Default Case Owner setting and unmatched cases
Key Takeaway
When no case assignment rule entry matches a case, the case goes to the Default Case Owner: one user or queue that you name in Support Settings.
The Default Case Owner setting in Support Settings names one user or queue to own every case that no case assignment rule entry matches. It is a safety net: cases still reach a specific owner even when no case assignment rule applies to them.
When a case goes to the Default Case Owner
A case assignment rule checks its rule entries in order: 1, 2, 3, and so on. The first entry whose criteria match assigns the case. Salesforce then stops checking the rest. If no entry matches, the case goes to the Default Case Owner.
For example, imagine a case assignment rule with three rule entries. One case matches the criteria of entries 2 and 3, but not entry 1. Entry 2 assigns the case, and Salesforce doesn't check entry 3. A second case matches none of the three entries, so it goes to the Default Case Owner.
In these org editions, the active case assignment rule automatically assigns cases from Web-to-Case, Email-to-Case, and On-Demand Email-to-Case:
- Professional Edition
- Enterprise Edition
- Unlimited Edition
- Performance Edition
- Developer Edition
Cases from these sources that don't match the rule criteria go to the Default Case Owner. Web-to-Case adds a second situation: if there is no active case assignment rule at all, every web-generated case is assigned to the Default Case Owner.