Salesforce record IDs come in two types — 15-digit and 18-digit

The difference mainly comes down to case sensitivity and where you’re using them. So be careful when you are importing data from an external sources.

15-digit IDs

Case-sensitive → 001A0000009z3Dk and 001A0000009z3dK are different records.
Native format in Salesforce UI → When you look at a record in your browser, the URL will show the 15-digit version.
Usable inside Salesforce → Works fine in reports, formulas, and SOQL as long as the system preserves the letter casing.

18-digit IDs

Case-insensitive → Created to handle systems (like Excel, SQL, or external integrations) that don’t preserve letter casing.
Extra 3 characters at the end → These act as a checksum to help Salesforce figure out the correct casing if it’s lost.
API-safe format → Always used when you export data or use the API, because external tools often can’t handle case-sensitive IDs.

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