# How to choose the columns of Recently Viewed in Salesforce

> The Recently Viewed columns for Salesforce template adds a Columns button to the Recently Viewed list view, so you can see Industry, Billing City or any field next to the accounts you opened last.

Published 2026-09-30, updated 2026-09-30 · Salesforce · https://skins.dev/blog/salesforce-recently-viewed/

Asked for since 22 May 2017: Salesforce IdeaExchange ("Single Recently Viewed List View in Lightning Per Object"), https://ideas.salesforce.com/s/idea/a0B8W00000GdgzzUAB/single-recently-viewed-list-view-in-lightning-per-object (31,820 points from 3,190 votes).

**Recently Viewed is the list most people open first, and it is the one whose columns you can't change: it is a system list view, and "Select Fields to Display" is greyed out. The Recently Viewed columns for Salesforce template adds a Columns button to it. Tick the fields you want, and the list shows them next to the records you opened last, in your own browser.**

## Steps

1. In Skins Studio, open **Explore**, pick **Recently Viewed columns for Salesforce** and click **Create App**.
2. Open an object's **Recently Viewed** list in Lightning, such as Accounts. Open the **Skins** side panel from the browser toolbar. The skin is listed under **On this page**.
3. Switch it on. A **Columns** button appears next to the list's name.
4. Click **Columns** and tick the fields you want, such as Industry, Billing City or Type. Each one appears as a column straight away. Untick one to take it off.

<iframe class="demo-film" src="/how/template-film.html?t=salesforce-recently-viewed" title="Turning on the Recently Viewed columns for Salesforce template" loading="lazy"></iframe>

## What you get

- A **Columns** button on Recently Viewed, with the object's fields as checkboxes.
- The columns you tick, in Salesforce's own list, next to your recently viewed records.
- Your choice is kept per object in your browser, so Recently Viewed opens with your columns next time.

## Limits

- The columns are yours: colleagues who don't use the skin see the standard columns.
- It shows fields you can read. A field hidden from you by field-level security stays hidden.
- The added columns are for reading: sorting and inline editing stay on Salesforce's own columns (Account Name and Phone).
- Salesforce keeps the list of recently viewed records, so its length and order stay as Salesforce sets them.

## For developers

The skin reads the fields you tick through Salesforce's UI API, as you: `GET /services/data/v62.0/ui-api/mru-list-records/Account?fields=Account.Industry,Account.BillingCity`. The `mru` endpoint returns your most recently used records of the object with those fields, in the same order as the list. It runs again when the list refreshes or a column is added.

## Other options

- **An admin changes them for everyone**: the columns of Recently Viewed follow the object's search layout (Search Results), which an admin edits in Setup.
- **Your own list view**: create a list view with the columns you want and pin it. It shows the records its filter selects, not your recently viewed ones.
- **Ask Salesforce**: upvote the idea. Its status is Open.

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