Merging records in HubSpot is one of the fastest ways to improve data quality. It reduces duplicates, improves reporting, and helps sales and marketing teams work with cleaner data.
But merging also changes records permanently.
Once two records are merged, undoing that action is not straightforward. That is why creating a backup before running merges (whether manually or with Koalify) is a best practice.
This article walks through three practical ways to back up your HubSpot data before merging:
- Exporting records manually
- Using HubSpot’s native backup and restore capabilities
- Using a dedicated backup solution
We also explain when each option makes sense, where the limitations are, and how to reduce risk before running bulk deduplication.
Why backups matter before bulk merges?
A merge combines duplicate records into one surviving record. In HubSpot, this means the records’ data is consolidated into a single profile, associations are retained, and some property values may be overwritten depending on the merge logic and which record is kept as primary.
Because merges are irreversible in practice, mistakes can be costly. If records are merged that should have stayed separate, you need a reliable way to restore what was lost. A backup provides that safety net and makes it possible to recover with confidence.
This matters even more during bulk merges, where the volume of affected records is higher and errors can scale quickly.
Typical risks include:
- property values being overwritten incorrectly
- the wrong record being selected as the primary record
- important record context becoming harder to reconstruct
- associated activities not being recoverable through simple exports
- time-consuming manual cleanup if something goes wrong
A backup does not eliminate merge risk, but it makes that risk manageable.
Option 1: Export your HubSpot records manually
The simplest way to create a backup is to export your data directly from HubSpot.
This gives you a point-in-time snapshot of your CRM before you start merging.
When to use this
Use a manual export:
- before running your first bulk deduplication
- when testing new duplicate rules
- for smaller or mid-sized datasets
- before any large cleanup or workflow change
How to export your data
In HubSpot:
- Go to your object (Contacts, Companies, Deals, etc.)
- Click Actions → Export
- Select:
- File format (CSV or Excel)
- All properties and all associations on records (recommended)
- Download the file
For most setups, you should export:
- Contacts
- Companies
- Deals
- Tickets
- Custom objects
This gives you a practical backup of your core CRM data before merging.
Why this is useful
Exports are a quick and practical backup option in HubSpot. They are easy to create, widely available, and useful for taking a snapshot before a merge or reviewing record data afterward if you need to investigate an issue.
Limitations to be aware of
Exports only go so far.
They are manual by nature, offer no built-in rollback or restore workflow, and do not preserve historical versions. Just as importantly, they do not recover the full context of a record, including associated activities, which makes full recovery difficult after a bad merge.
That means exports are best treated as a lightweight safety measure, not a complete recovery strategy.
Option 2: Use HubSpot’s native backup and restore
HubSpot provides a native backup and restore feature. CRM data backups include records and property values for contacts, companies, deals, tickets, custom objects, products, calls, conversations, and tasks. Associations and activity data are not included in the backup file.
What this covers
HubSpot’s native backup can help you:
- create and download a CRM backup file
- restore property values from a previous backup
- schedule recurring backups on Enterprise plans
When to use this
HubSpot’s native backup is useful:
- as an extra layer of protection
- when you want a HubSpot-managed backup file
- when you want to restore property values from a recent backup
- when you want a more structured safeguard than a manual export alone
Limitations to be aware of
There are a few important limitations:
- restoring from a backup restores property values, not a full merge rollback flow
- backups only include property values, but not the full association and activity context in the exported backup file
- Starter and Professional accounts can create backups once per week
- Enterprise accounts can create backups once every 24 hours and can schedule recurring backups weekly or every two weeks
HubSpot also notes that deleted records are handled separately through import or the recycle bin, rather than through the standard backup restore flow.
Because of these limits, HubSpot’s native backup should not be your only safeguard before large-scale merges. It is useful, but it does not provide a complete rollback path if records are merged incorrectly.
Option 3: Use a dedicated HubSpot backup solution
For teams working with larger datasets or running ongoing data operations, a dedicated backup solution provides a more complete safety net than exports or native HubSpot backups.
A great backup product for HubSpot is ProBackup:
Why a dedicated backup tool can be valuable
A dedicated backup solution is designed for recovery, not just export.
Based on ProBackup’s HubSpot documentation and guides, the key advantages include:
- daily automated backups
- backup of all HubSpot data exposed through the API, including contacts, companies, deals, tickets, custom objects, notes, calls, tasks, emails, and associated properties
- separate daily snapshots, so you can look back at what a record looked like on a specific day
- granular restore, so you can restore exactly what you need rather than rebuilding manually
ProBackup also explains a limitation many HubSpot admins run into: HubSpot’s recycle bin and property history are useful for auditing and recent recovery, but they do not give you true versioned rollback for things like bad imports, bulk overwrites, workflow mistakes, or AI-driven changes at scale.
Why this matters for deduplication
When running merges (especially in bulk), the biggest risk is not the merge itself, it is not being able to roll back if something goes wrong.
With a dedicated backup solution:
- you can recover records that were merged incorrectly
- you can restore previous property values
- you can revert parts of your CRM without rebuilding manually
This is particularly valuable when:
- running large Koalify workflows
- merging thousands of records
- working in production portals with active sales teams and customer success teams
Best backup practices before merging in HubSpot
Before running merges with Koalify or manually, follow these steps:
Start with a backup
At minimum:
- export of the records that you plan to merge
For more sensitive portals and automated deduplication, also consider:
- a dedicated backup solution such as ProBackup
Test your merge logic
- validate duplicate rules in a view
- review primary record selection
- test on a small dataset first
Use a phased approach
- merge in batches with the most certain duplicates first
- validate results between runs
- handle edge cases manually
Be aware of edge cases
Some records should not be merged automatically, such as:
- different entities sharing similar data
- records with different ownership or lifecycle stages
- structurally different companies (e.g. subdomains vs separate institutions)
Final recommendation
Bulk merges can improve data quality quickly, but they also carry permanent risk. The right backup strategy depends on the scale, sensitivity, and frequency of your merge operations.
For smaller one-time cleanup projects, a manual export may be enough to give you a useful reference point. But for larger, recurring, or business-critical deduplication workflows, a dedicated backup solution provides the strongest recovery path.
Before running bulk merges in Koalify or directly in HubSpot, make sure your backup strategy matches the level of risk. Clean data matters, but so does being able to recover safely if a merge goes wrong.
