Loading

Salesforce for Outlook (SFO): Manual vs Automatic Sync Method Selection in the SFO Wizard

Udgivelsesdato: May 1, 2026
Beskrivelse

Salesforce for Outlook (SFO) allows users to choose between Automatic and Manual synchronization of Outlook records. This selection appears in the SFO Settings wizard that users go through when first installing or logging in to the SFO plug-in.
To access the sync selection screen: right-click the SFO icon in the System Tray (a gray icon means SFO is not connected to Outlook; a red icon means SFO is connected and running), then click Settings. The second screen after login displays the sync options and a "Choose Sync Method" step.

Sync Method LabelMode
Sync Only the Outlook Items I SelectManual
Sync All Outlook ItemsAutomatic

Note: Each user makes this selection individually by clicking the Manual (Sync Only the Outlook Items I Select) or Automatic (Sync All Outlook Items) option, then clicking Next to continue. If you are not doing a 2-way sync or a sync from Outlook to Salesforce, the sync method option does not appear. This option is user-specific — each user can have a different method selected. Consult your Salesforce administrator before making this selection. Selecting Automatic synchronizes all your Contacts, Events, or Tasks from Outlook into Salesforce.

Automatic (Sync All Outlook Items) vs Manual (Sync Only the Outlook Items I Select)

This setting applies only to contacts, events, and tasks that exist in Outlook. The Salesforce data that synchronizes is based on the Outlook Configuration and Data Set configured by your Salesforce Administrator.
The SFO Manual and Automatic sync methods both operate based on the Category field in Outlook. When SFO is installed, new categories are added to Outlook's category list. These categories change depending on the sync method selected in the SFO wizard.
Your Salesforce administrator can also control the sync method from your Outlook Configuration by checking:

  • Set default sync setting to Sync All Outlook Items
  • Don't let users change their sync setting (to prevent users from changing the method)
Løsning

What This Article Covers

This article explains how to choose between Manual and Automatic sync in the Salesforce for Outlook (SFO) wizard and describes the behavior of each method. The correct sync method depends on your organization's Outlook configuration and your administrator's preferences.

MANUAL (Sync Only the Outlook Items I Select) Sync Method

If you select Manual (Sync Only the Outlook Items I Select) in the wizard, only records that you manually categorize as "Sync with Salesforce" are synchronized. The "Don't sync with Salesforce" category does not appear in your Outlook category list.
With the Manual sync method, records with no category or any category other than "Sync with Salesforce" are not part of the sync and remain untouched in Outlook. This gives you more granular control over which records sync to Salesforce.

AUTOMATIC (Sync All Outlook Items) Sync Method

If you select Automatic (Sync All Outlook Items) in the wizard, all records in Outlook are included in the sync process. Only the "Don't sync with Salesforce" category is added. Every record in the selected Outlook folder synchronizes with Salesforce unless you categorize it as "Don't sync with Salesforce" (assuming you set your sync settings to bi-directional).

How to Categorize a Record in Outlook

Right-click on the record and from the pop-up menu select Categories. Then select "Don't sync with Salesforce" or "Sync with Salesforce". You can also select a record and use the Categorize button on the Outlook Home menu.

How to Mark a Record as Private in Outlook

Another way to prevent certain records from synchronizing — regardless of sync method (Automatic or Manual) — is to mark them as private. Open the record and click the private icon in Outlook. Make sure not to select "Include Private contacts/Events/Tasks" in the SFO wizard. This method keeps personal records visible only to yourself, even from other users who may have access to your Outlook Contacts or Calendar.

Sync Frequency

Regardless of sync method selected, sync occurs in the background (the red SFO icon in the System Tray begins spinning). Sync frequency depends on your system activity:

  • Events and Tasks sync automatically every 10 minutes
  • Contacts sync automatically every 1 hour
  • After 30 minutes of keyboard or mouse inactivity: Events and Tasks sync frequency changes to 30 minutes
  • After 2 hours of inactivity: all updates change to hourly
  • After 4 hours of inactivity: frequency changes to every 4 hours
Vidensartikelnummer

000385906

 
Indlæser
Salesforce Help | Article