How to Recover Salesforce Account

Salesforce accounts are pivotal for CRM (Customer Relationship Management) services, both to companies that provide them and customers that benefit. Despite being worth over $4 billion as of 2021, this cloud-based software company doesn’t only work with for-profit companies. They provide a platform for countless nonprofits and educational organizations worldwide. Not only with communication, either, but also marketing, IT services, commerce, and, as the name suggests, sales. That’s why losing access to the platform can be devastating for both sides. It’s also why we’re determined to show you how to recover a Salesforce account. Let’s start.

Recover Salesforce account if you forgot password

We’re starting with the most common cause of lost Salesforce accounts – forgetting the password. To remedy the issue, you must have your Salesforce username and answer to the security question handy. If you don’t, don’t fret. The method below has you covered. With that said, recovery of Salesforce account password looks like this:

As a user

Before we start, know two things:

• You can’t reset the password from the mobile app.
• Only an administrator can reset your account is set up with a “User Single Sign-On” permission.

If you’re logged in

Do you have an account that remained logged in on some device? If so, do this:

1. Open personal Settings.
2. Type “password” in the Quick Find box.
3. Choose Change My Password.
4. Answer your security question, enter a new password as instructed, and click on Save.

If you can’t log in

Accessing the login page from an unrecognized location and/or device will trigger device verification. Also, if you set up MFA (multi-factor authentication), you must provide bonus authentication through Salesforce Authenticator or enter a code sent to SMS. With that said, follow these steps to recover your Salesforce account password:

1. Click on Login on the Salesforce homepage.
2. Select Forgot Your Password?
3. Tip. Click on Use Custom Domain if the organization uses one, such as “org-name.salesforce.com”.
4. Enter your username for Salesforce and click on Continue.
5. You’ll receive a password reset link to the real e-mail address connected to the account, valid for 24 hours.
6. Answer your security question before setting a new password.

As a system administrator

Access the Dashboard before clicking on Setup. Now:

1. Enter “users” within the Quick Find field, then choose Users.
2. Click the checkbox next to the user’s name.
3. When it expands, click on Reset Password.
4. The user now has to go through steps 5 and 6 explained above.

Note. The password reset link never expires, but users cannot log in without changing it.

Recover a forgotten Salesforce account username

Albeit less frequent, customers and service providers alike can lose track of their Salesforce usernames. This is especially common among users/administrators whose accounts are members of multiple Salesforce organizations. Let’s start fixing that.

Things to keep in mind

You’d save a lot of time and effort if you try to remember or discover the username before trying to change it. Take a gander at our list of facts regarding Salesforce usernames:

• E-mails Salesforce sends to customers and organization leaders alike oftentimes contain usernames. Two regular subjects are when you change the password or set up forms of authentication. So, search for these titles in your e-mail inbox:
  • “Welcome to Salesforce: Verify your account”
  • “Finish resetting your Salesforce password”
• A username will always be in an e-mail address format ([email protected]) but doesn’t have to be a working e-mail address.
• A username must be associated with a real address, which can be affiliated with multiple usernames.
• Usernames registered on Salesforce.com and its subdomains (subdomain.salesforce.com) are unique.
• Members of multiple Salesforce organizations must use different usernames for each. Consequently, if they use a real e-mail address as a username, it can only belong to one organization.

When you’re a user

Like with passwords, contacting Salesforce directly won’t help, as they aren’t authorized to supply or remind you of your username. If you can’t log in, you must contact your system administrator. Even if you can, you may see it but can’t alter it. That’s because this requires a “Manage Users” account permission, which is rarely given out to anyone except the higher-ups due to risks of abuse. Check like this after you sign in:

1. Navigate to your name in the Dashboard.
2. Click on My Settings. (Setup on Salesforce Classic).
3. Select Personal (My Personal Information on Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience).
4. Go to Advanced User Details.
   Tip. Usernames can also be under Personal Information if the system administrator set “Enable Improved Setup User Interface” to off.
5. Locate your username. Click on Edit if you want to alter it.
6. Add a new username before clicking Save.
7. Confirm changes using the actual e-mail address tied to the account.

When you’re a system administrator

Unsurprisingly, there are more possibilities when you’re in charge. Like we mentioned above, if you can sign in, you can both view or edit your username. And since you have the necessary permissions, here’s what you can do:

If you cannot sign in

This is a serious issue that might only be solved by Salesforce itself. Note that Salesforce personnel, for safety reasons, cannot perform a username change. That isn’t to say they cannot restore account access or guide you to do it yourself. Therefore, you can reach out to Salesforce in one of these ways:

1. Call – Dial 1-800-667-6389 for the United States or search for a country-specific phone number and availability schedule.
2. Create a case – Log in to Salesforce Help. Click on Contact Support, then the Create a Case box. Select “Product or Technical Support”, fill out the information, and click on Submit.
3. Webchat. After logging in to Salesforce Help, go to Contact Support > Live chat.
4. Ask Trailblazers – Salesforce Trailblazers are a community of Salesforce service providers, system administrators, and developers that might know something you don’t.
5. Social Media. Here’s who you can reach out to:
   • Salesforce: Facebook (@salesforce) and Twitter (@asksalesforce)
   • Trailhead Salesforce community: Twitter (@trailhead) and Facebook (@salesforcetrailhead)
   • Salesforce Admins: Facebook (@SalesforceAdmins), LinkedIn, and Twitter (@salesforceadmns)

Change someone else’s username

If you’re an admin, follow these instructions to recover a user Salesforce account username:

1. After logging in to the Dashboard, go to Setup.
2. Now click on Administer.
3. Tip. This is named Administration Setup if “Enable Improved Setup User Interface” is set to off or Administration on Lightning Experience.
4. Go to Manage Users (Only Users in Lightning Experience).
5. Click on Users.
6. Find the user on the list, then their username.
7. Click on Edit to the right side of it.
8. The user must confirm the change via the registered e-mail address.