Users may expect that a Global Search for an Account Name to also return related records such as Contacts or Cases, but results only include the matching Account record and some or no records related to the Account.
For Example:
Let us consider we have an Account record called Acme. This Account record has 3 Contacts associated to it, namely Kevin, Jack & Viz. When a User searches for the term Acme, they observe that none of the 3 Contact records are returned despite the term Acme being present on all 3 contact records.
This is working as designed since encrypted, formula and lookup fields aren’t searchable. You can find more documentation around Searchable fields in Classic Searchable Objects and Fields or review searchable fields in Lightning using Customize Search with Search Manager.
End users may find that some Contacts do appear in Global Search however, Global Search is finding those records because the Account Name is included in a different, searchable field. For example, if Contact record had the description field with the text, Acme, Global Search would return the Contact record.
You can work around this by creating a custom text field on the object for which you want to see related records and populate it with the related record's name or other search term via a Flow.
For example, populate a Contact's related Account Name so searching for the Account name also returns it's related Contacts.
Step 1: Create a Custom Field
Step 2: Create a Flow
1. Go to Setup | Flows | New Flow.
Choose Record-Triggered Flow.
2. Configure the Flow Trigger
Object: Contact (or the related object that you want to return in search results).
Trigger When: A record is created or updated.
Conditions:
AccountId Is Null = False (Contact must be related to an Account).
Optimize For:
Fast Field Updates (if possible — better performance).
3. Set the Field Mapping for the Contact's custom field to be populated with its related Account's Name.
You do NOT need a Get Records because Contact has a direct relationship to Account via AccountId, and Account.Name is accessible natively.
Add an Assignment or directly in Update Triggering Record:
Set: YourCustomTextFieldsDeveloperName__c = {!$Record.Account.Name}
4. Save and Activate the Flow
Flow Name: e.g., Populate Account Name on Contacts.
Save it.
Click Activate.
Now simply go to a Contact record that wasn't part of your search result and Edit > Save [No need to make any changes on the record. This step is done to fire the WF action & reindex the record]
Note that the Contact record now comes up in the search result.
Ideas:
Search on formula fields
Allow Lookup fields on custom objects searchable in global search
000385727

We use three kinds of cookies on our websites: required, functional, and advertising. You can choose whether functional and advertising cookies apply. Click on the different cookie categories to find out more about each category and to change the default settings.
Privacy Statement
Required cookies are necessary for basic website functionality. Some examples include: session cookies needed to transmit the website, authentication cookies, and security cookies.
Functional cookies enhance functions, performance, and services on the website. Some examples include: cookies used to analyze site traffic, cookies used for market research, and cookies used to display advertising that is not directed to a particular individual.
Advertising cookies track activity across websites in order to understand a viewer’s interests, and direct them specific marketing. Some examples include: cookies used for remarketing, or interest-based advertising.