---
schema_version: "1"
id: af741b0339590298c001bdd8864ce6411535de6e86ab53ca53635905ef2cad3b
title: Field-Level Security for Custom Fields in Search
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/ai/264-0-0/search_protect_fields.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_protect_fields.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: e063c666e3a57efda33ec498ca4f757458395265919616865b376375782844b4
description: Field-level security specifies whether users in your Salesforce org can view and edit each field in an object. You can configure field-level security settings separately from Einstein Search. Users can search a protected field only if they have the appropriate field permissions. However, search can only protect up to 100 searchable custom fields per object with field-level security, even if you set field-level security for more than 100 custom fields. The search engine matches results based on information in unprotected fields. You can select which custom fields are protected.
products:
  - Cross Cloud
release: "264"
---
# Field-Level Security for Custom Fields in Search

Field-level security specifies whether users in your Salesforce org can view and edit each field in an object. You can configure field-level security settings separately from Einstein Search. Users can search a protected field only if they have the appropriate field permissions. However, search can only protect up to 100 searchable custom fields per object with field-level security, even if you set field-level security for more than 100 custom fields. The search engine matches results based on information in unprotected fields. You can select which custom fields are protected.

![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-ai-search-264-0-0-production-enus/6a28c936-3b68-4186-bc09-7ab905f33ef3/images/icon_note.png)

Note All custom picklist fields are protected with field-level security and don’t count toward the 100 custom field limit.

All standard fields, custom picklist fields, and the first 100 custom fields per object are protected. If an object has more than 100 custom fields, the extra fields are unprotected. Search Manager shows how many objects have unprotected fields. To ensure that all sensitive fields that can impact search results are protected or removed, review each object with unprotected fields.

## How Unprotected Fields Impact Search Results

Even if you have unprotected fields in search, users can’t see the fields and records that they don’t have permission to access. However, if the user doesn’t have field permissions, the search engine still matches results based on sensitive information in unprotected fields. While users without permissions don’t see the field in their results, they do see results matched based on that field. Prevent unwanted results by protecting the field in search. 

For example, if you add the Trade Union custom field to the Employee object and the Employee object already has 100 or more custom fields, apply protection in Search Manager. If you don’t protect this field, users can search for the trade union’s name and find all employees in that trade union. 

## Apply Field-Level Security to Custom Fields in Search

Search can protect up to 100 custom fields per object with field-level security. For example, if you add the Trade Union custom field to the Employee object and don’t protect it, users can search for the trade union’s name and find all employees in that trade union. If an object has more than 100 custom fields, the search engine matches results based on information in the unprotected additional fields. 

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: Einstein Search in Lightning Experience</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
            <colgroup>
              <col style="width:50%">
              <col style="width:50%">
            </colgroup>
            <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
              <tr class="">
                <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d3326e79">User Permissions Needed</th>
              </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d3326e79 ">To use Search Manager:</td>
                <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d3326e79 ">Customize Application AND View Setup</td>
              </tr>
            </tbody>
          </table>

1. From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Search Manager, and then select **Index Management**.
2. From the Salesforce Objects list, click the object that the fields are in.
3. Click **Manage Field-Level Security for Search**.
4. Move up to 100 fields to the Protected list. If you have more than 100 fields to protect, move fields with less sensitive information to the Not Protected list. 
    
    If you can’t protect all fields with sensitive information, remove fields from the search index. See [Manage the Search Index](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_index_manage.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "View default searchable fields. You can add and remove fields in the search index. For example, if you never want to include certain custom fields in search, remove those fields. Removed fields don’t appear in search results and aren’t used to match results. You can’t remove standard fields.").
5. Save your changes.

Your changes are usually applied the next day, but it can take up to a few days. You can modify your changes after they’re applied.

#### See Also

- [Search Index](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_index.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "The search index makes it quicker and more efficient for the search engine to retrieve relevant information for a user’s query. Without a search index, the search engine scans all content in every document or record in your organization each time a user performs a search, which is time-consuming and resource-intensive. Explore how the search index can improve your search engine.")
- [Manage the Search Index](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_index_manage.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "View default searchable fields. You can add and remove fields in the search index. For example, if you never want to include certain custom fields in search, remove those fields. Removed fields don’t appear in search results and aren’t used to match results. You can’t remove standard fields.")
- [Explore the Search Index with Search Manager](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_explore_index.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "See default searchable objects and fields in your Salesforce org. As you add custom objects and fields to your Salesforce org, your index changes to reflect which objects and fields are searchable. Your index is the single source of truth for what’s searchable in your org. You can manage the search index and apply field-level security to custom fields.")
- [Field Permissions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_profiles_field_perms.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Field-Level Security Applied in Search: FAQ](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ai.search_fls_faq.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Before the Summer 24 release, Salesforce search results sometimes returned unexpected outcomes under certain circumstances due to a limitation in how Search applies Field Level Security. This limitation arises because Search applies Field-Level Security to all standard fields and the first 100 searchable custom fields, but not to custom fields beyond the 100th. Therefore, searches can use these unprotected fields to return results.")