What Is a Change Set in Salesforce?
A change set is Salesforce's built-in, point-and-click mechanism for moving configuration - not data - from one connected org to another, most commonly from a
Updated 2026-09-09
A change set is Salesforce's built-in, point-and-click mechanism for moving configuration - not data - from one connected org to another, most commonly from a sandbox to production.
In more detail
A change set has two sides: an outbound change set, created and uploaded from the source org, and an inbound change set, which appears in the destination org once uploaded and is deployed from there.
It only works between orgs that have an established deployment connection (Setup → Deployment Settings), and it moves metadata only - custom fields, layouts, flows, Apex, and similar configuration, never records.
Why it matters for admins
- It is the lowest-friction deployment path for a single admin making a small, declarative change.
- It has no version control - there is no diff or commit history for what a change set contained after it deploys.
- It is point-to-point, so it does not scale to deploying the same change to several orgs at once the way a CLI-based deployment does.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a change set deploy data?
- No. Change sets move metadata only. Moving records between orgs needs Data Loader, the Bulk API, or a separate data migration tool.
- What is the difference between an outbound and inbound change set?
- The outbound change set is created and uploaded from the source org. Once uploaded, the same set appears as an inbound change set in the destination org, where it is validated and deployed.
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Related reading
- Admin How-ToChange Sets vs Metadata API Deployments: Which to UseChange sets and Metadata API / CLI deployments solve the same problem differently. Here is when each one is the right choice, and what a change set genuinely cannot do.
- Admin How-ToHow to Create and Deploy a Salesforce Change SetStep by step: create an outbound change set, upload it, and deploy it as an inbound change set - plus the deployment connection you need between orgs before any of it works.