How to merge HubSpot contacts in Salesforce
How to merge without losing data or breaking the sync
If you merge contacts in Salesforce, will the corresponding HubSpot contacts merge automatically?
No, they won’t.
Salesforce might merge two records beautifully on its side, but HubSpot won’t merge its corresponding contacts; instead, it may delete the secondary record or leave it as an orphan depending on your settings.
This is why duplicate management becomes a real operational risk the moment the Salesforce integration is turned on.
Even disciplined teams eventually end up with multiple versions of the same person floating around both CRMs.
The steps below walk you through the safest, most predictable way to merge records without breaking the sync or losing data.
How HubSpot identifies duplicate Salesforce contacts
First you need to understand how HubSpot treats Salesforce Leads and Contacts as the same object: the HubSpot Contact.
HubSpot uses email address matching to initially identify duplicates, but once a connection is made, the Salesforce Lead/Contact ID becomes the permanent anchor for the sync.
If two records in Salesforce have different emails, HubSpot will treat them as two distinct people, regardless of matching names or phone numbers.
It has other internal dedupe rules, but they do not apply to Salesforce records.
This means HubSpot will not compare:
- Phone numbers
- Names
- Company matches
- Salesforce duplicate rules
- Custom matching logic
If two Salesforce records have different emails, HubSpot will not recognize these as duplicates for sync deduplication, though they may appear in HubSpot’s native 'Manage Duplicates' tool, which uses name and domain logic.
How HubSpot chooses which Salesforce record to sync with
When multiple Salesforce records share an email, HubSpot doesn't choose randomly after the initial sync.
It will prioritize the link to the most recently updated record in Salesforce.
To maintain control, you should manually verify the Salesforce ID on the HubSpot contact record before merging.
HubSpot can attach itself to any matching record the first time a sync occurs.
After HubSpot is attached:
- It keeps syncing with the Salesforce ID it linked to originally
- Unless the sync relationship is reset
- If the sync is reset... HubSpot will re-evaluate based on email and re-anchor to the Salesforce record with the most recent
SystemModstampprovided that record isn't already syncing with a different HubSpot contact.
This is why your master record in Salesforce must always be the one HubSpot already syncs with.
The correct way to merge leads or contacts in Salesforce
Follow this exact flow to avoid sync breakage or accidental data loss:
Step 1: Identify duplicates in Salesforce
Pull up the leads or contacts you plan to merge.
Step 2: Open the matching record(s) in HubSpot
Each Salesforce record should have a linked HubSpot contact.
Confirm the associations.
Step 3: Confirm which Salesforce ID HubSpot is linked to
Use that Salesforce record as the master.
Step 4: Perform the merge in Salesforce
Merge the non-master record into the HubSpot-linked master.
This error occurs because HubSpot is 'anchored' to a specific Salesforce ID.
If the anchored record is merged into a non-linked master, the unique Salesforce ID is deleted, and the HubSpot contact will display a 'Record Deleted' sync error.
Ensure the Salesforce record you choose as the Master is the one currently linked to the active HubSpot record (indicated by the presence of data in the HubSpot Intelligence iframe).
“This contact is no longer syncing with Salesforce.”
What happens in HubSpot after a Salesforce merge
Before anything else, check your deletion settings.
Go to: Settings → Integrations → Connected Apps → Salesforce → Sync Settings → Salesforce → HubSpot
Find the option: “Delete the contact in HubSpot when deleted in Salesforce.”
If this is ON, then:
- Salesforce will delete the merged-out record.
- HubSpot will also delete the matched HubSpot contact.
- You may lose email engagement, page views, and submission history unless you merge in HubSpot first.
While the standard polling interval is 15 minutes, Salesforce Change Data Capture (CDC) or platform events can trigger a sync near-instantly, meaning the secondary HubSpot record could be deleted before you can manually merge it.
How to merge contacts in HubSpot (after merging in Salesforce)
Once Salesforce finishes the merge:
- Open the master HubSpot contact
- Click Actions → Merge
- Search for the merged-out record
- Merge to preserve form activity, email engagement, and web history
If you accidentally chose the wrong master in Salesforce and HubSpot stops syncing, use Resync to re-establish the relationship.
What if the Salesforce records have different emails?
HubSpot will not merge them automatically.
Email must match for dedupe to fire.
You have two safe options:
1. Merge manually inside HubSpot
Do this when the secondary HubSpot contact contains valuable activity.
2. Let HubSpot delete the record automatically
Only if:
- The secondary record has no relevant history
- Your deletion settings allow Salesforce to remove HubSpot contacts
Need help cleaning up duplicates the safe way?
Managing duplicates across Salesforce and HubSpot is tricky because each system uses different logic.
If you need help cleaning up your database or designing a safe deduplication process, our team specializes in the HubSpot Salesforce integration and can support you.
