Loading

Show or Hide the 'Salesforce for Outlook' Side Panel​

Publish Date: May 1, 2026
Description

Salesforce for Outlook (SFO) includes a Show/Hide button for the Salesforce Side Panel in Microsoft Outlook. This button allows users to toggle the Side Panel visibility without reinstalling SFO, which is useful for users with smaller screens or those who prefer to access the Side Panel only when needed.
This article covers how to enable the Show/Hide button for the Salesforce Side Panel in Outlook 2010, 2013, and 2016.

Note: The Show/Hide button is available by default in SFO version 3.2 and later. If you are using an earlier version, follow the steps below to add the button manually via Outlook ribbon customization.

Resolution

In Outlook 2013 and 2016
For SFO version 3.2 and later, the Show/Hide button for the Salesforce Side Panel is enabled by default. If you are using an older version of SFO, follow these steps to manually add the Show/Hide button to your Outlook ribbon.
These steps must be completed after Salesforce for Outlook is installed and the Side Panel is confirmed to load without errors.

  1. In Outlook 2013, open the Home tab. You can use any ribbon tab, but the Home tab is recommended.
  2. Right-click on a blank area of the toolbar on the Home tab (an area with no buttons) and select Customize the Ribbon.
  3. In the Outlook Options window, under Choose commands from, select All Commands from the dropdown.
  4. In the right column under Main Tabs, click on Home (Mail) and then click New Group to create a custom group under that tab.
  5. The new group appears as New Group (Custom). Click Rename, type a name for the group, and click OK.
  6. In the left column, scroll down to find the Show/Hide command. Click Add to move it to your new group, then click OK.
Note: If you see two Show/Hide commands, you can select either one. If the Show/Hide command does not appear, close Outlook, restart your computer, or reinstall Salesforce for Outlook.

To undo any changes, select the tab you modified on the Outlook Options screen, click Reset, and then select Reset only selected Ribbon tab.


In Outlook 2010
The Show/Hide option for the Salesforce Side Panel appears automatically after the user is assigned to an Outlook Configuration that has the Side Panel enabled and has installed Salesforce for Outlook.

  1. Go to the View tab or the Add-Ins tab.
  2. Locate the Salesforce Side Panel section and select Show/Hide.
Note: Hiding the Side Panel also removes it from the email compose window. A Windows Registry string value SidePanelShow is created under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\AddinSidePanel.AddinModule. A value of True shows the panel; a value of False hides it.
Knowledge Article Number

000386194

 
Loading
Salesforce Help | Article