How to Clean HubSpot Contacts: Simple Guide for 2025

Messy and duplicate HubSpot contacts slow everything down. Let’s fix that. This guide shows you how to clean up your HubSpot contacts database quickly and efficiently – whether manually or in bulk with the right tools.

Two ways to clean HubSpot contacts

Your HubSpot database is likely filled with duplicates, outdated information, and incomplete records. 

Here are two effective approaches to solving this problem – one manual and one that will save you hours of frustration.

#1 Manual HubSpot cleanup

HubSpot offers native tools to clean your contacts, but the process requires several manual steps:

1. Identify and merge duplicates
   • Navigate to Contacts > Actions > Manage Duplicates
   • Review suggested duplicate pairs
   • Select which record to keep and click “Merge”
   • Verify timeline activities and properties are consolidated
2. Remove bounced and unsubscribed contacts
   • Go to Marketing > Email > Email Tools
   • Filter contacts with “Hard Bounce Reason” property
   • Create a list of bounced contacts for review
   • Similarly, filter by “Unsubscribed from all emails” property
   • Review and delete these records to maintain compliance
3. Clean up inactive contacts
   • Create a list using filters like “Last Marketing Email Open Date”
   • Define your inactivity criteria (e.g., no engagement in 6+ months)
   • Review these contacts for deletion or re-engagement campaigns
4. Update property values
   • Navigate to specific contact records
   • Manually correct outdated or inaccurate information
   • Update lifecycle stages to reflect current relationship status

The manual approach works for small databases but becomes incredibly time-consuming as your contact list grows.

#2 Bulk HubSpot cleanup powered by spreadsheets

Why struggle with HubSpot’s interface limitations when you can leverage the familiar power of spreadsheets?

Here’s how Coefficient makes HubSpot contact cleanup simple:

1. Import your HubSpot contacts to a spreadsheet
   • Use Coefficient to pull all contacts directly into Google Sheets or Excel
   • Get every property you need in seconds – no CSV exports or imports
2. Clean and transform data efficiently
   • Leverage spreadsheet functions you already know for data cleansing
   • Use formulas to standardize formats and fix inconsistencies
   • Employ filters and conditional formatting to identify data issues
   • Ask Coefficient AI to help clean specific columns or transform data
3. Bulk update cleaned records
   • Select the cleaned data and push changes back to HubSpot
   • Update hundreds or thousands of contacts in one operation
   • Schedule regular data refreshes to maintain cleanliness
4. Set up automated maintenance
   • Create scheduled imports to keep your spreadsheet data fresh
   • Configure automatic cleanups that run on a regular cadence
   • Set up Slack notifications when data quality issues arise

Benefits of using Coefficient for bulk cleanups:

• Familiar interface: Work in spreadsheets you already know, not HubSpot’s limited UI
• AI assistance: Let Coefficient AI suggest cleanup strategies and build formulas
• Cross-system cleaning: Combine HubSpot data with other sources for comprehensive cleanup
• Time savings: Accomplish in minutes what would take hours manually
• Better accuracy: Reduce human error with formula-driven data transformations
• Audit trail: Keep track of what was changed and when

Mistakes to avoid with HubSpot data cleanups

Even with the right tools, these common missteps can derail your data cleanup efforts:

Not backing up before cleanup

Always export a backup before starting any cleanup process. One wrong filter or bulk action can accidentally delete valuable contact information that’s impossible to recover.

“Be sure to back up your data to prevent irreversible changes or integration disruptions,” advises one RevOps professional on Reddit who learned this the hard way.

Ignoring lifecycle stages

Failing to properly assign lifecycle stages means all contacts get lumped together, making segmentation nearly impossible.

One RevOps manager shared: “Every single contact was categorized as a lead… lifecycle stages were never established, and we were dealing with over 200,000 contacts including employees and customers.”

Overlooking standardization

Inconsistent data formats make cleanup infinitely harder. Phone numbers in various formats, inconsistent company names, and non-standardized job titles create endless headaches.

“Inconsistent data is a huge success killer of CRM adoptions,” notes digital agency Raka Creative. “A fragmented or messy import can lead to a disorganized CRM where it’s hard for people to source the information they need.”

Working in isolation

Cleaning data without input from sales, marketing, and customer success teams often means you’ll miss critical context about what data actually matters.

Create a cross-functional data cleanup team to ensure you’re preserving the information each department needs while removing what’s truly unnecessary.

Keep your HubSpot database clean with less effort

Maintaining clean HubSpot contacts shouldn’t require constant manual effort. Coefficient bridges the gap between HubSpot and spreadsheets, giving you:

1. Real-time data access: Pull live HubSpot data into spreadsheets whenever you need it
2. Powerful cleaning tools: Use spreadsheet functions and AI assistance for efficient cleanup
3. Two-way sync: Push cleaned data back to HubSpot with a few clicks
4. Automated maintenance: Schedule regular cleanups to keep your database pristine

Stop struggling with HubSpot’s native tools. Try Coefficient today and turn contact cleanup from a dreaded chore into a simple, automated process.

Frequently asked questions

How do I bulk delete contacts in HubSpot?

In HubSpot, you can bulk delete contacts by creating a list with specific criteria, selecting all contacts, and choosing “Delete” from the “More” dropdown. However, this process has limitations and doesn’t allow for reviewing data before deletion.

With Coefficient, you can import contacts to a spreadsheet, review them thoroughly, mark which ones to delete, and then perform a bulk operation—giving you more control and visibility.

Is there an easy way to clean up contacts?

HubSpot’s native tools work for basic cleanup, but spreadsheets offer much more flexibility. Coefficient lets you pull HubSpot contacts into Google Sheets or Excel, use familiar formulas and functions to clean the data, and then push changes back to HubSpot—all without dealing with CSV imports/exports.

How do I enrich contacts in HubSpot?

Contact enrichment in HubSpot typically requires third-party tools or manual research. With Coefficient, you can:

• Combine HubSpot data with information from other systems
• Use spreadsheet formulas to derive new insights
• Leverage AI to suggest additional data points
• Push all enriched data back to HubSpot in one operation