How to Merge Contacts in HubSpot
How to merge contacts in HubSpot is the most common data cleanup there is, and the one most likely to be done badly at speed.
How to merge contacts in HubSpot, step by step
Open the contact you want to keep
Go to CRM > Contacts and open the record with the better data. Working from the survivor makes the primary choice obvious.
Actions, then Merge
The Actions dropdown sits at the top of the record. Choose Merge, then search for the duplicate.
Set the primary and confirm
The primary record property values win. Blank properties on the primary are filled from the secondary, so nothing empty is preserved for the sake of it.
What survives a contact merge
That last point is why it's worth exporting both records before a large cleanup. Ten minutes of insurance against an afternoon of regret.
Where the duplicates came from
HubSpot deduplicates contacts on email address. So the duplicates you have are, almost by definition, the ones with different email addresses: a personal address on a form, a new address after a job move, or a typo.
Two contacts also means two ticket histories. Every reply from the second address opens threads that never connect to the first, which is how one customer ends up with two conversations about the same problem. See finding duplicates and preventing them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you merge duplicate contacts in HubSpot in bulk?
You can't, natively. To merge duplicate contacts HubSpot works two at a time from the duplicate management list, so volume means the API or a dedupe app from the marketplace.
How do you merge contacts in HubSpot?
Open the contact you want to keep, choose Actions then Merge, search for the duplicate and confirm. The record you started from is the primary, and it keeps its own property values.
Can you undo a contact merge in HubSpot?
No. Merges are permanent across every HubSpot object. Export first if you're working through a long list.
Can I merge more than two contacts at once?
Not in one action. Merge them in pairs, always into the same surviving record.
What happens to the secondary email address?
It's kept on the surviving contact as an additional email, so future mail from it lands on the right record.
Do I need special permissions?
Yes, Merge records permission or Super Admin.
Does merging contacts merge their tickets?
No. The tickets are associated with the surviving contact but remain separate tickets. Merging those is a separate job, and one worth automating.
The ticket half, soon
Duplicate contacts create duplicate tickets. Ticket Merger merges those automatically on Zendesk and Freshdesk today, with HubSpot next. Ask us to hurry.
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