Clone a Sandbox
When you clone a sandbox, its data and metadata are copied to the new sandbox. If included in the source sandbox, entity history and Chatter are copied for only Full sandboxes. A cloned sandbox uses the same license type as its source org. For example, to clone a Full sandbox you must have a Full sandbox license available.
Required Editions
| Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience |
| Available in: Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Database.com Editions |
| User Permissions Needed | |
|---|---|
| To view a sandbox: | View Setup and Configuration |
| To create, refresh, activate, and delete a sandbox: | Manage Dev Sandboxes (Developer or Developer Pro only) or Manage Sandboxes (all sandbox types) |
However, because of resource limitations within the shared infrastructure, sandbox cloning on Hyperforce instances can sometimes default to the legacy method, rather than the faster Quick Clone method. See Best Practices for Salesforce Sandbox Creation and Refresh Times for more information.
To see whether your sandbox is on Hyperforce, check the Location information in the list of sandboxes in Setup.
If custom domains are associated with your sandbox, before you clone it, review Considerations for Custom Domains in Sandboxes.
A cloned sandbox refreshes from its source org and retains the source org’s sandbox license type. If a sandbox’s source org has been deleted, the clone refreshes from your production org.
- From Setup, find and select Sandboxes.
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Click New Sandbox, or click Clone next to
a completed sandbox.
Note If the New Sandbox and Clone options are deactivated, confirm with your Salesforce admin that you have the Manage Sandboxes or Manage Dev Sandboxes user permission, or that your org has available sandbox licenses.
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Enter a name (10 characters or fewer) and description.
We recommend that you choose a name that reflects the purpose of this sandbox, such as QA. Ideally, the name of a sandbox has only a few characters, because Salesforce appends the sandbox name to usernames on user records in the sandbox environment. Names with fewer characters make sandbox logins easier to type.
- Make sure that the sandbox name selected in the Create From dropdown is the sandbox that you want to use as your source org.
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Make sure that the org you’re cloning has the license type that you want for your new
sandbox, then click Next.
To use a different license type, choose a different source org from the Create From dropdown.
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(Optional) To run scripts after each creation and refresh for this sandbox, specify the
name of an Apex class that extends the
SandboxPostCopyinterface.The Apex class you specify must exist in your source org. See Create an Apex Class and SandboxPostCopy Interface for more information on creating this Apex class.
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In the Sandbox Options page, click Create.
In the Sandbox Options page, both Data Storage and Sandbox Access aren’t selectable because the values must be the same as the source sandbox for sandbox clones.
Avoid making changes in your source org during the sandbox cloning process. When your sandbox is ready for use, you receive an email notification that your sandbox has completed copying. If you aren’t a user in the source sandbox, an email notification isn’t sent. Instead, you can monitor the sandbox creation status in the Sandbox Setup page.
When your new sandbox is ready, you can manage it from your production org just like any other sandbox.
