---
schema_version: "1"
id: d8f959b9a55c5bffa7f0697d99cd40f0bd705aafaae6044c0d6dc3b07af61f82
title: Store Authentication Settings for External Systems
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/external_authentication.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.external_authentication.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: eefa4f26ac1b0a6f629be0af0e2dbdab668a05fea56b7238bcf9577a40b10cbb
description: You or your administrator can set up and manage your authentication settings for external systems. With valid authentication settings, you can access external systems from within your Salesforce org.
products:
  - Salesforce Platform
  - Security
release: "264"
---
# Store Authentication Settings for External Systems

You or your administrator can set up and manage your authentication settings for external systems. With valid authentication settings, you can access external systems from within your Salesforce org.

### 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 and Lightning Experience</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">
              <p>Named credentials are available in: All Editions.</p>
              <p>Salesforce Connect is
                available in: <strong>Developer</strong> Edition and for an extra cost in:
                <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, and <strong>Unlimited</strong> Editions.
              </p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Files
                Connect for cloud-based external data sources is available in:
                <strong>Professional</strong>, <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and
                <strong>Developer</strong> Editions
              </p>
            </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:49.01960784313725%">
          <col style="width:50.98039215686274%">
        </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="d108848e91">User Permissions
              Needed</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e91 ">To store authentication settings for an external data source:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e91 ">The data source enabled under External Data Source Access</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e91 ">To store authentication settings for a named credential:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e91 ">The named credential enabled under Named Credential Access</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e91 ">To edit another user’s authentication settings for external systems:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e91 ">Manage Users</td>

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

![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-extend_click-264-0-0-production-enus/5f7d9219-b7b1-4552-8891-f1aba9b289fc/images/icon_note.png)

Note All credentials stored within the NamedCredential, ExternalDataSource, and ExternalDataUserAuth entities are encrypted under a framework that is consistent with other encryption frameworks on the platform. Salesforce encrypts your credentials by auto-creating org-specific keys. Credentials encrypted using the previous encryption scheme were migrated to the new framework.

Your administrator defines external systems in external data sources and named credentials. External data sources specify how to access data or content that’s stored outside your Salesforce org. Named credentials specify callout endpoints, which receive Web service callouts from your org.

Before you begin, your administrator:

- Sets up the external data source or named credential to use per-user authentication.
- Grants you access to the external data source or named credential.
- Verifies that your org can connect to the external system.
- Tells you the authentication settings to enter.
- Sets up the community, if applicable, by using the Salesforce Tabs + Visualforce template.
    
    If the community is built with the Customer Service template, only your administrator can set up and manage your authentication settings for external systems. You can’t complete these steps on your own.

If you don’t see the expected settings or options, contact your administrator.

1. Access your authentication settings for external systems with one of these methods.
    
    From within a community, if you have a community license, click **My Settings** | **Authentication Settings for External Systems**. Otherwise, from your personal settings, enter Authentication, then select **Authentication Settings for External Systems**.
    
    From Salesforce, go to your personal settings and enter Authentication in the Quick Find box, then select **Authentication Settings for External Systems**.
2. Click **New** or **Edit**.
3. Complete the fields.
    
    <table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
            <colgroup>
              <col style="width:25%">
              <col style="width:75%">
            </colgroup>
            <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
              <tr class="">
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d108848e231">Field</th>
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d108848e234">Description</th>
              </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e231 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">External System Definition</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e234 ">
                  <p>If you’re not sure which option to select, ask your administrator.</p>
                  <ul>
                    <li>External Data Source: Provides access to external objects, whose data is
                      stored outside your Salesforce organization.</li>
                    <li>Named Credential: Enables your actions to trigger authenticated callouts
                      to the endpoint that’s specified in the named credential.</li>
                  </ul>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">A named credential can handle the authentication for an external data
                    source. In this scenario, your administrator instructs you to select Named
                    Credential in this field to access external objects.</p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e231 ">
                  <p>
                    <samp class="parmname">External Data Source</samp>
                  </p>
                  <p>or</p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">
                    <samp class="parmname">Named
                      Credential</samp>
                  </p>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e234 ">
                  <p>Which field appears depends on what’s selected for <samp class="parmname">External
                      System Definition</samp>.</p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">If you’re not sure which option to select, ask
                    your administrator. Your administrator can change the option labels to make
                    them more relevant or easier to distinguish from each other.</p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e231 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">User</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e234 ">Available only to administrators. Select the user whose authentication
                  settings you’re entering.</td>

              </tr>
            </tbody>
          </table>
4. Select the authentication protocol that the external system requires. If you’re not sure which option to select, ask your administrator.
    
    If you select **Password Authentication**, enter your username and password for the external system.
    
    If you select **OAuth 2.0**, complete these fields.
    
    <table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
            <colgroup>
              <col style="width:25%">
              <col style="width:75%">
            </colgroup>
            <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
              <tr class="">
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d108848e334">Field</th>
                <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d108848e337">Description</th>
              </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e334 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Authentication Provider</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e337 ">If you’re not sure which option to select, ask your administrator. Your
                  administrator can change the option labels to make them more relevant or easier
                  to distinguish from each other.</td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e334 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Scope</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e337 ">
                  <p>If you’re not sure what to enter, ask your administrator.</p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Specifies the
                    scope of permissions to request for the access token.</p>
                </td>

              </tr>
              <tr class="">
                <td data-label="Field" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e334 ">
                  <samp class="parmname">Start Authentication Flow on Save</samp>
                </td>

                <td data-label="Description" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d108848e337 ">
                  <p>To authenticate to the external system and obtain an OAuth token, select
                    this checkbox. This authentication process is called an OAuth flow.</p>
                  <p>When you
                    click <strong class="uicontrol">Save</strong>, the external system prompts you to log in.
                    After successful login, the external system grants you an OAuth token for
                    accessing its data from this org.</p>
                  <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Redo the OAuth flow when you need a
                    new token—for example, if the token expires—or if you edit the
                    <samp class="parmname">Scope</samp> or <samp class="parmname">Authentication Provider</samp>
                    fields. When the token expires, the external system returns a 401 HTTP error
                    status.
                  </p>
                </td>

              </tr>
            </tbody>
          </table>
5. Click **Save**.

#### See Also

- [Define External Data Sources](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.external_data_source_define.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Create external data sources to connect to content and data that is stored outside your Salesforce org.")
- [Grant Access to Authentication Settings for External Data Sources](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.external_permsets_profiles.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "For external data sources that use per-user authentication, grant users access through permission sets and profiles, so users can set up and manage their own authentication settings for accessing the external system.")
- [Named Credentials](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.named_credentials_about.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Grant Access to Authentication Settings for Legacy Named Credentials](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.named_credentials_permsets_profiles.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Add Tabs to Your Salesforce Tabs + Visualforce Site](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=experience.networks_customize_tabs.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Personalize Your Salesforce Experience](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.user_overview.htm&type=5&language=en_US)