Tab visibility in apps
Key Takeaway
Default On puts a tab in the app's navigation bar, Default Off keeps it out of the navigation bar but lets users still find it, and Tab Hidden removes it everywhere.
Tabs are how users open objects and pages inside an app. Tab settings decide whether a tab shows in an app's navigation bar, whether users can still find it in the App Launcher or on the All Tabs page, or whether it is hidden completely.
What tab settings control
Tab settings control whether a tab is visible in its associated app. In Salesforce Classic, they also decide whether a tab appears on the All Tabs page. In Lightning Experience, they decide whether objects appear in the App Launcher and navigation menus.
You set tab settings in both profiles and permission sets, but the labels differ. This table pairs the labels and shows where a tab appears with each setting.
| Profile | Permission set | App's navigation bar | App Launcher and All Tabs page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default On | Available and Visible | Shows the tab | In the App Launcher in Lightning Experience and on the All Tabs page in Salesforce Classic |
| Default Off | Available | Keeps the tab out | Users can still open the tab from the App Launcher or the All Tabs page |
| Tab Hidden | None (no settings enabled) | Not visible in any app's navigation | Not in the App Launcher or on the All Tabs page |
Default On and Default Off are defaults, not locks, because each user can personalize their display. A user can hide a Default On tab or show it in other apps. A user can also make a Default Off tab visible in any app.
Tab Hidden removes the tab everywhere and also excludes it from API responses.