How to audit and clean up HubSpot properties without breaking anything

Q: How do I find unused properties in HubSpot?

Use Export all properties and sort by fill rate and usage, then check the Usages and Data sources tabs of each candidate.

By Kayabyte

Short answer: export every property with HubSpot’s built-in export, sort by fill rate and usage, then archive in small batches. Archived properties can be restored for 90 days, and HubSpot tells you which assets block each archive.

Most portals collect properties faster than anyone removes them: old imports, form tests, integrations nobody uses, three fields for the same thing. The result is confusing forms, messy reports and reps who stop trusting the CRM. Here is a clean-up order that keeps the risk low.

Step 1: export the full list first

Go to Settings > Properties and click Export all properties (HubSpot guide). The file lists each property’s name, internal name, type, group, options, creator, where it is used and its fill rate. See how to export all properties for what the file leaves out. Keep this file: it is your record of how things looked before you started.

Step 2: sort properties into three lists

What you see	What to do
Low fill rate and no usage	Archive candidate
Filled, but no one can say what it is for	Ask the owner of that data, then decide
Used in workflows, forms or segments	Keep for now, or migrate first

Also look for duplicates, such as two “Industry” fields. Before archiving one, move its values into the one you keep. A low fill rate alone is not proof a property is safe to remove: a field that is rarely filled may still drive a workflow.

Step 3: check each candidate before you touch it

Open the property and check its tabs: Usages shows where it is used in the CRM, Data sources shows which tools update it, and Audit shows changes made to it (HubSpot guide). Data sources matters most: an integration that still writes to a field is a reason to stop and check.

Step 4: archive in small batches

Hover over a property, click More > Archive, and the right panel shows three things (HubSpot guide):

Fill rate: the share of records with a value. A property can be archived even if records have values.
Assets preventing archiving: for example a workflow. You must remove the property from these first.
Other assets using this property: these do not block the archive, and the property is removed from them once archived, for example as a column in an index page view.

Read the last one carefully, because it is the one that changes things without warning. You need the Edit property settings permission.

To archive several at once, select the checkboxes and click Archive at the top of the table. Start with a batch small enough that you could explain every one of them.

Step 5: remember the 90-day window

Archived properties sit in the Archived tab and are permanently deleted after 90 days. Put a reminder on your calendar about a month out to ask whether anyone has missed anything. Avoid Delete permanently during a clean-up, since it skips that safety net.

Step 6: stop the mess coming back

Clean-ups come back when anyone can add a field. Limit who has the Edit property settings permission, agree on a naming rule, use groups, and require a description for each new property. Then export the list again each quarter and compare it with the last file.

Full disclosure: we built an app that helps with parts of this

Bulk Property Import & Export exports all properties in the same columns as its import, so you can fix labels, groups and dropdown options in a spreadsheet and apply them with a preview of every change. A nightly change log shows which properties and options were added, changed or archived, which helps with Step 6. Pro keeps 12 months and can restore old definitions.

It does not do the audit for you. It reads no CRM records and can’t tell you whether a field is still needed, so use HubSpot’s panel for Steps 3 and 4. The only archiving it does is an option in Pro’s account-to-account copy, off by default and shown in the preview, for custom properties that exist only in the target account. Export, import, preview and a 30-day change log are free; Pro is USD 19 per month per HubSpot account, with a 14-day trial and no card. Marketplace listing.

FAQ

Can I delete a HubSpot property that has data in it? Yes, a property can be archived even if records have values, unless an asset such as a workflow blocks it. The values go with it when it is permanently deleted, so export first.

How long can I restore an archived property? HubSpot permanently deletes archived properties after 90 days.

How do I find unused properties in HubSpot? Use Export all properties and sort by fill rate and usage, then check the Usages and Data sources tabs of each candidate.

Questions or corrections: support@kayabyte.dev. HubSpot is a registered trademark of HubSpot, Inc. Kayabyte is an independent developer and is not affiliated with HubSpot.