What This Update Actually Is
HubSpot just expanded the fields supported in the bulk user import. Before this update, the import tool only handled first name, last name, and email address. Everything else required manual work after the fact.
Now you can include these fields directly in the import spreadsheet:
- First and last name, parsed from a full name column with built-in error handling
- Job title
- Manager assignment
- Team assignment (Professional and above)
- Seat assignment, labeled "Assigned by import" in the UI (Professional and above)
- Custom user properties (Enterprise only)
One field is still handled in the UI during the import process, not in the spreadsheet: permission sets. You'll assign those in HubSpot's guided import flow after uploading the file. The update also adds enhanced validation, so errors get flagged before the import completes instead of after.
Why HubSpot Shipped This
If you've ever onboarded a team of 30 or more into HubSpot, you know the pain. The old import got humans into the system, but it didn't get them ready to work. Admins still had to open every record, assign teams, set seats, and fill in properties one by one.
For distributed organizations, mergers, or annual reorganizations, this was a multi-hour project. It was also error-prone. Copying the wrong team name or forgetting a seat assignment created downstream issues in routing, reporting, and access.
HubSpot's response is simple: let admins do the whole job in the spreadsheet. One import, one review, done.
How to Use It Step by Step
- Go to Settings > Users in your HubSpot portal.
- Select Import Users to open the updated import flow.
- Download the updated import spreadsheet template. This is important: the old template won't include the new columns, so grab a fresh copy.
- Add columns for any fields you want to configure: job title, manager, team, seat, or custom user properties.
- Upload the file. HubSpot's validation layer will flag any rows with errors before the import finalizes.
- Assign permission sets in the guided UI step that follows the upload. This is the one step that stays in the interface rather than the spreadsheet.
- Confirm the import. Seat assignments will appear labeled "Assigned by import" so you can audit them easily later.
Quick note on tiers: if your account is on Starter or Free, you'll have access to name, job title, and manager fields. Team assignment and seat assignment require Professional. Custom user properties require Enterprise.
What It Touches in Your HubSpot Strategy
This update looks like an admin housekeeping feature. It's actually a RevOps and data quality lever. Here's why.
Team assignments drive routing. If your workflows or inbox rules route contacts, tickets, or conversations based on team membership, any user who lands in the wrong team creates a routing failure. Getting teams right at import time means those rules work from day one.
Key Takeaway
Team assignments made at import are immediately usable in workflow enrollment criteria, conversation routing, and forecast permissions. Getting them right in the spreadsheet prevents silent routing failures that are hard to trace after the fact.
Seat assignments determine what features humans can access. An account executive on a Sales seat and a marketing coordinator on a Marketing seat need different tools. Assigning seats in bulk at import ensures no one spends their first day in a portal that's missing the features their role requires.
Custom user properties are the hidden win here, especially for Enterprise accounts. If you're using custom user properties to track things like region, business unit, quota tier, or certification status, you can now populate those at import. That means your reports, filters, and team views are accurate from the moment humans log in.
Key Takeaway
For Enterprise portals using custom user properties in reporting or segmentation, populating those fields at import prevents a data gap that would otherwise take weeks to close manually.
Manager assignments also matter more than they seem. HubSpot uses manager relationships in forecasting hierarchies and certain reporting views. If the hierarchy is wrong at setup, forecast rollups at the director or VP level won't reflect reality.
If your RevOps work depends on accurate CRM data surfacing in real time, you'll want to read about HubSpot's real-time table updates alongside this. Clean user data combined with live property rendering means your team views stay accurate without manual refreshes.
And if you're doing any large-scale data hygiene alongside a user restructure, the update covering workflow enrollments surviving record merges is worth reviewing. The two updates together reduce the data chaos that typically follows a reorg.
Who Should Care Most
HubSpot admins at companies with 20 or more users will feel this the most. The old process was frustrating at 20 humans. It was genuinely painful at 200.
- RevOps and HubSpot admins running annual planning cycles or mid-year reorgs where team structures change for large groups at once
- IT and operations teams at companies going through mergers, acquisitions, or HubSpot migrations who need to onboard hundreds of users quickly and accurately
- Agency partners and HubSpot implementation consultants setting up new portals, especially those using custom user properties for multi-brand or multi-region setups
- Enterprise admins who rely on custom user properties for reporting, filtering, or territory alignment and want those fields populated from day one
If your portal has fewer than 15 users and you don't use custom user properties, this update is still useful for future-proofing, but it's not urgent. Prioritize it when your next batch onboarding happens.
George's Take
We've audited a lot of HubSpot portals, and incomplete user setup is one of the most common roots of problems that look like tool problems. Broken routing, inaccurate forecasts, missing data in reports: a surprising percentage of these trace back to someone who never got assigned to the right team because the import couldn't handle it. This update closes that gap directly. It's not flashy, but it's the kind of infrastructure improvement that makes every other HubSpot feature work the way it's supposed to. If you're planning any team restructuring in the next quarter, do yourself a favor and run a fresh user import with these fields before you touch anything else.
“Incomplete user setup is one of the most common roots of problems that look like tool problems. This update closes that gap at the source.”
If you're new to bulk data operations in HubSpot, our guide on exporting contacts from HubSpot covers the import and export workflow patterns you'll want to understand before running large-scale updates.
If you want to make sure your user setup, team structure, and portal configuration are actually built to support the way your business runs, that's exactly what we help with. Book a strategy call with the Sidekick team and we'll show you where your setup is holding you back and what a clean foundation looks like.
Frequently Asked Questions
What fields does the updated HubSpot user import support?
The updated import supports first and last name, job title, manager, team assignment, seat assignment, and custom user properties. Permission sets are the one exception: you assign those in HubSpot's guided UI step during the import process, not in the spreadsheet itself.
Do I need a paid HubSpot tier to use the new user import fields?
Core fields like name, job title, and manager are available on all HubSpot accounts including free. Team assignment and seat assignment require Professional tier or above. Custom user properties in the import are available only on Enterprise accounts.
What happens to permission sets during a bulk user import?
Permission sets aren't included in the spreadsheet. Instead, HubSpot prompts you to assign them through the UI during the import flow after you upload your file. This is intentional: permission sets have complex dependencies that HubSpot handles through the guided interface.
How do I find the updated user import template in HubSpot?
Go to Settings > Users, select Import Users, and download the fresh template from the import flow. Don't reuse an old template: the new columns won't be present and your import won't include the expanded fields.
Will seat assignments made during import show up differently in HubSpot?
Yes. Seats assigned through import are labeled "Assigned by import" in the HubSpot UI. This label makes it easy to audit which seat assignments came from bulk imports versus those set manually, which is helpful during post-import review and auditing.
Why does getting team assignments right at import matter so much?
Team membership in HubSpot directly affects workflow routing, inbox assignment rules, and forecast hierarchy rollups. A user in the wrong team on day one creates silent downstream errors in routing and reporting that can take weeks to trace back to their source.
