Lightning Sync: Not Available for New Customers as of Winter ’21

Updated April 13, 2022 to reflect Spring '22 product improvements and changes.

Starting in Winter ’21, Lightning Sync isn't available to new Salesforce customers. To start syncing your sales reps’ contacts and events between Microsoft or Google applications and Salesforce, we encourage new customers to explore Einstein Activity Capture. With Einstein Activity Capture, events and contacts are automatically kept in sync between connected accounts and Salesforce. Plus, it automatically adds emails and events that sales reps send and receive to the activity timeline of related Salesforce records.

What's changing?

Customers who subscribe to Salesforce in Winter ’21 or later don’t have access to Lightning Sync setup. Instead, to give you the best in Microsoft and Google integration, we're combining our resources to focus on delivering one sync product: Einstein Activity Capture.

See how different Salesforce customers experience this change.

Customer	User Experience
Current Lightning Sync users and admins	This change has no impact on product functionality for current users or their admins. Contacts and events continue to sync as they always have. Admins continue to have access to Lightning Sync setup, and can continue adding and removing users to sync configurations and enabling or disabling features or the product as needed. However, while Lightning Sync continues to receive regular updates to maintain functionality, after Winter '21, no product enhancements are planned.
Any Salesforce customers who subscribed to Salesforce before Winter ‘21	This change has no impact on customers who subscribed to Salesforce before Winter ‘21. If those customers meet the license, edition, and system requirements, they can set up and use Lightning Sync. However, after Winter ’21, no Lightning Sync product enhancements will be introduced. Our development efforts are entirely focused on Einstein Activity Capture. To get the latest improvements, we encourage customers who aren’t yet syncing to explore Einstein Activity Capture, rather than Lightning Sync.
Salesforce customers who subscribe to Salesforce starting in Winter ‘21 and later	Customers can’t access the Lightning Sync section of the Outlook Integration & Sync page in Setup. Admins can’t set up users to sync with the product.* Instead, customers are encouraged to explore Einstein Activity Capture. With Einstein Activity Capture, customers get the latest in Microsoft and Google integration. *With the exception of some customers who created orgs between October 2020 and February 13, 2021, who may have access to Lightning Sync until its retirement.

Customer

User Experience

Current Lightning Sync users and admins

This change has no impact on product functionality for current users or their admins.

Contacts and events continue to sync as they always have. Admins continue to have access to Lightning Sync setup, and can continue adding and removing users to sync configurations and enabling or disabling features or the product as needed.

However, while Lightning Sync continues to receive regular updates to maintain functionality, after Winter '21, no product enhancements are planned.

Any Salesforce customers who subscribed to Salesforce before Winter ‘21

This change has no impact on customers who subscribed to Salesforce before Winter ‘21. If those customers meet the license, edition, and system requirements, they can set up and use Lightning Sync.

However, after Winter ’21, no Lightning Sync product enhancements will be introduced. Our development efforts are entirely focused on Einstein Activity Capture. To get the latest improvements, we encourage customers who aren’t yet syncing to explore Einstein Activity Capture, rather than Lightning Sync.

Salesforce customers who subscribe to Salesforce starting in Winter ‘21 and later

Customers can’t access the Lightning Sync section of the Outlook Integration & Sync page in Setup. Admins can’t set up users to sync with the product.* Instead, customers are encouraged to explore Einstein Activity Capture. With Einstein Activity Capture, customers get the latest in Microsoft and Google integration.

*With the exception of some customers who created orgs between October 2020 and February 13, 2021, who may have access to Lightning Sync until its retirement.

T< style="font-size: 14px;">o verify whether Lightning Sync is available to you, check your access from Salesforce Setup. From Setup, enter Sync in the Quick Find box, then select Outlook Integration and Sync or Google Integration and Sync.

If Lightning Sync is available, under the Lightning Sync section you see an option to turn on the product. If Lightning Sync isn’t available, you see the following message directing you to Einstein Activity Capture setup:

You're on the road to new places!

Lightning Sync is no longer available for setup. But you aren't far off the trail! To give your teams even more productivity-boosting features, set up Einstein Activity Capture.

What should I do if I want to sync contacts and events?

To sync contacts and events between Microsoft or Google applications and Salesforce, we recommend Einstein Activity Capture.

Einstein Activity Capture makes it easy for reps to leverage the latest Salesforce productivity features without interrupting their workflow in Microsoft or Google applications. And you get the same basic features as Lightning Sync, plus more.

To get an idea of the major differences, review these at-a-glance system requirements and feature comparisons.

For a detailed comparison, see Compare Einstein Activity Capture and Lightning Sync.

System Requirements

Product Detail	Einstein Activity Capture	Lightning Sync
Exchange servers	Microsoft Exchange Online with Office 365® Microsoft Exchange 2019 Microsoft Exchange 2016 Microsoft Exchange 2013 Exchange hybrid deployments (only supports user-level connections for capture functionality)	Microsoft Exchange Online with Office 365® Microsoft Exchange 2019 Microsoft Exchange 2016 Microsoft Exchange 2013
Google GSuite Accounts	G Suite by Google Cloud. Syncing requires Basic, Business, or Enterprise editions. Learn More	G Suite by Google Cloud for Basic, Business, or Enterprise editions only. Learn More
Salesforce User Experience	Lightning Experience Salesforce mobile* *Supports syncing contacts and events that are created or edited in the Salesforce mobile app. Some features, like activity timeline, aren’t available.	Lightning Experience Salesforce Classic Salesforce mobile* *Supports syncing contacts and events that are created or edited in the Salesforce mobile app. Some features, like activity timeline, aren’t available.
Salesforce user licenses	Supports up to 100 users with the Standard Einstein Activity Capture permission set for customers on Enterprise, Performance, or Unlimited Edition. To set up more than 100 users for Einstein Activity Capture, an add-on license is required. Learn More	With the purchase of Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, or Lightning Platform, Lightning Sync supports users working from these standard licenses only: Salesforce Lightning Platform Salesforce Platform Lightning Platform - One App (event sync only) Lightning Platform App Subscription Learn More
Supported editions	Essentials Professional Enterprise Performance Unlimited	Professional Enterprise Performance Unlimited Developer

For a complete list of system requirements for both products, see:

Feature Benefits

Product Detail	Einstein Activity Capture	Lightning Sync
Syncs contacts, events, or both in any direction.	Available	Available
Near real-time event sync from your calendar application to Salesforce.	Available	Not available
Automatically see Microsoft or Google emails on the activity timeline of related accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities, contracts, and quotes.	Available. Learn More	Not Available
Fast first-time sync for new users.	Available	Not available
Step-by-step setup flow walks Salesforce admins through configuration of user settings.	Available	Not available
Connection method that lets an admin scope which Microsoft user accounts Salesforce has access to.*	Available for all supported Microsoft services when you select the service account connection method. Learn More	Available for some Microsoft services when you select the service account connection method. Learn More
Connect to Salesforce without relying on Microsoft autodiscover service.*	Available. Learn More	Not available
Data stored on Salesforce servers only.*	Not available. Learn More	Available. Learn More
Automatically see Microsoft or Google events on the activity timeline of related accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities, contracts, and quotes.	Available. Learn More	Available with limitations. Learn More
See Einstein Email Insights on emails to help prioritize urgent items.	Available. For an extra cost, you can create custom email insights. Learn More	Not available
To help build relationships with customers, see recommended connections on contacts and leads.	Available for an extra cost. Learn More	Not available

*A benefit for some customers in highly regulated industries.

What if my company isn't ready to move to Einstein Activity Capture?

Einstein Activity Capture is our long-term solution for syncing contacts and events between Microsoft or Google applications and Salesforce. With Einstein Activity Capture, you benefit from productivity-boosting features beyond sync. We're here to help you and your sales reps prepare for a smooth transition. If you’re on Lightning Sync for Microsoft Exchange, the Lightning Sync migration assistant can make the move quick and easy for you.

We continue to develop Einstein Activity Capture to deliver an enterprise sync solution that meets your needs. To learn about the latest enhancements and when they come available, keep an eye on the Salesforce release notes.

And if Einstein Activity Capture still doesn't meet your needs, you can always consider exploring one of the third-party sync solutions available on AppExchange.

Lightning Sync: Not Available for New Customers as of Winter ’21

What's changing?

What should I do if I want to sync contacts and events?

System Requirements

Feature Benefits

What if my company isn't ready to move to Einstein Activity Capture?

General Information

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General Information

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Lightning Sync: Not Available for New Customers as of Winter ’21

What's changing?

What should I do if I want to sync contacts and events?

​​​System Requirements

Feature Benefits

What if my company isn't ready to move to Einstein Activity Capture?

System Requirements