Top Developer-Focused Enhancements in Winter ’26

Written By Bogdan Krasun

1. Trusted Mode for LWC / Browser API Access

  • A new “Trusted Mode” lets you relax some of the sandbox constraints imposed by Lightning Web Security / Locker, allowing direct access to window, document, and full DOM manipulation (including Salesforce-managed components).

  • You’ll need to explicitly enable it and whitelist static resources to run in trusted mode.

  • Caveat: As of mid-Sept, Salesforce had temporarily removed Trusted Mode from the official release notes, indicating it might still be refined.

2. Better Local Development: Single-Component Local Dev

  • The LWC local development environment is enhanced: you can now run single components in localhost mode, supporting @salesforce/* modules, public Lightning Data Service wire adapters, and Apex calls.

  • This speeds up iterative dev cycles without needing to spin up full pages or apps.

3. ApexDoc becomes native / integrated

  • The open-source ApexDoc (documentation generator for Apex classes & triggers) is becoming a first-class capability in Winter ’26.

  • This suggests better alignment of code comments, metadata, and possibly auto-generated human-readable Apex documentation.

4. Stricter Permission Checks for Apex Invoked in Flows

  • Any Apex classes used in Flows will now enforce permission checks based on the current user’s context (rather than implicitly inheriting the permission context).

  • If your existing flows call Apex, you must ensure the calling users have necessary permissions.

5. Flow + Automation Upgrades

  • Compare Flow Versions: view and diff changes between versions of a Flow.

  • New Debug Experience for Screen Flows: side-by-side canvas + debug detail, more interactive debugging.

  • AI-powered Decision Elements: you can now use unstructured data to derive decisions using AI inside Flows.

  • Immediate access to Created Records: you can reference output fields of newly created records directly, without needing a Get Records step.

  • Enhanced Resource Menu Filtering: Flow’s UI will now show only relevant variables, resources, nested fields, etc., based on context — reduces clutter.

6. Lightning Out 2.0 Enhancements & External App Integration

  • You can embed Salesforce UI capabilities externally via Lightning Out 2.0 more robustly (Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, Developer editions).

  • Better support for component reuse in external apps (beyond just LWC in standard pages).

7. Experience / LWR Sites Upgrades

  • Enhanced LWR (Lightning Web Runtime) site features: expression-based visibility, component-specific CSS styles, improved CMS search, and Data Cloud integration for site audience data.

  • Upgrading an existing LWR site changes metadata types (ExperienceBundle → DigitalExperienceBundle / DigitalExperienceConfig) — backup first. 8. Platform / Data / Integration Enhancements

  • Tools for smoother Hyperforce data migration and automation — helping orgs move to the public cloud infrastructure more easily.

  • ITechCloud notes “Einstein for Developers (pilot)” — AI assistance inside VS Code / Code Builder for generating test classes, explaining code, writing snippets.

8. Rich Text for Case Comments

  • Rich Text Comments become generally available in this release. Case comments can now support formatting (bold, italics, lists), inline images, and media.

  • In Setup → Support Settings, look for the option “Rich Text for Case Description” and enable it.

Bogdan Krasun
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