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Get Ready to Sync Contacts with Lightning Sync for Google
Learn how to sync contacts between Google Contacts and Salesforce when you’re set up to use Lightning Sync for Google.
Required Editions
| Available to sync records from: Salesforce Classic, Lightning Experience, and the Salesforce mobile app |
| Available to set up from: Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience |
| Available in: Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions with Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Lightning Platform |
| User Permissions Needed | |
|---|---|
| To sync contacts both ways: | Read and Edit on contacts AND Read on accounts AND Contact sync direction set to Sync both ways in an active Lightning Sync configuration |
| To sync contacts from Salesforce to Google: | Read on contacts AND Contact sync direction set to Salesforce to Google in an active Lightning Sync configuration |
| To sync contacts from Google to Salesforce: | Create on contacts AND Contact sync direction set to Google to Salesforce in an active Lightning Sync configuration |
Starting in Winter ’21, Lightning Sync isn’t available to new Salesforce customers. If you’re on Lightning Sync, use the Lightning Sync migration assistant for a seamless transition to Einstein Activity Capture, our long-term solution for syncing contacts and events between Microsoft® or Google applications and Salesforce.
In October 2026, Microsoft 365 replaces Exchange Web Service (EWS) with Microsoft Graph API. We recommend taking this opportunity to transition from Lightning Sync to Einstein Activity Capture with Graph API or another supported connection method. See Upgrade Microsoft Office 365 Authentication Method to Microsoft Graph in Einstein Activity Capture.
After your Salesforce admin initiates contacts sync for you, Lightning Sync creates a group in Google Contacts called Salesforce Sync. If you’re set up to sync from Salesforce to Google (or both ways), any contacts that have synced are found in the Salesforce Sync group. Gmail™ accesses those contacts automatically when you attempt to email or chat with those contacts.
If you’re set up to sync from Google Contacts to Salesforce (or both ways), you can start syncing a Google Contact by following these steps.
- On the contact’s Email field, add the Work label. Adding no label, other standard labels, or custom labels prevents the Google contact from syncing to Salesforce. Likewise, if you want the Google contact Phone field to sync, add one of the following labels to the phone field: Home, Work, Other, Mobile, or Work Fax.
- Add the contact to the Salesforce Sync group.
Lightning Sync starts syncing those contacts with Salesforce during the next sync cycle.
Don’t rename, move, or delete the Salesforce Sync group, or syncing between Salesforce and Google Contacts could stop.
