Key Dates for the Spring ’23 Sandbox Preview

The Spring ’23 sandbox preview window is around the corner. Note the dates now so your organization is prepared for the upgrade.

Your production instance will be upgraded to the Spring ’23 release according to the rolling 12-month release calendar on status.salesforce.com. To check your upgrade date, enter your instance name or domain and click the maintenance tab.

The next thing you need to know is when your sandbox will be upgraded to Spring ’23, as this is the first opportunity you’ll get to test your configurations on the new release. Let’s look at the dates for Spring ’23.

Stay in the know by joining the Release Readiness Trailblazers Community. That’s where available resources are posted and it’s a great place to ask questions as you implement new features. If you’re new to managing releases, there’s a Trailhead module to walk you through the process. And, if you sign up with Getting Started with Release Readiness, you’ll get step-by-step guidance and helpful tools for creating a personalized release strategy.

December 15: Sign up for a prerelease environment

Why do you need a prerelease org? It’s a test environment with new release features enabled, allowing you plenty of time to test and figure out which ones are right for your organization. If you already had a prerelease org for Winter ’23, you can log back into that one. And, if you’re uncertain what features you want to implement, join the Trailblazer Community Treasure Hunt to see what others in the community are excited about.

December 21: Preview release notes are available

Now’s the time to scan the release notes. Use filters to display only the sections that relate to the edition and clouds you currently use.

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January 5: Sandbox cut-off date

Use your sandbox to get early access to new features and test configurations before the scheduled production upgrade. You must have an active sandbox on a preview instance before January 5, 2023, to get the Spring ’23 preview in your sandbox. In most cases, you don’t need to do anything because your sandbox is already on a preview instance. Get all the details you need in the sandbox preview instructions article on Salesforce Help.

January 6 and 7: Sandboxes upgraded

If you’ve decided to take advantage of sandbox preview, your chosen sandboxes are upgraded to Spring ’23 this weekend. Like the prerelease program, the sandbox preview allows you to test new features without impacting your live environment. However, the added benefit to the sandbox preview is the ability to test new features using a configuration that matches your production environment.

January 6: Spring ’23 release site is live

We know everyone digests release information differently. That’s why the Release Highlights module on Trailhead is a quick and easy way to learn about features. Whatever your learning style is, we offer demo videos, Trailhead modules, community forums, and more to make the process as easy as possible.

January 13: First release weekend

The first release weekend is when we at Salesforce and a small number of customers get upgraded. At this stage, you probably already have your key features earmarked. If you’re ready for your upgrade, the Release Readiness Trailblazers group will have all the content you need to get your organization’s users up to speed on the new features you plan to rollout.

January 20 to 27: Release Readiness Live

Save the date! Our admin and developer evangelists kick off the Spring ’23 release with their favorite features. Then, the product management team will discuss and demo the new features. See how those features work in real time and get a sneak peek into the roadmap for 2023. Full details on the agenda and schedule will be posted in January on our Release Readiness Trailblazers group.

February 3: Second release weekend

Another set of instances gets upgraded during the February 3 weekend. If you have any questions, our Trust page has the latest info on the timing of the upgrade. And, since it only takes five minutes, the upgrade shouldn’t impact your operations or uptime.

February 10 and 11: Final release weekend

All remaining Salesforce instances are upgraded on February 10 and 11. If you previously opted out of including your orgs in the sandbox preview, they will be upgraded this weekend.

Want to get these dates on your calendar? Check out our public release calendar or import it into your calendar of choice.

Additional Sandbox Preview guidance

Sandbox Preview Guide