Short answer
Einstein Activity Capture stores captured email and events outside standard Salesforce records, which explains most reporting, deletion and sync surprises. Work through problems in order: configuration membership, Status and Metrics connection status, mailbox-to-user email match, service match, then re-onboard. For regulated firms, keep your email archive as the system of record and set sharing defaults deliberately.
Why Einstein Activity Capture behaves differently
Most Einstein Activity Capture (EAC) tickets come from one misunderstanding: captured emails and events are not ordinary Salesforce activity records. Salesforce's setup considerations state that captured data is stored on Hyperforce and AWS infrastructure, which is why Shield Platform Encryption doesn't apply to it, why users can't delete captured emails themselves, and why it can take up to 24 hours after initial setup before anything appears in standard reports. Content-based search of captured email is only supported when Sync Email as Salesforce Activity is turned on.
Other constraints worth knowing before you troubleshoot: the connected account must be the user's primary mailbox in user principal name (UPN) format, not an alias; attachments don't sync; only ASCII email addresses are supported; EAC and Lightning Sync can't run together; and the same user can't sync in more than one org.
Common problems and where to look
| Symptom | Likely cause | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing captured for one user | User not in an active configuration, connection Disabled or Needs Attention, or they never accepted terms | Status and Metrics page, user status row |
| Emails captured, but contacts and events don't sync | Salesforce user email doesn't match any connected mailbox | User record email vs Connected Accounts |
| Events sync but are wrong or missing | Events disabled in the configuration, or the primary address isn't the Primary SMTP address | Configuration settings, then mailbox UPN |
| Automated emails missing from the timeline | EAC identifies automated incoming email and sets it to Don't Share | Sharing setting on the email |
| Reports show no activity | Data not yet available (up to 24 hours) or you're reporting on standard Task records | Wait, then use the EAC reporting path |
| Production user also syncing from sandbox | User left in a sandbox configuration | Remove from sandbox configuration first |
| Connection option shown but fails | Email service in global settings doesn't match the user's account type | Global settings vs user's Email and Calendar settings |
Work through it in this order
- Confirm the user is in a configuration and that the configuration has the right items enabled (email, events, contacts). A user in no configuration captures nothing.
- Open Status and Metrics. Salesforce's monitoring and reset options let you see each user's connection status, get alerts when a connection is Disabled or Needs Attention, and (for org-level connections or service accounts) test a user's sync status and reset that user.
- Match the mailbox to the Salesforce user. Per Salesforce's note on sync failing while capture works, sync requires the Salesforce user's email address to match one of the connected mailboxes. Either update the user's email or connect the matching mailbox.
- Match the service. If the admin connected Microsoft Exchange, the user must connect a Microsoft Exchange account, not a personal Google account. The global email server setting must match the user's account type.
- Re-onboard if the basics are right. Salesforce's troubleshooting article gives two paths. For org-level authentication, use Check User Health Status in Status and Metrics, turn on Resync Events and Email with Full Event reset, and start the sync; it can take hours and can't be repeated until it finishes. For user-level authentication, remove the user from the configuration, remove the permission set and permission set license, reassign the permission set, add the user back, then have them reconnect under Connected Accounts. Allow up to 24 hours for sync.
- Check exclusions and sharing. Internal-only email settings and the Don't Share default for automated messages explain most "it's in my inbox but not on the record" reports.
- Reset the feature only as a last resort. Resetting changes the email service or authentication method and forces you through setup again for everyone.
Things that look like bugs but are design
- Users can't delete an email EAC added. Admins can delete past emails and events for a specific address or username.
- Opportunity Kanban alerts don't show when EAC is on and the opportunity has no overdue tasks.
- Email tracking isn't shown for Outlook or Gmail integration emails outside a cadence when EAC is disabled.
- Marking a configuration inactive to stop cross-org syncing is discouraged; remove the user instead so nobody forgets they're still listed.
What we recommend for regulated firms
- EAC is not your email archive. Books and records obligations are met by your archiving platform. Keep that in place and treat EAC as a productivity layer over it.
- Set sharing defaults deliberately. Decide whether captured emails default to shared or private, document why, and review the setting when supervision expectations change.
- Handle departures in the offboarding checklist. When a user becomes inactive, admins can make their activities, including private ones, available to others. Decide who gets that access before the person leaves.
- Clean up sandbox configurations. Remove users from sandbox configurations before adding them to production so client email never syncs into a test environment.
- Keep a known-good user. One internal mailbox that is always connected gives you a quick test when someone reports "EAC is down".
Official documentation
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I report on Einstein Activity Capture emails like normal tasks?
Captured emails and events are stored on Salesforce's Hyperforce and AWS infrastructure rather than as standard activity records in your org. That is also why users can't delete them and why Shield Platform Encryption doesn't cover them. Data can take up to 24 hours after setup to appear in reports, and content search of captured email only works when Sync Email as Salesforce Activity is enabled. If you need activity data in standard objects, that setting is the lever.
A rep's emails show up but their calendar events and contacts never sync. What's wrong?
Capture works with any connected mailbox, but sync requires the Salesforce user's email address to match one of the connected mailboxes exactly, in user principal name format rather than an alias. Compare the email on the user record with the Connected Accounts list, then fix whichever side is wrong. Also confirm events are enabled in the user's configuration and that the email service type matches the admin's global setting.
Salesforce, HubSpot, Anthropic and OpenAI change their products often. Check the official documentation before you rely on a specific setting, limit or price.