How to find and preserve your HubSpot records

Where your HubSpot history lives

HubSpot stores different kinds of data in different places. Each one is exported in its own way.

• ·Records: contacts, companies, deals, tickets and any custom objects. Find them under CRM in the main menu.
• ·Activities: calls, emails, meetings, notes, tasks and messages logged on records. Go to CRM → Contacts, then pick an activity type from the Contacts dropdown in the upper left.
• ·Associations: the links between records, like which contacts belong to which company and deal.
• ·Properties: the fields you track, such as industry, deal amount or job type. Many companies have years of custom fields here.
• ·Files: documents and images in the files tool. Find them at Content → Files.
• ·Reports, segments (lists) and workflows: your saved analysis and automation. These are easy to forget.

How to measure how much data you have

Count your records and fields before you export. This tells you how big the job is and what you are saving.

1. 1Go to CRM → Contacts and open the All contacts view. Repeat for Companies, Deals and Tickets.
2. 2Export each All view (see the Preserve section). Then open Settings → Data Management → Import & Export. The export log shows a Records column with the exact count for each export.
3. 3Write those counts in a simple inventory sheet: object name, record count and date checked.
4. 4Go to Settings → Properties → Export all properties. Select every object and click Export. The file lists every field, its type, and its fill rate, which shows how complete each field is.
5. 5Go to Content → Files and note the main folders and roughly how many files they hold.

Fill rate is useful. A field that is 90% filled is much more valuable than one that is 5% filled.

How to find how far back your records go

The date of your oldest record shows how many years of history you have. Sort by Create date to find it.

1. 1Go to CRM → Contacts and click the All contacts view tab.
2. 2Click the configure view icon. In the right panel, find Sort order, choose Create date, and set the direction so the oldest records come first.
3. 3Note the Create date of the first record. Repeat for Companies, Deals and Tickets.
4. 4For activities, go to CRM → Contacts, pick Emails, Calls, Meetings or Notes from the dropdown, and use Advanced filters on the activity date to check how far back they go.
5. 5Add the oldest date for each object to your inventory sheet.

If you imported old data from another system, the Create date may be the import date, not the real start date. Look for an original date field in your properties export.

How to save a full copy of your data

Use several exports together. Each one covers a different part of your account. Do all of this while your subscription is still active.

1. 1Export records: go to CRM → Contacts → All contacts → Export. Click Customize and choose All properties and associations on records. Pick CSV so there is no column limit and all associations can be included. Repeat for Companies, Deals, Tickets and custom objects.
2. 2Download each file from the email link, or from Settings → Data Management → Import & Export. Links work for 30 days.
3. 3Make a CRM backup (Starter, Professional or Enterprise): go to Settings → Data Management → Backup & Restore → Create manual backup → Create backup. Download the zip within 14 days.
4. 4Export activities: build reports on calls, meetings and emails in the custom report builder and export them (Professional or Enterprise). For one key customer, open the contact and use Actions → Export contact data, and check Contact activities.
5. 5Export files: go to Content → Files, select your folders, click Export (ZIP), choose yourself as the recipient, and click Export.
6. 6Export the rest: properties from Settings → Properties → Export all properties, and workflows from Automation → Workflows → Table actions → Export view.
7. 7Store all files in at least two places your company owns. Keep your inventory sheet with them.

Backups include sensitive field values. Keep every export in secure company storage. Do not send raw exports or login details to anyone outside your authorized team.

Limits, deadlines and what happens when you cancel

HubSpot has export limits and firm rules about data after a subscription ends. Plan around them.

• ·Record export links expire after 30 days. You can run up to 300 exports in a rolling 24 hours, with 3 at a time.
• ·Files over 1,000,000 rows (CSV or XLSX) or 65,535 rows (XLS) are split into several files. XLS keeps 256 columns and XLSX keeps 16,384. CSV has no column limit.
• ·By default, exports list up to 1,000 associated records per record. All associated records is only offered for CSV.
• ·CRM backups do not include associations or activity data. Starter and Professional can back up once a week. Enterprise can back up every 24 hours.
• ·There is no one-click export for all activities. Use reports, single-contact exports, or a developer using HubSpot's Engagements API. One-to-one email attachments are capped at 20 MB each.
• ·When you cancel, auto-renewal ends and the account drops to HubSpot's free tools at the end of your term. Custom reports cannot be viewed after that, and workflows and sequences are deleted after 90 days.
• ·HubSpot's terms say it gives no access to Smart CRM, Sales Hub or Service Hub data after the subscription ends. Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise customers can make a written request within 30 days.

Export everything, check the files open correctly, and only then cancel. You cannot delete the account while any subscription still has an active commitment.

Official sources

• Export your records
• Export your content and data
• Back up CRM data
• Organize, delete, and export properties
• Create and manage saved views
• Set up export notifications and view a log of exports
• Filter activity index pages and record timelines
• Supported file types and sizes
• Manage your files
• Export contact data
• Downgrade or cancel your HubSpot subscription
• Understand the effects of downgrading a paid HubSpot subscription
• HubSpot Product Specific Terms

Vendors change menus and plan limits often. Check the official pages above before you delete anything. This guide is general information, not legal advice.