Search layouts for results and lookups
Key Takeaway
Search layouts control which fields users see in search results and lookups, not which fields Salesforce searches.
Search layouts control which fields users see when a search returns records, both in global search results and when users search inside a lookup field. Admins set them per object. They can give different profiles different layouts, so each group of users sees the fields that matter most to them.
What a search layout controls
A search layout controls more than the result columns. It sets these things:
- The columns on the search results page
- The fields users can filter and sort by
- The secondary field shown in instant results
- The fields in a record preview in instant results
- The fields in a recommended result
In Lightning Experience, global search results and lookup search results share one layout, the Search Results layout, so one edit changes what users see in both places.
Search layouts control what is displayed, not what is searched. They don't change which fields Salesforce checks for keyword matches, and that list is the same across Salesforce.