🔑 What is the User Access Summary?

The User Access Summary is a built-in tool that lets admins quickly understand why a user has access to a record, object, or permission. Before Winter ’25, it was sometimes hard to track whether access came from:

• a Profile
• a Permission Set
• a Permission Set Group

You’d often have to manually check across different places in Setup.

⚙️ Where to Find It

1. Go to Setup → Users → [Select User].
2. In the User record, click View Access (User Access Summary).
3. Search for the specific object, field, or permission.
4. Expand the Access Granted By column to see the source.

📌 Why This Matters

• Speeds up troubleshooting when users complain about access issues.
• Clarity: You immediately know whether to edit a Profile, adjust a Permission Set, or reassign Permission Set Groups.
• Security: Helps admins audit which permission artifacts are granting access, reducing overexposure.
• Preparation for the future: Salesforce is moving toward Permission Set–based access control (Profiles will eventually be minimized), so this tool makes the transition smoother.

🚀 What Changed in Winter ’25?

With Winter ’25, Salesforce made it much more transparent:

1. “Access Granted By” Section
   • For any Object, Field, or Permission you’re checking on a User, there’s now a clear breakdown of exactly how that access is granted.
   • It shows Profile, Permission Sets, and Permission Set Groups in a single consolidated view.
   Example: If a user has “Modify All” access on Accounts via a Permission Set, you’ll now see:
   • Access: Modify All on Account
   • Access Granted By: Permission Set: Sales Admin PS
2. Clickable Details
   • You can drill down into the granting item. For example, click the Permission Set name and open it directly.
3. More Objects Supported
   • Winter ’25 expanded this feature to cover Standard & Custom Objects, Tabs, and Record Types.
   • Previously, it was limited to just permissions and some objects.
4. Centralized Troubleshooting
   • No more jumping between Profile settings and Permission Set assignments—everything is visible on the User Access Summary page

Example Use Case (Admin Troubleshooting)

Scenario:
A Sales Manager says:

“I can edit Opportunities but not see the Close Date field. Why?”

With Winter ’25 User Access Summary:

• Open the User Access Summary for that user.
• Search for the Opportunity → Close Date field.
• You’ll see something like:
  • Access: Read-Only
  • Access Granted By: Profile = Sales Profile
• Now you know the field restriction is coming from the Profile, not a Permission Set. ✅