To create a list view in Salesforce Lightning Experience, navigate to any object tab (such as Accounts, Contacts, or Opportunities), click the gear icon next to the current list view name, and select “New.” From there you’ll name your view, set its visibility, and define the filters that control which records appear. The whole process takes just a few minutes once you understand the options.
Step-by-Step: Creating a New List View
List views live on object tabs. Start by clicking the tab for the object you want to filter, whether that’s Leads, Opportunities, Cases, or any custom object your org uses. You’ll land on whichever list view was active the last time you visited that tab.
Click the gear icon to the right of the list view name, then select New. Salesforce will prompt you for two things right away:
- List Name: A descriptive label that will appear in the list view dropdown. Something like “My Open Opportunities” or “Unassigned Leads This Quarter” is far more useful than “Custom View 1.”
- Who sees this list view: Choose whether only you can see it, all users can see it, or specific groups of users can see it. More on visibility below.
After you click Save, Salesforce drops you into the new (empty) list view. Now you need to add filters so the view actually pulls in the right records.
Setting Filters
Filters are the core of any useful list view. Click the filters icon (the funnel) in the top-right area of the list to open the filter panel. You’ll first choose a top-level scope, then add field-level conditions.
The scope selector at the top lets you pick a broad starting set of records. Common options include “My Records” (owned by you), “My Team’s Records,” or “All Records.” This acts as a first pass before your detailed filters kick in.
Next, click “Add Filter” to create conditions based on specific fields. Each filter has three parts: the field name, an operator (equals, contains, greater than, etc.), and the value you’re filtering for. For example, you might set Stage equals “Prospecting” on an Opportunities list view, or Created Date equals “This Quarter” on a Leads view. You can stack multiple filters, and Salesforce applies all of them together by default, meaning a record must match every condition to appear.
If you need more complex logic, such as records that match filter 1 AND either filter 2 OR filter 3, click “Add Filter Logic” and type the logic string using filter numbers and AND/OR operators. For instance, typing 1 AND (2 OR 3) tells Salesforce to require the first condition while accepting either of the other two.
Choosing and Reordering Columns
Once your filters are pulling the right records, customize which fields display as columns. Click the gear icon and select “Select Fields to Display.” You’ll see two panels: available fields on the left and visible fields on the right. Move fields between the panels and drag them up or down to set the column order.
Keep columns practical. A list view with 15 columns forces users to scroll horizontally and defeats the purpose of quick scanning. Four to eight well-chosen columns usually strikes the right balance. Include the fields people actually need to scan or sort by, like record name, owner, status, amount, or date.
Visibility and Sharing Options
Salesforce offers three visibility tiers for list views, but which ones you can use depends on your permissions.
If you have the “Create and Customize List Views” permission, you can create list views that only you see. These personal views are great for your own workflow but invisible to everyone else. You cannot share them or make them public with this permission alone.
If you have the “Manage Public List Views” permission, you unlock more options. You can create views visible to all users in the org, edit existing public list views other people created, and share views with specific public groups or roles. When you create or edit a list view, you’ll see the option to share it with particular groups rather than making it visible to everyone, which is useful when a view only matters to one department or team.
If you don’t see the option to make a view public or share it, your Salesforce admin hasn’t granted you the necessary permission. Ask them to check your profile or permission set.
Inline Editing From a List View
One of the most practical features of list views in Lightning is inline editing. Rather than clicking into each record to update a field, you can double-click a cell directly in the list view, change the value, and save. This works for most editable field types and is especially helpful for bulk updates, like reassigning owners or updating statuses across a batch of records.
To update multiple records at once, check the boxes next to each record, then use the mass action options that appear at the top of the list. Depending on the object, you may see options to change owner, change status, or send an email.
Pinning a Default List View
Every time you navigate to an object tab, Salesforce shows the last list view you used. If you want a specific view to always appear first, click the pin icon next to that view’s name in the list view dropdown. Pinning sets that view as your personal default for the object, so you always land on the most relevant list without extra clicks.
Tips for Keeping List Views Useful
Name your list views with enough detail that other users (or future you) can tell at a glance what they show. “Q1 High-Value Opps Over $50K” is instantly clear. “My List” is not.
Use relative date filters like “THIS QUARTER,” “LAST 7 DAYS,” or “NEXT 30 DAYS” instead of hard-coded dates. Relative filters keep the view current automatically, so you don’t have to go back and edit the filter range every month. If you hard-code a date like “Created Date greater than 1/1/2025,” the view becomes stale the moment the relevant window passes.
Review your org’s public list views periodically. Over time, teams accumulate dozens of views that no one uses anymore. Users with the Manage Public List Views permission can rename, edit, or delete outdated public views to keep the dropdown manageable for everyone.