The Salesforce Summer ’21 Release is nearly here! In this post, we shall cover what Summer ’21 is, when it is and some recommendations on what you should do ahead of the Release.
NOTE: Summer ’21 is currently in preview. This means this is still subject to ‘safe habor’ and change.
Table of Contents
What is Summer '21
Salesforce has three release cycles each year, Spring, Summer and Winter. Each release introduces new features. Summer ’21 is the latest release. The features will be either:
- Automatically enabled at release
- Require Administrators/Developers to enable
- Require Salesforce to enable (by request)
When is Summer '21?
- Pre-Release Orgs Available: 15th April 2021
- Preview Release Notes: 20th April 2021
- Cut-off for Sandbox Previews: 6th May 2021
- Preview Sandbox Upgrades: 7th-8th May 2021
- Rollout of Summer ’21: 15th May – 12th June 2021
What should I do to prepare?
Release Management is an important part of maintaining a Salesforce System. Whilst processes and needs will vary between businesses, here are a few tips:
Signing-up for a Pre-release org
If you are super-keen to see the latest features (safe-harbor), sign-up for a Pre-Release org. This will allow you to explore the features in a ‘new’ Salesforce system.
NOTE: This will NOT have your business’s unique setup. Use this to explore/play in a brand new system.

Check if your Sandboxes are Preview or non-Preview for Summer '21
If you have a Preview Sandbox, it will be upgraded to the Summer ’21 Release on the 7th/8th of May. This will give you access to newer features ahead of live (Production) systems being upgraded. Use this to test new features/see what is coming up (bear in mind Safe Harbor). Unlike the Preview Org, this will allow you to see how Summer ’21 will impact your business’s unique customisations.
Learn, Review, Explore & Communicate the Summer '21 Release
Use the various resources available to bring yourself up to speed:
- Preview Sandboxes
- Release notes
- Blogs
- Trailhead Release readiness
- Salesforce Resources
Summary
Summer ’21 is an upcoming Salesforce Release. It will provide many new feature enhancements, some of which will be explored in an upcoming post. Be sure to check out what is in Summer ’21 and how this can help you and your business.
In an upcoming post, I will be sharing some of my favourite features from the Release Notes. To get the latest updates, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn. Thanks for reading and I hope you found this useful!
Bonus Penguin Fact
The earliest known Penguin, Waimanu, is estimated to have lived around 60 million years ago in what is now New Zealand. More info here