Salesforce ships three major releases every year — Spring, Summer, and Winter — each named for the year it lands in (for example, Summer '26). Every release brings new features that are updated in your org automatically over a staggered rollout, along with full Release Notes, a preview website, and a sandbox preview window so you can test before the changes reach production. Preparing for each release means reading the notes for the clouds you use, testing in a preview sandbox, reviewing the Release Updates that Salesforce will enforce, and telling your users what is changing.
This is an evergreen guide to how the release cycle works and how to get release-ready every season. It was originally a recap of the Summer '18 release — which is now historical (those features have long since shipped or been superseded). We have kept Summer '18 only as a reference point near the end; for what is live in your org today, always consult the current release notes.
Key takeaways
- Three releases a year: Salesforce delivers Spring (around February), Summer (around June), and Winter (around October), each named by year (e.g. Winter '27).
- Releases are automatic: new features are pushed to your org on a scheduled date by instance — you do not install them, but you should prepare.
- Sandbox preview: preview instances are upgraded several weeks before production, so an eligible sandbox lets you test new features early.
- Find your date on the Salesforce Trust / Status site by looking up your instance.
- Three kinds of change: features that are enabled by default, features that are opt-in, and Release Updates that Salesforce eventually enforces.
- Prepare every season: read the notes for your clouds, test in a preview sandbox, check AppExchange compatibility, review Release Updates, and communicate changes to users.
- Modern direction (2026): Flow-first automation (Workflow Rules and Process Builder are retired), plus Einstein, Agentforce, and Data Cloud.
How often does Salesforce release new features?
Salesforce delivers three major ("seasonal") releases per year, and has for well over a decade. Each is named after a season and the year it falls in, so the names run in this order: Spring, then Summer, then Winter of the same calendar year. The next cycle starts again with Spring of the following year.
| Release | Typical timing | Example name |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Around February | Spring '26 |
| Summer | Around June | Summer '26 |
| Winter | Around October | Winter '27 |
Dates shift a little each year, and the rollout is staggered: not every org upgrades on the same day. Salesforce upgrades instances in waves across a few weekends, so two companies can be on the same release version days apart. Some products (AI capabilities in particular) now also ship smaller updates on a more frequent, between-seasons cadence, but the three seasonal releases remain the backbone of the platform calendar.
What is the sandbox preview window?
Before each seasonal release reaches production, Salesforce upgrades preview sandbox instances first — typically a few weeks ahead of general availability. This preview window is the single most useful tool for getting ready: it lets you log into a copy of your org running the new release and test everything before your live users ever see it.
There is one catch worth knowing: only sandboxes on a preview instance get the early upgrade, and a sandbox generally has to exist before the preview cutoff date to qualify. If you create or refresh a sandbox after that cutoff, it stays on the current (non-preview) release. Salesforce publishes a Sandbox Preview Guide each cycle listing the cutoff dates and which instances are preview versus non-preview.
How do I find my org's upgrade date?
Your production org's upgrade date depends on which instance it lives on. To find it, check the Salesforce Trust / Status site (status.salesforce.com): look up your instance (shown in Setup under Company Information, or in your My Domain URL) and you will see its maintenance and release upgrade schedule. This tells you exactly which weekend your production org moves to the new release.
How do you read Salesforce release notes efficiently?
The full release notes are huge — hundreds of pages spanning every cloud. Nobody reads them end to end. Read them like a filtered index instead:
- Filter to what you use. The online release notes let you filter by product/cloud, by edition, and by feature impact (for example, features that are enabled for everyone). Narrow to Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Platform, or whatever your org actually runs.
- Read the "How" and "Where" lines. Each feature entry has a Where section (which editions and experiences it applies to — Lightning, mobile, and so on) and a How section (the steps to enable or use it). These two lines tell you almost instantly whether a feature affects you.
- Watch for "enabled by default." Anything turned on automatically is what can change behavior for your users without you lifting a finger — prioritize those.
- Note the retirements and Release Updates. These are the items with a deadline attached. More on them next.
The official release website and the seasonal "Be Release Ready" resources summarize highlights if you want the headline features before diving into the detailed notes. For development-team workflow around all this, see our guide to Salesforce DevOps and release management.
Enabled by default vs opt-in vs Release Update
Not every change in a release behaves the same way. It helps to sort them into three buckets, because each needs a different response from you.
| Type of change | What it means | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
| Enabled by default | Turns on automatically when your org upgrades — no action needed to get it. | Test in the preview sandbox and warn users, since behavior may change on day one. |
| Opt-in | Ships off; an admin must turn it on (a setting, permission, or feature toggle). | Evaluate, then enable deliberately when you are ready. Nothing happens until you act. |
| Release Update | A change Salesforce will enforce on a future release, but lets you test and adopt early. | Review every cycle, test before the enforcement date, and activate before it becomes mandatory. |
Release Updates (the modern successor to what used to be called Critical Updates) deserve special attention. They live in Setup → Release Updates, each with an enforcement date. Salesforce gives you a window to test and turn them on yourself; if you ignore them, they switch on automatically when the deadline arrives — sometimes changing security or behavior that your customizations depend on. Reviewing this page every release is the single best habit for avoiding nasty surprises.
How do you prepare for a Salesforce release?
Getting release-ready is a short, repeatable checklist you run every season:
- Skim the highlights, then filter the notes to the clouds and features your org uses.
- Spin up or confirm a preview sandbox before the cutoff date, and test your critical flows, integrations, and customizations against the new release.
- Review Setup → Release Updates and schedule testing for anything with an upcoming enforcement date.
- Check AppExchange package compatibility. Confirm your installed managed packages support the new release; check each vendor's release notes and update packages in the sandbox first.
- Watch for retiring features. If something you rely on is being deprecated (an API version, a UI feature, or an automation tool), plan the migration before it disappears.
- Communicate changes to users. Summarize what is changing, what is new, and what they need to do — a short internal note beats surprised users filing tickets.
- Know your upgrade date (from the Trust / Status site) so testing and communications land before production flips.
Run this every cycle and a Salesforce release becomes a routine event rather than a fire drill.
Looking back: what was the Summer '18 release?
This post originally recapped Summer '18, so it is worth placing in context. Summer '18 landed in the middle of Salesforce's big push to move everyone from Salesforce Classic to Lightning Experience. Its headline items were Lightning-era improvements: a faster setup experience, early Einstein features (forecasting, email insights), AI-powered Service Cloud chatbots, omni-channel skills-based routing, and Lightning community and commerce enhancements. At the time those were genuinely new; in 2026 they are long since generally available, refined many times over, or replaced.
Do not treat any Summer '18 detail as current. Everything above about how to read and prepare for a release still holds, but for what is actually live in your org, always open the current season's release notes.
What direction has Salesforce taken since Summer '18?
The platform has moved decisively in a few directions worth knowing:
- Flow-first automation. Workflow Rules and Process Builder reached end of support at the end of 2025 — they still run, but get no fixes — and Flow is now the single, recommended automation tool. Salesforce provides a Migrate to Flow tool to move legacy automation across.
- AI everywhere. Einstein (predictions and generative assistance), Agentforce (autonomous AI agents that act within guardrails), and Data Cloud (a unified real-time customer-data platform) are now central to the release story.
- Lightning and LWC by default. New UI is built with Lightning Web Components; Aura and Visualforce are legacy.
For where the platform is heading next, see the future of Salesforce: key trends for 2026, and for cloud-specific roadmaps, new and upcoming Sales Cloud features.
Where MicroPyramid fits
MicroPyramid has delivered software for 12+ years across 50+ projects, including Salesforce consulting, implementation, customization, and development. We help teams stay release-ready: testing each season in preview sandboxes, reviewing and adopting Release Updates safely, keeping AppExchange packages and integrations compatible, migrating legacy automation to Flow, and adopting Einstein, Agentforce, and Data Cloud responsibly. If you would rather make release seasons routine than scramble each time, explore our Salesforce consulting and development services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Salesforce releases are there per year?
Three. Salesforce ships major seasonal releases called Spring (around February), Summer (around June), and Winter (around October), each named after the year it lands in — for example, Summer '26. The rollout is staggered across instances, so not every org upgrades on the same day. Some products also ship smaller updates between seasons, but the three seasonal releases are the main platform calendar.
What is the Salesforce sandbox preview?
The sandbox preview is a window before each release goes live when Salesforce upgrades preview sandbox instances first — usually a few weeks ahead of production. It lets you log into a copy of your org running the new release and test features, flows, integrations, and customizations before live users are affected. Only sandboxes on a preview instance (generally created before the cutoff date) get the early upgrade.
Are new Salesforce features enabled by default?
Some are, some are not. Features fall into three groups: enabled by default (turned on automatically at upgrade — these can change behavior with no action from you), opt-in (shipped off until an admin enables them), and Release Updates (changes Salesforce will enforce on a future date but lets you adopt early). Reading the impact / "enabled for" line in the release notes tells you which is which.
What are Salesforce Release Updates?
Release Updates are platform changes that Salesforce will eventually enforce, but gives you time to test and activate first. They live in Setup → Release Updates, each with an enforcement date. If you do not act, they switch on automatically when the deadline arrives. They replaced the older "Critical Updates," and reviewing them every release is the best way to avoid features changing under you unexpectedly.
How do I find my Salesforce org's upgrade date?
Your upgrade date depends on the instance your org runs on. Find your instance in Setup under Company Information (or in your My Domain URL), then look it up on the Salesforce Trust / Status site (status.salesforce.com), which shows the maintenance and release upgrade schedule for that instance — including which weekend your production org moves to the new release.
Is the Summer '18 release still relevant?
Not as a feature list. Summer '18 shipped during Salesforce's move from Classic to Lightning; its features are now long generally available, refined, or replaced. It is useful only as a historical reference point. For what is actually live in your org, always consult the current season's release notes, and note the modern direction: Flow-first automation, plus Einstein, Agentforce, and Data Cloud.