Is Salesforce Down? How to Check Salesforce Status & Quick Fixes

Can't log into Salesforce? Experiencing slow page loads or API errors? When the world's most popular CRM goes down, entire sales teams grind to a halt.

This guide shows you how to quickly check if Salesforce is actually down, troubleshoot common issues, and set up alerts so you're never caught off guard.

Is Salesforce Down Right Now?

Before blaming your local setup, check whether Salesforce itself is having issues:

1. Check Salesforce Trust Status

Salesforce maintains a comprehensive status page at status.salesforce.com (also known as "Salesforce Trust"). This shows status by instance — you'll need to know your org's instance (e.g., NA44, EU18, CS97).

To find your instance: check the URL when logged in — it appears before .salesforce.com.

2. Use API Status Check

API Status Check monitors Salesforce and 117+ other services in real-time, giving you a single dashboard to check all your tool dependencies. No signup required.

3. Check Social Media

Search Twitter/X for "Salesforce down" to see if other users are reporting issues. Enterprise outages spread fast on social media.

4. Check DownDetector

DownDetector's Salesforce page aggregates crowdsourced reports and shows geographic patterns.

Common Salesforce Issues and Quick Fixes

Login Failures or SSO Issues

Symptoms: "Unable to log in" errors, SSO redirect loops, or MFA not sending codes.

Quick fixes:

1. Try a different browser — clear cookies or use incognito mode
2. Check your instance — login.salesforce.com vs your custom domain
3. Reset MFA — if your authenticator isn't working, contact your Salesforce admin
4. Check SSO provider — if using Okta/Azure AD, the issue might be upstream
5. Try the mobile app — sometimes the mobile login path works when web doesn't

Slow Page Loads and Lightning Experience Lag

Symptoms: Pages take 10+ seconds to load, Lightning components hang, dashboards timeout.

Quick fixes:

1. Switch to Classic — temporarily use Classic UI if Lightning is struggling
2. Clear browser cache — Salesforce caches aggressively; stale cache causes issues
3. Disable browser extensions — ad blockers and VPNs can interfere with Lightning
4. Check your instance performance — Trust status page shows real-time performance metrics
5. Reduce dashboard complexity — dashboards with 20+ components strain client-side rendering

API Errors (REST/SOAP/Bulk)

Symptoms: Integration failures, REQUEST_LIMIT_EXCEEDED, SERVER_UNAVAILABLE, or timeout errors.

Quick fixes:

1. Check API limits — Setup → Company Information → API Requests, Last 24 Hours
2. Implement retry logic — transient 500 errors usually resolve on retry with backoff
3. Check maintenance windows — Salesforce schedules maintenance that can affect APIs
4. Verify connected app — OAuth tokens expire; refresh if seeing 401 errors
5. Use Bulk API — if hitting REST limits, switch to Bulk API for large operations

Data Sync and Integration Failures

Symptoms: Records not syncing to/from external systems, Heroku Connect delays, MuleSoft errors.

Quick fixes:

1. Check integration user — ensure the integration user account isn't locked
2. Review sync logs — Heroku Connect and MuleSoft have their own dashboards
3. Validate field mappings — schema changes can break integrations silently
4. Check event bus — Platform Events and Change Data Capture have their own quotas

What To Do During a Salesforce Outage

1. Access Cached Data

• Salesforce mobile app caches recently viewed records
• Browser might have cached pages — don't close existing tabs
• Export reports regularly as backup (CSV/Excel)

2. Use Alternative Workflows

• Email tracking: Use your email client directly (Outlook/Gmail)
• Notes: Capture meeting notes in Google Docs/Notion, sync later
• Pipeline updates: Use a shared spreadsheet as temporary tracking

3. Communicate with Your Team

• Alert your sales/service teams immediately
• Pause automated workflows that depend on Salesforce
• Document any deals or cases that need updating once service restores

How To Set Up Salesforce Outage Alerts

Trust Status Notifications

Subscribe on status.salesforce.com — select your specific instance for targeted alerts.

API Status Check

Monitor Salesforce alongside all your other tools at apistatuscheck.com. Get a unified view of your entire tech stack — free, no signup required.

RSS Feed

Subscribe to your instance's RSS feed from the Trust status page for real-time incident updates.

FAQ

Is Salesforce down or is it just me?

Check status.salesforce.com for your specific instance. If it shows operational, try clearing browser cache, switching browsers, or checking with your Salesforce admin. Also check API Status Check.

How do I find my Salesforce instance?

Log into Salesforce and check your URL — the instance name appears before .salesforce.com (e.g., na44.salesforce.com). You can also go to Setup → Company Information.

How often does Salesforce go down?

Salesforce maintains ~99.99% uptime across most instances. Major outages are rare (1-2 per year), but individual instance degradation happens more frequently. Performance issues are more common than full outages.

What's the best Salesforce alternative for emergencies?

For temporary CRM access during outages: HubSpot (free tier available), Zoho CRM, or Pipedrive. For data access, maintain regular exports or use a data warehouse sync.

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Stay ahead of Salesforce outages — monitor your entire CRM stack for free at apistatuscheck.com.