---
schema_version: "1"
id: 8b7e8710aa012f7c8bad3fb15524574b6284f99d6a8d9e7e2f1930f64ff06f4e
title: Email Alert Actions
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/customize_wfalerts.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.customize_wfalerts.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: e2b6157b2c26c681ec1fadd0916f048a2e17a9190230ef580914eec746a33ac8
description: An email alert is an email generated by an automated process and sent to the designated recipients. The action consists of the standard text and the list of recipients. You can use an email alert in an automation, such as a flow, approval process, or entitlement process. Legacy workflow rules and processes built in Process Builder or through the Invocable Actions REST API endpoint also use email alerts.
products:
  - Flow Builder
  - Salesforce Platform
release: "264"
---
# Email Alert Actions

An email alert is an email generated by an automated process and sent to the designated recipients. The action consists of the standard text and the list of recipients. You can use an email alert in an automation, such as a flow, approval process, or entitlement process. Legacy workflow rules and processes built in Process Builder or through the Invocable Actions REST API endpoint also use email alerts.

### 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: both Salesforce Classic (<a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.overview_edition_lex_only.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">not available in all orgs</a>) and Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class="" id="customize_wfalerts__d5293e343"><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <span id="customize_wfalerts__d5293e347"><a name="customize_wfalerts__d5293e347"></a><strong>Essentials</strong>, <strong>Professional</strong>, <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

From Setup, enter Email Alerts in the Quick Find box, and select **Email Alerts**. Then use these settings to configure your email alert.

![Tip](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-platform_automation-264-0-0-production-enus/60568438-ec7e-4665-acd1-7c80dcbe60d5/images/icon_tip.png)

Tip Create a standardized letterhead to use for all email templates that you use for email alert actions.

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
          <colgroup>
            <col style="width:14.005602240896359%">
            <col style="width:85.99439775910363%">
          </colgroup>
          <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
            <tr class="">
              <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d281917e99">Field</th>
              <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d281917e102">Description</th>
            </tr>
          </thead>
          <tbody>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e99 ">Description</td>

              <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e102 ">Enter a description. </td>

            </tr>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e99 ">Unique Name</td>

              <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e102 ">Enter a unique name to refer to this component in the API. The
                requirement for uniqueness is only within the selected object type.
                You can have actions of the same type with the same unique name,
                provided they’re defined in different objects.<span id="customize_wfalerts__unique-name-req"><a name="customize_wfalerts__unique-name-req"><!-- --></a>The <strong class="uicontrol">Unique Name</strong>
                  field can contain only underscores and alphanumeric characters.
                  It must be unique within the selected object type, begin with a
                  letter, not include spaces, not end with an underscore, and not
                  contain two consecutive underscores.</span></td>

            </tr>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e99 ">Object</td>

              <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e102 ">
                <p>If available, choose an object for this email alert.
                </p>
                <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Salesforce uses this object when generating merge field
                  values for email templates. Also, you can define the recipients
                  of this email alert using contact and user lookup fields that
                  are relevant to that object. For example, if you select
                  Contract, you can define the contract signer as a recipient. The
                  object is read-only if the new email alert is associated with an
                  automation for a particular object.</p>
              </td>

            </tr>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e99 ">Email Template</td>

              <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e102 ">
                <p>Choose an email template. Insert merge fields to reference
                  specific information based on the record that triggers the email
                  alert. For example, insert a merge field for the
                  opportunity.</p>
                <p><strong>Classic Email Templates</strong></p>
                <p>Except
                  for <kbd>{!ApprovalRequest.Comments}</kbd>, approval
                  merge fields named
                  <kbd>{!ApprovalRequest.<var>field_name</var>}</kbd>
                  in email templates return values only in approval assignment
                  emails and email alerts for approval processes. When used in
                  other emails—including email alerts for
                  automations—the approval merge fields return null.
                </p>
                <p>The <kbd>{!ApprovalRequest.Comments}</kbd>
                  merge field returns only the most recently entered comment in
                  emails for an approval step that requires unanimous approval
                  from multiple approvers.</p>
                <p>If available, select
                  <strong class="uicontrol">Protected Component</strong> to mark the alert
                  as protected if it’s part of a Managed - Released
                  package.
                </p>
                <p>The Recipient merge field isn’t supported in
                  either Classic or Lightning email templates used for
                  automations.</p>
                <p><strong>Lightning Email Templates</strong></p>
                <p>In
                  Lightning email templates, merge fields are resolved for
                  activity-enabled objects only, except Contact and Lead merge
                  fields. Activity-enabled objects appear in the Related Entity
                  Type field on the email template record home.</p>
                <p>Cross-object
                  merge fields aren’t supported. The object specified in the
                  Related Entity Type field must be the object used in the
                  template’s merge fields. For a workaround, see <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=000324867&amp;type=1&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Cross-object Merge Fields Do Not Work in Email
                    Templates</a>.</p>
                <p>There isn’t equivalent support for
                  special merge fields in Classic email templates, such as <code>{!this}</code> or <code>{!$Setup.LabelName}</code>.</p>
                <p style="margin-bottom:0;">UTF-8 encoding is used on
                  all emails sent through email alerts. </p>
              </td>

            </tr>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e99 ">Recipient Type</td>

              <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e102 ">
                <p>Select who receives this email alert. </p>
                <p style="margin-bottom:0;">In master-detail relationships, email
                  alerts are sent only to the master record's owner. Detail records lack an owner
                  field and inherit the master's sharing and security settings.. For example, you
                  select Owner for recipient type for objects involved in a master-detail
                  relationship. Only the owner of the master record is available for recipients. See
                  <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.overview_of_custom_object_relationships.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Object Relationships Overview</a>.
                </p>
              </td>

            </tr>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e99 ">Recipients</td>

              <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e102 ">
                <p>Select who receives this email alert in the <strong class="uicontrol">Available
                    Recipients</strong> list and click
                  <strong class="uicontrol">Add</strong>.
                </p>
                <p>If you change the object after
                  selecting recipients, Salesforce clears the <strong class="uicontrol">Selected
                    Recipients</strong> list. </p>
                <p>If your email recipient
                  is a role and that role contains multiple people, Salesforce
                  emails each person in that role.</p>
                <p style="margin-bottom:0;">If your email recipient
                  is a record owner and the owner of the record is a queue, the
                  queue email receives the email alert. If the queue is set up so
                  that email is sent to all members, queue members are notified as
                  well. If no queue email is specified, only queue members are
                  notified.</p>
              </td>

            </tr>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e99 ">Additional Emails</td>

              <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e102 ">Enter up to five more email addresses for recipients who aren’t
                Salesforce users, leads, or contacts.</td>

            </tr>
            <tr class="">
              <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e99 ">From Email Address</td>

              <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e102 ">
                <p>Either the default workflow user or a previously configured and
                  verified organization-wide address. This field lets you use a
                  standard email address for your organization (such as
                  support@company.com) instead of the default
                  <strong class="uicontrol">From</strong> field, which is the email address of
                  the person who updates the record.
                </p>
                <p>If the default workflow user
                  is the guest user, you must have a verified organization-wide
                  address in this field.</p>
                <p style="margin-bottom:0;">If you select <strong class="uicontrol">Make this
                    the default From email address for this object's email
                    alerts</strong>, this email address overrides the From
                  Email Address for all email alerts associated with the object.
                  You can still customize individual email alerts to use a
                  different From Email Address. The From Email Address in an email
                  alert changes to the current user when the email alert is
                  installed using a managed or unmanaged package. The From Email
                  Address doesn’t change when using other types of deployment,
                  such as Metadata API or change sets.</p>
              </td>

            </tr>
          </tbody>
        </table>

The daily allocation for emails sent through email alerts is 1,000 per standard Salesforce license per org—except for free Developer Edition and trial orgs, where the daily email allocation is 15. The overall org allocation is 2,000,000. This allocation applies to emails sent through email alerts in automations or REST API. Single emails sent to external email addresses are also limited, and how those limits are enforced depends on when your org was created.

#### See Also

- [Email Alert Actions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.customize_wfalerts.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "An email alert is an email generated by an automated process and sent to the designated recipients. The action consists of the standard text and the list of recipients. You can use an email alert in an automation, such as a flow, approval process, or entitlement process. Legacy workflow rules and processes built in Process Builder or through the Invocable Actions REST API endpoint also use email alerts.")
- [Daily Allocations for Email Alerts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.workflow_limits_email.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "The daily allocation for emails sent through email alerts is 1,000 per standard user license per org—except for free Developer Edition and trial orgs, where the daily workflow email allocation is 15. The overall org allocation is 2,000,000. This allocation applies to emails sent through email alerts in workflow rules, approval processes, flows, processes, or REST API. Single emails sent to external email addresses are also limited, and how those limits are enforced depends on when your org was created.")

## Recipient Types for Email Alerts

When you configure an email alert, you identify who receives the email. The options available vary based on your Salesforce settings and the object that you selected.

### 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: both Salesforce Classic (<a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.overview_edition_lex_only.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">not available in all orgs</a>) and Lightning Experience</td></tr><tr class="" id="customize_wfalerts_recipienttypes__d5259e343"><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: <span id="customize_wfalerts_recipienttypes__d5259e347"><a name="customize_wfalerts_recipienttypes__d5259e347"></a><strong>Essentials</strong>, <strong>Professional</strong>, <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and <strong>Developer</strong> Editions</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
            <colgroup>
              <col style="width:18.083182640144667%">
              <col style="width:81.91681735985533%">
            </colgroup>
            <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
              <tr class="">
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d281917e386">Recipient Type</th>
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d281917e389">Description</th>
              </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Account Owner</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">
                  <p>The user listed as the owner of the account itself or the account
                    associated with the record. </p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">This option works only for email
                    alerts on accounts, opportunities, cases, contacts, contracts,
                    and any custom object that is a child of the account object. The
                    associated account must also specify an account owner. If you
                    select another object type or the associated account doesn’t
                    have an account owner, Salesforce sends the email alert to the
                    record owner instead.</p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Account Team</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">
                  <p>All users assigned to a particular account team role. </p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">The
                    Account Team option is always available. However, emails are
                    sent only when the rule is associated with the account object or
                    its immediate child objects.</p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Case Team</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">All users assigned to a particular case team role. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Creator</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">The user who created the record. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Customer Portal User</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">All users associated with a Customer Portal. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Email Field</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">
                  <p>An email address field on the selected object, such as the Email
                    field on lead records or custom email fields. </p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">When creating email
                    alerts for campaign members, Email Field refers to the email
                    field on the lead or contact that the campaign member is based
                    on. </p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Opportunity Team</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">
                  <p>All users assigned to a particular opportunity team role. This
                    option appears only when team selling is enabled. </p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">The Opportunity
                    Team option works only for email alerts configured for
                    opportunities. It doesn’t work for email alerts configured for
                    child objects of opportunities. </p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Owner</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">The record owner. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Partner User</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">All users associated with a partner portal. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Portal Role</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">All users assigned to a particular portal role. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Portal Role and Subordinates</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">All users assigned to a particular portal role, plus all users in
                  roles below that role. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Public Groups</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">The users in a particular public group. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Related Contact</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">
                  <p>An associated contact on the record. </p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">For example, you can
                    select the Customer Signed By field for contracts that contain
                    the name of the contract signer. </p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Related Lead or Contact Owner</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">A campaign member’s lead or contact owner. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Related User</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">
                  <p>An associated user on the record. </p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">For example, contract
                    records have an Activated By field that contains the name of the
                    user that activated the contract. </p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Role</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">All users assigned a particular role. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Role and Internal Subordinates</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">All users assigned a particular role, plus all users in roles
                  below that role, excluding partner portal and Customer Portal users.
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">Role and Subordinates</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">All users assigned a particular role, plus all users in roles
                  below that role. </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Recipient Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e386 ">User</td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d281917e389 ">A particular user. </td>

              </tr>
            </tbody>
          </table>

The Recipient merge field isn’t supported in either Classic or Lightning email templates used for automations.