Salesforce Developer Edition is a free, full-featured Salesforce org that anyone can sign up for to learn, build apps and test features. It includes Sales and Service features, the Salesforce Platform, and since 2025 Agentforce and Data 360, with small storage limits. Creating one takes a few minutes at developer.salesforce.com/signup, and it does not expire while you keep using it.
This guide was first published in 2020 as "How To Create A Free Salesforce Developer Account?". It has been rewritten for 2026 with the current sign-up flow, what the new Developer Edition includes, and how it compares with other free environments.
What is Salesforce Developer Edition?
Trailhead's guide to developer environments calls Developer orgs "a free way to get started building apps in Salesforce": a full version of Salesforce CRM with small limits, such as on data, and no time limit. It suggests them for trying Salesforce, building your own apps, and testing features before you buy them for a production org. A "Salesforce developer account" and a "Developer Edition org" mean the same thing in practice: signing up creates both your login and your own org.
How to create a free Salesforce developer account
You create a free Salesforce developer account by signing up at developer.salesforce.com/signup and activating the org from the email Salesforce sends. The steps:
- Go to developer.salesforce.com/signup.
- Fill in the form with your name and a real email address you can check, since the activation email goes there.
- Choose a username. Salesforce Help on usernames says it must be in the format of an email address and unique across all of Salesforce, but it does not have to be a real inbox, for example
yourname@yourname-dev.com. Don't reuse a username you already log in to Salesforce with. - Accept the Main Services Agreement and submit the form.
- Open the activation email sent to your real email address (it can take a few minutes) and click Verify Account.
- Set your password. Your new org opens.
- Bookmark login.salesforce.com and note your username; most "I can't log in" problems come from forgetting which username was used.
Trailhead describes the same flow: register on the developer portal, activate through the email link, and start building in your new org.
What does Developer Edition include in 2026?
As of November 2026, a new Developer Edition org includes the core CRM and Platform, Agentforce, Data 360 and Salesforce's AI developer tools, all free.
- Core CRM and the Platform: standard objects such as accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities and cases; custom objects; Flow; Apex; Lightning Web Components; reports and dashboards; and API access.
- Agentforce and Data Cloud: Salesforce's March 2025 announcement introduced a new Developer Edition with Agentforce and Data Cloud (now called Data 360), so you can build AI agents and work with unified data for free.
- AI developer tools: in April 2026 Salesforce added Agentforce Vibes (its browser-based coding environment, formerly Code Builder) and Salesforce-hosted MCP servers to every Developer Edition org at no cost. AI coding requests are capped: the same post gives 110 requests and 1.5 million tokens a month until 31 May 2026, then a one-time allocation with no monthly refresh.
Orgs created before these changes may lack the newer features, as Trailhead notes. If yours does, sign up for a new org rather than trying to enable them.
Developer Edition limits
Developer Edition is free and has no time limit while used, but storage is tiny: 5 MB of data and 20 MB of files.
| Limit | Developer Edition |
|---|---|
| Data storage | 5 MB |
| File storage | 20 MB |
| Cost | Free |
| Time limit | None while the org is in use |
| Can create sandboxes | No: sandboxes come only from production orgs |
Storage figures, as of November 2026, are from Salesforce Help's data and file storage allocations. That is enough to build and test with sample records, not to load a real company's data, so keep test data small and delete what you no longer need. Check usage in Setup under Storage Usage.
Will your Developer Edition org expire?
Only if you stop logging in. According to Salesforce Help's expiration policy, an unused org is flagged as inactive and its admins get a warning email. Logging in during days 1 to 14 after that reactivates it; from day 15 a current Developer Edition org is permanently deleted. Orgs used for real development work, such as those that registered a namespace, released a managed package or created a connected app, are exempt. Log in every few weeks and keep anything valuable in source control, for example with the Salesforce CLI.
Developer Edition vs Trailhead Playground vs scratch org vs sandbox
Use Developer Edition for your own learning and projects, a Trailhead Playground for badges, a scratch org for short-lived source-driven work, and a sandbox for a real company org.
| Environment | Cost | Created from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developer Edition | Free | developer.salesforce.com sign-up | Learning, personal projects, trying features, packaging orgs |
| Trailhead Playground | Free | Trailhead, from any hands-on challenge | Completing Trailhead badges |
| Scratch org | Included with a Dev Hub | Salesforce CLI and a Dev Hub org | Short-lived, source-driven development and automated tests; lasts 1 to 30 days (7 by default), set with the Salesforce CLI |
| Sandbox | Included with paid editions | Your production org | Building and testing changes for a real company org |
A Trailhead Playground is itself a Developer Edition org with Trailhead extras, as Trailhead's environments guide explains, and you can connect a Developer Edition org to Trailhead for challenges too. For work on a company's org, use a sandbox instead: it copies that org's configuration, which a Developer Edition never will.
What to do first in your new org
Start with small builds that teach the platform: objects, automation, reports and a first agent. For larger ideas, see our list of Salesforce project examples, and our beginner's guide to learning Salesforce for a study path.
- Create a few custom objects and fields, and relate them; our data model guide explains the options.
- Build a record-triggered flow and a validation rule, then an Apex trigger to compare the two approaches.
- Build a report and dashboard on your test data.
- Try a simple Agentforce agent that answers questions from your records.
- Query your data with SOQL in the Developer Console or Workbench.
Common sign-up problems
Most sign-up problems come from the username rule or a missed activation email.
- "Username already exists": usernames are unique across all of Salesforce. Add something specific, such as
-devor the date. - No activation email: check spam, and confirm you entered your real address in the email field, not the username field.
- Forgot which username you used: use "Forgot your username?" on the login page with your email address.
- A feature is missing: your org may predate it. Create a new Developer Edition org.
Getting help
A Developer Edition is the right place to learn; real projects need sandboxes, a release process and experienced builders. Techila is a Salesforce Summit Partner; our Salesforce development services team builds and extends Salesforce orgs, and you can also hire a Salesforce developer through us. Talk to us about your project.
Frequently asked questions
Is Salesforce Developer Edition free?
Yes. Developer Edition is a free Salesforce org with no time limit as long as you keep using it. It has small storage limits and is meant for learning, building and testing, not for running a real business.
How do I create a Salesforce developer account?
Go to developer.salesforce.com/signup, enter your name and a real email address, and choose a username in the form of an email address that is unique across Salesforce. Accept the agreement, then open the activation email, verify your account and set a password.
Does Developer Edition include Agentforce?
Yes. Since March 2025, new Developer Edition orgs include Agentforce and Data Cloud (now Data 360), and since April 2026 Salesforce has added Agentforce Vibes and hosted MCP servers at no cost. Older Developer Edition orgs may not have these features, so sign up for a new one if yours lacks them.
Why does my Salesforce username have to be an email address?
Salesforce usernames are written like email addresses and must be unique across every Salesforce org in the world, but they do not have to be a real inbox. Use something like yourname@yourname-dev.com; the activation email goes to the separate email field.
Will my Developer Edition org expire?
Only if you stop using it. Salesforce flags unused Developer Edition orgs as inactive and emails the admin; logging in during the warning window (14 days for current orgs) reactivates the org, and after that it is permanently deleted.