Salesforce sent the verification email, the CEO clicked the link, and it didn't work. They tried again. Same result.
It turns out this is how Salesforce now works, and it caught us by surprise too. Here's what's going on and how to fix it.
The problem
When you add a new organisation-wide email address in Salesforce, Salesforce sends a verification email to that address. You'd expect the owner of the inbox to click the link and be done.
But since the Summer '26 release, that often doesn't work. You may also notice the email greets the wrong person: it shows the name of the admin who added the address, not the person who owns the inbox.
Why it happens
In Summer '26, Salesforce introduced a security measure for email address verification. The verification link is now tied to the session of the admin who added the address. In plain English, the link only works when it's opened by that admin, in the browser where they're already logged in to Salesforce.
So when the inbox owner clicks the link themselves, or when a different admin tries it, Salesforce doesn't recognise the session and the verification fails.
Salesforce Support has confirmed this is working as designed. It's there to keep verification secure, and no fix is planned.
The release came out three months ago, and this was the first time we'd come across it, so if it's tripped you up too, you're not alone.
The fix
The person who owns the inbox doesn't need to log in to Salesforce at all. They just pass the email on.
- Choose one admin to handle the verification from start to finish.
- Resend the verification email. In Setup, go to Organization-Wide Addresses and click Resend next to the address, while logged in as that admin.
- Forward it to the admin. The inbox owner forwards the new verification email to that same admin, without clicking the link themselves.
- Open the link as the admin. The admin copies the link from the forwarded email, pastes it into the same browser where they're logged in to Salesforce, and presses Enter.
- Check the status. The address should now show as Verified.
A few tips
- Stick with one admin. If a second admin clicks Resend, the link becomes tied to their session instead, so the forwarded email has to go to them.
- Use the newest email. If you've resent the verification more than once, only the most recent link will work.
- Don't worry about the greeting. The email being addressed to the admin rather than the inbox owner is expected, and it doesn't mean it went to the wrong place.
