Winter '26 Release Dates

Posted on August 22, 2025  (Last modified on August 25, 2025) • 2 min read • 294 words

Release notes, Sandbox sign-ups, Readiness and more!

Don’t let the triple-digit temps fool ya, Winter ’26 is almost here! Here’s a handy checklist of the relevant dates you’ll need to know to preview features early, prep your users, and know exactly when those updates, upgrades, and improvements land!

Let’s dive in!

August 21 — Pre-release orgs open  

Spin up a pre-release Developer Edition now to explore Winter ’26 features in a safe, standalone environment. If you had one for Summer ’25, you can sign back in.

August 27 — Release Notes publish  

Scan the product areas you use and flag items to test. Tip: join community conversations to see what other admins are excited about.

September 4 (before 5 p.m. PT) — Sandbox refresh decision  

Decide whether your sandboxes should move to the preview instance. If a sandbox isn’t slated for preview, refresh before the deadline so you can validate changes against your customizations.

September 5 — Sandbox Preview begins  

Sandboxes start upgrading to Winter ’26. Check your instance window on Trust, and begin testing key use cases. Also review Release Updates in Setup for security and performance improvements.

September 15 — Release Readiness on Salesforce+  

Product managers demo the biggest features across clouds and share a look ahead to 2026.

September 16 — Admin highlights  

Watch for an admin-focused roundup with the top features to enable and what to test first.

September 19, October 3, October 10 — Production upgrades  

Verify your org’s date on the Maintenance Calendar. After your window passes, Winter ’26 is live in production.

Helpful links:

• Release Notes: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=release-notes.salesforce_release_notes.htm
• Salesforce Trust: https://trust.salesforce.com
• Salesforce+ (Release Readiness): https://www.salesforce.com/plus
• Maintenance Calendar: https://status.salesforce.com/products/all/maintenance

Next week we get Release Notes!

Until then, keep working hard, smart, and happy. We’ll see you in the cloud!