Use HubSpot Record IDs to update instead of duplicating

Work through the setup

1. Export the existing IDs. Take an export including Record ID and a meaningful comparison field. Treat the ID as a string, not a number to reformat.
2. Match before importing. Cross-reference incoming rows against the export. Resolve ambiguous matches manually instead of guessing between similarly named people or companies.
3. Split new and existing rows. HubSpot recommends separating existing records with their IDs from new records when deduplicating this way. Name the files so their purposes are hard to confuse.
4. Map the key deliberately. During import, map the correct column to Record ID. Review a small permitted sample first and verify an existing record changed without creating a second one.

A worked example

Example: 90 incoming deal rows, 70 matched IDs and 20 genuinely new deals. Keep 70 update rows with intact IDs and 20 create rows separately. A blank ID in the update file is an exception to investigate, not a convenient blank to ignore. This example illustrates a review method, not a performed import.

What to watch out for

• Names are not stable unique identifiers.
• Spreadsheet number formatting can damage long IDs.
• A row without the selected unique identifier may create something new.

Prepare one update and one deliberate new record

Make the test file small enough to inspect row by row. Include a record whose ID already exists and a separate row intended to become a new record, using the documented import rules for each. Preserve an untouched copy of the export. After the trial, inspect the record histories and the changed properties rather than just the import success count. A blank cell and a missing column can mean different things in an import; check the chosen settings before a bulk run.

Sources and evidence

• Deduplicate records in HubSpot (read November 7, 2026)
• Export your records (read November 7, 2026)

Common checks

Published November 7, 2026. Sources last read November 7, 2026. Send a correction.