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HubSpot migration: export attachments checklist

By Kayabyte

A CSV export of your HubSpot records does not contain notes, emails or files. If you are leaving HubSpot, or moving to another CRM, the attachments are a separate job that is easy to forget until the subscription is about to end. This checklist covers what to export, how to check it and the options for the file step. Last verified 11 November 2026.

1. Know what a record export leaves out

HubSpot’s guide to exporting your content and data (updated 25 September 2026) covers CRM records, the Files tool and tasks. It does not address attachments, and chat and inbox transcripts need the API or a third-party tool. HubSpot’s contact data export includes properties, history, activities and associations; its help article does not say that files are included. Read the export documentation for each object you use.

2. Take an inventory first

Before you export, count: how many records have attachments, how many files, how big they are and of which types. A scan does this without downloading anything. In Attachment Exporter the scan is free and gives records, files, size and a breakdown by source and file type. By hand you would use the Attachments card on a sample of records and extrapolate.

3. Export the engagements

Notes, emails, calls, meetings and tasks are activities. Get them through HubSpot’s export tools, custom reports or the Engagements API as HubSpot’s export guide describes. Keep the engagement IDs: they are how files are tied to them.

4. Export the files, with a manifest

Download the files in a way that records which file belonged to which record and engagement. Per record that is the Attachments card; across records it is an API script or an app. Whatever you use, you want a manifest: file ID, original name, record, engagement, size and where it was saved.

5. Check counts

Compare the number of files in the manifest with the scan, and look for missing or failed rows. Files deleted from HubSpot but still referenced show up as missing. Files HubSpot marks sensitive can be blocked for apps; Attachment Exporter lists them as restricted so you can fetch them from the record. Spot-check a few zips by opening them.

6. Migration tools and where they fit

7. Timing and deletion risk

Do the export before you downgrade or cancel. Do not delete anything in HubSpot until you have checked the export. Export links from an app can expire (Attachment Exporter keeps zips for 7 days, so download them straight away).

8. The file step with an app

Full disclosure: we built Attachment Exporter: Bulk File Download. It exports the files attached to notes, emails, calls, meetings and tasks, plus file properties, for contacts, companies, deals or tickets, as zips (parts of up to 2 GB) with a CSV manifest. It reads only. The scan and the audit are free and the first export of up to 250 files is free; then USD 49 for 5,000 files, USD 99 for 25,000, USD 199 for 100,000, one-off, credits never expire, failed files credited back. It does not import into a new CRM and it is not a continuous backup. It installs from our site, not the HubSpot Marketplace.

FAQ

Does a CSV export include attachments? No.

Is attachment export part of HubSpot’s data export? HubSpot’s export guide does not address attachments.

Do migration tools move attachments? Some list attachments as supported; check hidden-file handling and how they price them.

Can I get a list of every file with its record? Yes, a manifest does that; build it yourself or use an app that writes one.

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 or the other products named here.