How to Identify, Merge, and Prevent Duplicate Contacts in HubSpot

So you are a marketer working to build visibility and bring growth and gains for a brand/business. 

Your sales team buddies are seemingly on a roll, following up with leads, sending out proposals, and nurturing customer relationships. 

But then, uh-oh, someone reaches out to a contact, only to realize they’ve already been contacted three times by different team members.

Even worse, your email marketing campaign analytics show inflated open rates because the same contact exists in multiple forms. Your reports look fantastic, but your actual engagement? Not so much.

This is the amount of chaos that duplicate contacts stand to bring to your HubSpot CRM. 

With 13+ years of expertise and experience in handling the HubSpot CRM needs of a cross section of clients globally, we know they spell a lot more trouble than just a minor inconvenience. 

Now for the good news?

You don’t have to live with this mess!

In today’s blog, Pratik Bhatt, our in-house web dev ninja will walk you through how to identify, merge, and prevent duplicate contacts in HubSpot so your CRM stays clean, efficient, and actually works for you, not against you.

Understanding the impact of duplicate contacts

Let’s begin with unwrapping the extent of the marketing havoc that duplicate contacts are known to wreak. 

Duplicate contacts are known to sneak in when someone mistypes an email, fills out a form with a different address, or when a messy data import floods your system with overlapping records. 

Before you know it, your reports are inaccurate, your team is wasting time chasing the same leads, and your customer experience starts feeling…well, a little off.

Cleaning up these duplicates isn’t just a “nice-to-have” task; it’s essential for keeping your HubSpot CRM reliable and organized.

Also, the longer you prefer to play ostrich and shove the “problem” under the carpet, the bigger the mess that awaits you!

Step 1: Finding duplicate contacts in HubSpot

Before you can fix the problem, you need to spot it. Luckily, HubSpot gives you a few ways to track down those pesky duplicates.

1. HubSpot’s automatic deduplication

Well, HubSpot is smart enough to merge contacts if they share the same email address automatically. 

But here’s the catch: if someone uses a different email for a second signup, HubSpot won’t always connect the dots. That’s where manual review comes in.

2. The duplicate management tool (For pro & enterprise users)

If you have a Professional or Enterprise HubSpot subscription, you get access to a Duplicate Management Tool, which can prove to be your secret weapon for cleaning up messy data. This tool scans your database and flags potential duplicates based on name, email, phone number, and company name.

Here’s how to use it:

• Go to Contacts in your HubSpot account.
• Click Actions (top-right corner) and select Manage Duplicates.
• HubSpot will show you a list of potential duplicate pairs.
• Review each pair and decide which ones need merging.

We recommend checking out HubSpot’s official guide on deduplicating records for a step-by-step walkthrough.

Step 2: Merging duplicate contacts (The right way!)

Now that you’ve found those pesky duplicates, it’s time to merge them and create one clean, accurate record because the last thing you want is two versions of the same customer floating around in your CRM.

• Merging with the Duplicate Management Tool (For Pro & Enterprise Users)

If you’re using HubSpot’s Duplicate Management Tool, merging contacts is a breeze:

~ Go to Manage Duplicates in the Contacts section.

~ Click Review next to a flagged duplicate pair.

~ Compare the details and decide which contact to keep as the primary record (this is the one that will stay).

~ Hit Merge—and voila! HubSpot combines the two records into one.

• Manually merging contacts (For all users)

If HubSpot doesn’t flag a duplicate, but you spot one yourself, you can merge it manually:

• Head to Contacts in HubSpot.
• Click on the contact you want to keep as the main record.
• Click Actions > Merge.
• Search for the duplicate contact’s name or email, then select Merge.

We suggest always double-checking key details (like email, phone number, and notes) before you go about merging so you don’t lose important info in the process.

Step 3: Preventing duplicates before they come in

Merging duplicate contacts is a great step, but wouldn’t it be better if they never showed up in the first place? 

Some preventative maintenance goes a long way in keeping your HubSpot CRM clean and clutter-free. Here’s how you can stop duplicates before they become a headache:

• Set clear data entry rules – Make sure everyone on your team follows the same format for entering names, emails, and phone numbers. A small typo or inconsistency (like “Jon” vs. “John”) can lead to unnecessary duplicates.

• Run regular CRM audits – Schedule a monthly or quarterly review to catch duplicates before they pile up. A quick cleanup every now and then will save you hours of frustration down the road.

• Use unique identifiers – When importing contacts, always use email addresses or custom properties as unique identifiers. This helps HubSpot recognize existing contacts instead of creating new ones unnecessarily.

Keeping your CRM clean & reliable

To keep your HubSpot CRM running smoothly, here’s what you can do.

• Set a cleanup routine – Much like you’d declutter your inbox, we recommend scheduling regular CRM cleanups to remove outdated, incomplete, or duplicate records. A quick sweep every month can prevent a major mess later.

• Train your team on data hygiene – Your CRM is only as clean as the data going into it. Ensure your team understands why accuracy matters and follows best practices when adding new contacts. A little training now saves hours of cleanup later.

The road ahead

If you’d like to know more about how Mavlers can help you in your HubSpot journey, we suggest reading ~ What makes Mavlers a good choice for your HubSpot needs?