New Salesforce Org Defaults in Summer '26: Chatter Off, Slack Channels On

Some of the most consequential release changes aren't features — they're defaults. Summer '26 flips two collaboration defaults for newly created orgs, and if you don't know about them, you'll lose time troubleshooting "missing" functionality. Here's the short, essential briefing for admins.

Chatter is now off by default in new orgs

Chatter is turned off by default in all Salesforce orgs created in Summer '26 and later.

What that means in practice:

• To create an Aura site from the Customer Service template, or to add feeds to an Aura or LWR site, you must first enable Chatter.
• Any Chatter-dependent feature won't be available until you turn Chatter on.
• Existing orgs (created before Summer '26) are not affected — this only applies to new orgs.

If you spin up a fresh org and feeds or community templates seem broken, this is almost certainly why. Enable Chatter and they reappear.

Slack-powered Salesforce channels are on by default

On the flip side, Salesforce is making Slack collaboration frictionless in new orgs:

• Salesforce channels are set up and ready to go in orgs created in Summer '26 and later — no manual configuration required — in Enterprise and Unlimited editions.
• When such an org is created, a Slack workspace is also created and configured for use with Salesforce.
• Salesforce channels are automatically configured for these objects: Account, Opportunity, Case, Lead, Contact, Order, Contract, Asset, plus Quote and Campaign (if included in your edition).

To enable Salesforce channels for additional objects, go to Setup, search for Slack Channels for Records, click Add objects, and follow the prompts.

The new Slack panel

There's also a cleaner UI for working in Salesforce channels: the Slack panel on record pages. You can open and close it with one click, so it takes up less room when you're not using it. It's available by default for new Enterprise and Unlimited orgs, and supported across Essentials, Starter, Pro Suite, Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

Already using Salesforce channels via the Slack Lightning web component? You can switch: remove the Slack component in Lightning App Builder, then enable the Slack panel.

Bonus: Salesforce Go is the new setup front door

While we're on defaults and discovery, it's worth flagging Salesforce Go — a single location in Setup to discover, configure, and track usage of features (and even buy add-on licenses when the Your Account app is enabled). It's now the recommended setup path for a growing list of capabilities across Industries, Revenue Management, Loyalty, and more. If you administer multiple clouds, get familiar with the My Clouds tab — it'll save you a lot of clicking.

Admin checklist for new orgs

• Enable Chatter if you need feeds, the Customer Service template, or any Chatter-dependent feature.
• Review Salesforce channels — they're on by default in new Enterprise/Unlimited orgs, so confirm the auto-configured objects match your intent.
• Decide on the Slack panel vs. the legacy Slack component, and standardize across record pages.
• Bookmark Salesforce Go for feature discovery and setup.

Frequently asked questions

Is Chatter being removed? No. Chatter is simply off by default in orgs created in Summer '26 and later. You can enable it. Existing orgs are unaffected.

Why are Slack channels already set up in my new org? In Summer '26 and later, new Enterprise and Unlimited orgs get Salesforce channels configured automatically, along with a connected Slack workspace.

Which objects get Slack channels by default? Account, Opportunity, Case, Lead, Contact, Order, Contract, and Asset — plus Quote and Campaign if your edition includes them.

What is the Slack panel? A streamlined, one-click open/close panel on record pages for viewing and collaborating in Salesforce channels.

Does this affect my existing org? The Chatter-off and Slack-on defaults apply only to orgs created in Summer '26 and later, not to existing orgs.

The bottom line

Summer '26 quietly rewires collaboration defaults for new orgs: Chatter off, Slack on. Neither is hard to manage — but knowing about them up front saves a confusing afternoon. Add Salesforce Go to your toolkit and new-org setup gets noticeably faster.

Back to the full release overview: Salesforce Summer '26 Release Guide.