Within SaaS platforms like Salesforce, data loss can occur for many reasons, from accidental deletion, a migration gone wrong, and even a data breach. Regardless of the reason, the Salesforce Recycle Bin often becomes a crucial tool for administrators looking to recover deleted data. However, while the Recycle Bin is useful, it has limitations that every Salesforce admin should be aware of to avoid permanent data loss. Understanding these limitations can help organizations better plan their data protection and recovery strategies, especially when considering more robust solutions like third-party backup services.
What is the Recycle Bin in Salesforce?
The Salesforce Recycle Bin is a feature designed to temporarily store deleted records, giving users a chance to restore them if needed. This function is particularly important for administrators who may need to recover critical data that was accidentally removed. Any record that is deleted in Salesforce is moved to the Recycle Bin instead of being permanently deleted right away, allowing administrators to restore it within a certain time frame.
Where is the Recycle Bin in Salesforce Lightning?
Salesforce Lightning users may encounter some confusion when trying to locate the Recycle Bin. If you're not able to see the Recycle Bin in Salesforce, you’re not alone. In Salesforce Lightning, the Recycle Bin is slightly hidden. To access it, users need to go to the App Launcher, search for "Recycle Bin," and open it from there. This placement is different from Salesforce Classic, where the Recycle Bin was more prominently displayed.
For those wondering “where is the Recycle Bin in Salesforce?” it’s important to note that it is accessible only if you have the correct permissions. If you don’t see it, you may need to contact your system administrator to gain access.
What is the Limitation of the Recycle Bin in Salesforce?
While the Recycle Bin provides a safety net for recovering recently deleted data, it has notable limitations. The most critical of these is the Salesforce Recycle Bin’s retention limit, which dictates how long data stays in the Bin.
The Recycle Bin has a retention period of 15 days, meaning any records stored in it are permanently deleted after 15 days (this period extends to 30 days when you enable the “Extended Recycle Bin Retention” feature on Salesforce Classic). This retention period is one of the biggest drawbacks, especially for organizations that rely on the bin as a fail-safe recovery method. Once data exceeds this time limit, it is irretrievable unless another backup and recovery solution has been implemented.
Another consideration when it comes to the Salesforce Recycle Bin limit on storage. Salesforce uses your org’s storage limit to determine the maximum number of records allowed in your Recycle Bin. Your Recycle Bin can contain 25 times your MB storage capacity as records. For example, an org with a storage allocation of 2,000MB (2GB) can have 50,000 records in the Recycle Bin.
Don’t Limit What Data You’re Able to Recover in Salesforce
While the Salesforce Recycle Bin can be a useful tool for recovering deleted data in the short term, it has several limitations, such as its 15-day retention period and storage limits. Therefore, relying solely on the Recycle Bin as a backup solution is risky. Organizations that require more robust data recovery options should consider third-party solutions like Own Recover. Recover, our Salesforce backup and recovery solution, offers continuous data protection and a more comprehensive protection against data loss, ensuring your Salesforce data is always recoverable.
