How To Create A New Salesforce App [Screenshots]

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Jerome Clatworthy

Certified Salesforce Administrator

Salesforce Apps are good ways to make your end user’s time in Salesforce efficient and easy.

You can add the required objects and links, minimizing the time users need to spend moving from one part of the program to another.

This article goes through the process you need to follow to create a new Salesforce App with step-by-step instructions and screenshots for each step.

If you would like to customize an existing Salesforce app, you can follow these instructions.

1. Open The Lightning Experience App Manager

Lightning Apps are edited with the ‘New Lightning App’ wizard. To open the wizard, go to Setup, search ‘App’ in the Quick Find box, open App Manager, and click ‘New Lightning App’.

Screenshot of Salesforce Ui with gear icon highlighted.
Open Salesforce Setup
Screenshot of Salesforce Setup with 'App Manager' menu itme highlighted.
Open the ‘App Manager’
Screenshot of Salesforce App Manager app list.

2. Configure App Details & Branding

On the App Details & Branding tab, you can determine the app name, description, image, and icon color. A preview will be displayed showing how your app will appear in the App Builder search results. When happy with the configuration, click ‘Next’.

Screenshot of Salesforce App Manager details and branding configuration screen.
Configure App details and branding

3. Configure App Options

On the App Options tab, you can set the app navigation style, supported form factors, setup experience, and personalization settings.

Screenshot of Salesforce App Manager app options screen.
Configure App options

4. Configure App Utility Items

On the Utility Items tab, you can add shortcuts that appear at the bottom of the screen on the app. These are only visible on the Desktop view of Salesforce, not the Mobile view. From the availability of Utility items, I elected to add a To Do list on this app.

Screenshot of Salesforce utility bar configuration for new Salesforce lightnig app.
Choose items for the App utility bar.

5. Configure App Navigation Items

On the Navigation Items tab, you can select which objects and items are available to be available on the Navigation Bar of the App. I added links to the main Salesforce objects, as well as access to Reports and Dashboards given how often they are used.

Screenshot of Salesforce App Manager navigation items configuration screen.
Add relevant navigation items

6. Configure App User Profiles

On the User Profiles tab, you choose which Salesforce User Profiles can access this app. You can add/remove any Salesforce User Profiles. If a profile is not on the ‘Selected’ list, they will not be able to find this app in the app explorer. Once the desired profiles have been configured for your app, select ‘Save & Finish’.

Screenshot of Salesforce user profile selection for new lightning app.
Choose the profiles who can access the app

My app is now available in the list of Apps. Next up is to Search for it from the App Launcher and see what it looks like.

Screenshot of Salesforce Lightning App list with the newly created app highlighted.
The new app is now available

7. Opening Your New App

Once you have saved your new app, you can search for, and open it from the App Launcher:

Screenshot of Salesforce app launcher search screen with an app name highlighted.
Screenshot of Salesforce app with app name and nvaigation items highlighted.
The new app now displays according to your configuration.

I can see the name I created, with the relevant Navigation items, and the Utility item (To-Do List) at the bottom.