to create a variable layout with your UI elements. Density-aware styling hook names include the keyword var, for example: –slds-g-spacing-var-1.

Where: These changes apply to Salesforce Lightning Design System 2 and Lightning Experience.

How: In this example, when the system detects a density change, the padding that uses –slds-g-spacing-var-inline-1 automatically adapts with the appropriate values along the horizontal inline axis. Example:

css

/* This hook provides different values based on density setting */
.my-component {
padding: var(–slds-g-spacing-var-inline-1);
}

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_slds_density_hooks.htm&release=258&type=5

Streamline Apex and Flow Test Retrieval and Execution

Get a unified view of your existing Apex and automated flow tests with the new Test Discovery API. Use the updated Test Runner API to execute Apex and flow tests in the same test run. Both APIs are Tooling API REST resources. You can also run and inspect both Apex and automated flow tests declaratively in Setup.

Where: This feature is available in API version 65.0 and later. This feature is available in Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.
To run Apex and automated flow tests declaratively, in Setup, enter Application Test Execution and select it. Select the tests that you want to run. To view test results, in Setup, enter Application Test History and select it. Then click the test run ID.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_apex_unified_testing.htm&release=258&type=5

Standardize Apex Documentation by Using the ApexDoc Comment Format

ApexDoc, a new standardized comment format, makes it easier for humans, documentation generators, and AI agents to understand your codebase. Use ApexDoc comments to facilitate code collaboration and increase long-term code maintainability. Based on the JavaDoc standard, ApexDoc provides specifications, such as specialized tags and guidelines, that are tailored to Apex and the Salesforce ecosystem. The ApexDoc standard provides a foundation for integration with popular development tools, enabling them to build contextual references to improve the development experience.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: To get started, see the ApexDoc specification in the Apex Developer Guide. Although the Apex compiler enforces existing Apex comment syntax, it doesn’t enforce the ApexDoc syntax or check comment accuracy in relation to corresponding Apex code.

Here’s an example of an AuraEnabled method that uses ApexDoc comments.

public class OpportunityService {
/**
* Retrieves a list of open opportunities for a given account.
* Accessible from Lightning web components. If the set of open opportunities
* can change during interaction with the component, the author will
* need to use {@code refreshApex()}.
* @param accountId The ID of the Account to retrieve opportunities for.
* @return A List of open Opportunity records. Returns an empty list if no
* open opportunities are found or if accountId is invalid.
* @see OpportunitySelector
*/
@AuraEnabled(cacheable=true)
public static List<Opportunity> getOpenOpportunities(Id accountId) {
List<Opportunity> result = new List<Opportunity>();
//… implementation details…
return result;
}
}

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_apex_apexdoc.htm&release=258&type=5

Get Insights into Metadata Deployment Sizes

On the Deployment Settings detail page in Setup, view the number of files and total unzipped file size in bytes. Use this information to monitor the size of your deployments.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience, Salesforce Classic, and all versions of the mobile app in Professional, Performance, and Unlimited editions.

How: In Setup, go to Deploy | Deployment Settings and select a deployment. The number of files and total unzipped file size displays on the deployment details page.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_meta_view_deployment_details.htm&release=258&type=5

Test and Troubleshoot Screen Flows Easier in the Updated Debugger

Screen flows can now be debugged in the updated debugger which provides more element details and a flexible display experience.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: When you debug a flow in Flow Builder, see details for each element while viewing the screen or the canvas (1). Switch between the screen and flow canvas while staying in the debugger by clicking a tab(2).

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_flow_builder_screen_flow_debugger.htm&release=258&type=5

Use Persistent Logging to Log Flow Data with More Flow Type Support and Enhanced Details

Persistent logging of your flow execution data now supports record-triggered and platform event-triggered flows, extending this capability to more flow types. You can log individual flow element executions in a persistent way, providing much more granular visibility into flow behavior. Previously, persistent logging was available only for overall flow executions, offering less detail.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Essentials, Pro Suite, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, Developer, and all Einstein 1 editions.

Consider when a qualifying case is updated, a record-triggered flow runs to execute different actions based on the Decision element’s outcome. A scheduled path is included that contains an invocable action that makes an external callout for further updates.

The Flow Run with Flow Element Run report shows a clear, step-by-step trace of a specific flow run, including information such as the flow path that was taken based on the executed elements. The report can also serve as compliance evidence of data being successfully retrieved from the external system.

How: Open your flow. Click , and then click Show Advanced. Click Set Up Persistent Logging for this Org. After installation and setup, select Enable persistent logging for this flow.

To access flow logs from the Data Cloud app, click Data Explorer. Select the Flow Run or Flow Element Run data model object (DMO).

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_flow_mgmt_persistent_logging.htm&release=258&type=5

Improve Snapshot Data Recipe Performance with Advanced Append Output

Free up job availability and processing time with quicker snapshot data recipe runs. The append operation option for existing datasets in the output node registers only the rows appended in a recipe run. In comparison, the output node dataset option re-registers the entire dataset when adding rows so that rows can be updated and inserted. This feature is now generally available.

Where: This change applies to Salesforce Data Pipelines in Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic. Salesforce Data Pipelines is available in Developer Edition and for an extra cost in Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited editions.

How: Select the Existing Dataset option in the output node and then select Append for the operation.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_sdp_integrate_optimizedappendoutput_node_ga.htm&release=258&type=5

Conclusion

With Winter ’26, Salesforce makes it easier than ever to automate processes, track events, and manage flows efficiently. From precise debugging and resource-based approvals to adaptive UI components and optimized data handling, these updates help teams work smarter and faster.

Reach out to our experts to see how you can leverage Winter ’26 Platform features to streamline automation, enhance developer productivity, and create reliable solutions that truly scale.