Top New Features in Winter ’26 Release: [Sales Cloud in Lightning]

Introduction

The Winter ’26 Release brings a powerful set of updates to Sales Cloud in Lightning, designed to boost sales productivity, streamline workflows, and deliver smarter insights. From AI-driven account research to enhanced pipeline management, these features help sales teams work more efficiently while maintaining data accuracy and actionable visibility.

This blog highlights key updates such as threaded email views, potential contact capture, flow improvements, and embedded AI for sales planning. Each enhancement empowers reps and managers to make faster decisions, strengthen customer relationships, and achieve sales goals with confidence.

Explore how Winter ’26 transforms Sales Cloud into a more intelligent, connected, and actionable platform for your sales teams.

1. Track and Manage Email Conversations with Threaded View

Your email conversations are now organized into threads on the Activity Timeline and Email Message record home when Sync Email as Salesforce Activity is enabled. Threaded views help sales reps quickly understand the conversation context and history. Expand threads to view all emails, and update associations for all email messages in the entire thread to keep your CRM data accurate and up to date.

Where: This feature is available in Lightning Experience in Starter, Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited, Einstein 1 Sales, and Agentforce 1 Sales editions. Also available with the Einstein for Sales, Sales Engagement, or Revenue Intelligence add-ons. The Sync Email as Salesforce Activity feature must be enabled in Einstein Activity Capture.

How: On the Email Message home page, under the Email History tab, view the complete thread associated with the email

Here’s the view of a threaded email in Activity Timeline

On the Email Message home page, click Manage Associations. Select the Apply associations to all emails in this thread checkbox.

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

2. Capture Potential Contacts or Leads from Auto-Captured Email and Meeting Data

Add every potential connection as a new contact or lead directly from the Email Message record page, or as a new contact from the Seller Home page. When email messages go through email matching flows, unmatched email addresses are identified as potential connections.

Where: This feature is available in Lightning Experience in Starter, Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited, Einstein 1 Sales, and Agentforce 1 Sales editions. Also available with the Einstein for Sales, Sales Engagement, or Revenue Intelligence add-ons. The Sync Email as Salesforce Activity feature must be enabled in Einstein Activity Capture.

How: On the Email Message record home page, in the Potential Connections section, click Add. Then, select Add as Contact or Add as Lead against the unmatched email address.

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

3. Accelerate Account Research with AI-Powered Insights

Gain a deep understanding of your customers’ needs quickly with generative AI-driven account research. Research and compile answers to key strategic questions with one click. Then, automatically update account and account plan fields, saving time and boosting your ability to grow and retain customer relationships.

Where: This feature is available in Lightning Experience in Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited editions with the Agentforce for Sales or Industry add-on license or included in Agentforce 1 Sales Edition. Generative account research is not supported in Government Cloud.

How: Before you can use generative AI for account research, Set up Einstein Generative AI. Optionally, Turn on Account Plans. Then, turn on Account Research in Setup.

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

4. Give Users the Opportunity to Manage Autolaunched Flow Approval Processes

Give a user the Approval Designer system permission and the View Orchestration in Automation App user permission so they can create, change, or view a flow approval process in the Approvals App. Previously, only users with the Manage Flow user permission could manage autolaunched flow approval processes from the Approvals App and Setup. Flow approval process activation still requires the Manage Flow user permission. To activate an autolaunched flow approval process, the user without Manage Flow uses the new Submit for Activation button in Flow Builder.

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

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

5. Reference Field Values in Sales Email Prompts More Easily and Securely

In Prompt Builder, you can now insert merge field content in agent prompts using the Insert Resource action. Using Insert Resource is more secure than the traditional {{{Recipient.field_name}}} format, which can be vulnerable to injection attacks.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited editions with the Agentforce SDR add-on. Setup for agents is available on the desktop site.

How: When editing a sales email prompt in Prompt Builder, choose the Insert Resource action and then select the field you want to merge into the LLM-generated content.

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

6. Automate Seller Tasks and Maintain Pipeline Hygiene with the Help of Agents

Enhance sales team efficiency with Agentforce Pipeline Management, included in the new Sales Management agent template. With Agentforce Pipeline Management, the agent reviews recent calls, emails, and notes associated with opportunities in Salesforce to suggest updates to opportunity fields such as Next Step or Stage. Sellers can review and approve the changes, or you configure the agent to make updates on their behalf. The agent’s suggestions and updates are available in Pipeline Inspection.

Where: This feature is available in Lightning Experience in Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited editions with the Agentforce for Sales add-on, or included in Agentforce 1 Sales Edition.

How: From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Agentforce Pipeline Management, then select Agentforce Pipeline Management. Use the guided setup to enable the required features, assign permissions, and configure agent settings in Agentforce Builder.

The agent must be created from the Sales Management agent template. When you use this template, the topics and actions for Pipeline Management are preselected.

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

7. Get Better Usability with the File Upload Enhanced Flow Screen Component

The new File Upload Enhanced (beta) flow screen component is similar to the existing File Upload screen component but has some enhancements. Now your users can upload files in screen flows in both Aura and Lightning Web Runtime (LWR) sites and in Lightning Experience. Also, you can require users to upload documents before moving on in the flow.

Where: This change applies to Aura and LWR sites accessed through Lightning Experience in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: To enable the File Upload Enhanced (beta) screen component, from Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Salesforce Files, and select General Settings. Then select Use the File Upload Enhanced Lightning web component (Beta). To use the screen component, add it to a screen element in a flow. To require users to upload a file, set the Required field to true.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_flow_extend_file_upload_enhanced.htm&release=256&type=5

8. Gain Visibility into Your Reps’ Time Sheets and Requests for Travel Reimbursements

Visualize submitted time sheets and summaries for distances and completed customer visits on a dashboard. Drill down into specific days and entries so that you can make informed decisions while you approve them. Get better insight into how your reps perform in the field when you show entries that include edited travel details and search for specific locations in Salesforce Maps.

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

How: In the App Launcher, search for and select Mileage Administration. Select a date for the time sheets you want to review. Then, for the rep whose time sheets you want to manage, select View.

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

9. Gain Deeper Insights into Your Sales Plans with AI

Spend less time interpreting sales plans when you deliver summaries for your sales strategies and territory optimization results. Expedite the creation assignment rules and formulas for alignment attributes. Build better-aligned segment models by using natural language—all with the help of embedded AI. With AI, you more easily identify progress, updates, and key performance indicators within Sales Planning.

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

How: To perform segmentation with the help of AI, open a segment, and then click Segment Assist. Select from the available actions, or enter your request, such as Summarize EMEA.

To create formulas with the help of AI, open an alignment and set its focus. Then click Formula Assist.

 

To summarize territory optimizations with the help of AI, open an alignment and set its focus. Click Summary, and then click Start Optimization. Specify your preferences for balance, and then start the optimization.

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

10. Achieve Sales Goals with Target and Quota Life Cycles

Increase the likelihood of reaching sales targets. Allocate targets within your sales hierarchy, plan quotas against those targets, and define success for plans across your business in Sales Planning. Administer targets across sales plans and distribute them to your planning teams.

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

Ops analysts get insight into the targets they’re expected to meet when they plan quotas. And analysts can break down those targets based on unique product family or product targets within quota plans.

How: Open a sales plan, and add products along with any adjustments to seasonality details. Then add goals.

Set targets within your goals for each product. Enter actual numbers or formulas that reference a parent segment’s target.

Targets connect to your quota plans. That way, you can allocate the targets and convert them into achievable quotas for your sales territories and reps.

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

11. Keep Segments and Salesforce Territory Models in Sync

Reduce time spent on creating sales hierarchies and assignments when you keep Sales Planning segments and Sales Territories models in sync. Import models into Sales Planning and then adjust them so that they reflect anticipated business requirements. You then publish your adjusted hierarchies and assignments from Sales Planning to the models you’re expecting to activate.

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

How: In Sales Planning, open the segment, and then add a subordinate segment. Select the option to import a hierarchy, and then select the model to import. Depending on the model’s structure, you can import as many as 5 levels.

Select the nodes that you want, and then click Import. Your segment now includes the imported hierarchy.

After you adjust your hierarchy, rules, and assignments, publish your segments to the Sales Territories model that you’re planning.

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

12. See How Your Screen Looks in Real Time on Different Screen Sizes

Check how your screen appears on large, medium, or small devices with the Preview Size feature. Identify and fix any layout issues during design time so that your screens always look great, no matter the device.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience, Salesforce Classic (not available in all orgs), in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

Why: Here’s an example of a screen with an address component and how it appears on large-sized screens.

Here’s how the same screen appears on medium-sized screens.

And finally, here’s how the same screen appears on small-sized screens.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_flow_builder_see_how_your_screen_looks_in_real_time_on_different_screen_sizes.htm&release=256&type=5

13. Help Users Make Selections Faster by Adding Icons to Choice Resources

Reduce the cognitive load on your users by adding icons to each of their choices in choice resources. Icons convey information at a glance, reducing the amount of text users must read and process. Choice resources with icons can only be used in Choice Lookup and Visual Picker components. Additionally, these choice resources must be of the text data type.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience, Salesforce Classic (not available in all orgs), in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: If you want to add an icon to a choice resource, click Choose Icon under Customize User Interface in the New Resource window.

Select an icon from the available Utility, Doctype, or Standard Salesforce Lightning Design System icons. You can also search for specific icons by using the search bar.

Use the choice resource in screen components, such as Choice Lookup or Visual Picker, and see the choice label with icons at run time.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_flow_builder_help_users_select_faster_by_adding_icons_to_choices.htm&release=256&type=5

14. Get More Control Over Component and Field Layout in Screen Flows

Customize the width of screen components and record fields, whether they’re in section columns or not. Additionally, tweak the vertical alignment of components and fields to optimize the way that they’re positioned relative to each other.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience, Salesforce Classic (not available in all orgs), in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: Different components require different amounts of space on a screen. For example, a text component needs more width than a checkbox component.

To control the horizontal space occupied by the screen component, adjust its width.

To control the vertical position of the component relative to other components on the screen, adjust the vertical alignment.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_flow_builder_get_more_control_over_component_and_field_layout_in_screen_flows.htm&release=256&type=5

15. Test Flows for Error Handling

With the new Has Error operator, you can configure negative assertions in a flow test. Intentionally test flow paths where things don’t go according to plan, ensuring that your flows handle errors gracefully. Previously, you configured only positive assertions that tested for successful outcomes, which left gaps in your testing. The Has Error operator is available in flow tests for record-triggered and data cloud-triggered flows. Select the Has Error operator to configure negative assertions for Create Records, Update Records, Delete Records, and Action elements.

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

How: In Flow Builder, create a data cloud-triggered flow or record-triggered flow. Add the Create Records, Update Records, Delete Records, or Action element. Save the flow. Create a flow test and click Set Assertions. For Operator, click Has Error.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_flow_test_has_error.htm&release=256&type=5

16. Manage Time-Specific Data Easily

Use resources and fields of the Time data type to process data where only the time of day matters and not the associated date. You can specify the time of the day down to the exact millisecond. The Time data type is available across flow elements, formula builder, expression builder, subflows, and resources such as variables and constants. It’s also available in input and output to and from invocable actions. The time data type isn‘t supported in the offline flows available on the Salesforce Mobile app.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic (not available in all orgs) in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions. This change applies to flows that run in API version 64.0 and later.

How: The time data type is available across flow elements such as Action, Assignment, Collection Filter, Collection Sort, Create Records, Delete Records, Decision, Get Records, Subflow, Transform, Update Records, and Wait for Conditions. Use these time functions in the formula editor: HOUR(), MINUTE(), SECOND(), MILLISECOND(), TIMENOW(), and TIMEVALUE(). When you enter a time in a time field, use the hh:mm:ss.SSS AM/PM format. Including seconds or milliseconds is optional. For example, 9:00 AM, 5:30:05 PM, and 14:45:53.650 PM are valid time values.

For example, with the time data type, you can create a flow that sends an email reminder 30 minutes before a meeting. You can also use it in decision elements to check the time of day, and then take different actions based on whether it’s before or after business hours. While you can create these example flows with resources and fields of the date/time data type, you’d need to use flow formulas to extract time from the date/time input. Resources and fields of the time data type allow for direct and straightforward use of time in your flows.

https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.rn_automate_flow_builder_manage_time_specific_data_easily_with_the_time_data_type.htm&release=256&type=5

Conclusion

With the Winter ’26 Release, Salesforce continues to equip sales teams with tools that improve efficiency, insight, and collaboration. From generative AI-assisted account research to advanced flow and pipeline management, these updates make it easier to maintain data accuracy, optimize workflows, and drive measurable results.

Connect with our experts to see how the Winter ’26 Sales Cloud features can elevate your sales operations and unlock new opportunities with LevelShift.