Object-specific versus global actions
Key Takeaway
Object-specific actions link what they create to the record the user started from. Global actions can go almost anywhere, but the records they create have no direct relationship to other records.
Quick actions are buttons that let users create or update records, log calls, send email, or run custom functionality without leaving the page. They come in two types, object-specific actions and global actions. The type you choose affects where an action can go, what it can do, and whether the records it creates are linked to other records.
How the two types differ
| Object-specific actions | Global actions | |
|---|---|---|
| Context | Run in the context of one record. | Aren't context-aware, so their fields can't be populated with information from the current page. |
| Relationship to other records | Automatic. The action fills in a relationship field on the new record, and that field points back to the record the user started from. | None. A record made with a global create action has no direct relationship with other records. |
| Where you can put them | Only on page layouts for their own object. | Anywhere actions are supported, such as the Home page, the Chatter tab, object pages, and custom Lightning app pages. That is why they're called global. |
For example, imagine you add an action on Account that creates contacts. A user opens the Acme account detail page and creates a contact with the action. The new contact is associated with Acme.