Update the lifecycle stage of contacts or companies in bulk

You can use an import, index page, or a workflow to change the lifecycle stage value of your contacts or companies in bulk. Learn more about using lifecycle stages.

To manually update an individual record's lifecycle stage, learn how to edit a property value.

Update the lifecycle stage with an import

If you import a contact and don’t set their lifecycle stage, the contact’s lifecycle stage will be set automatically by HubSpot when they complete certain actions. To ensure a contact’s lifecycle stage is accurate when they are added to the CRM, or to update an existing contact's lifecycle stage, you can import a Lifecycle Stage column.

Please note: you can only update a lifecycle stage value forward with an import. If you want to set a lifecycle stage value backwards, you will need to clear the records' lifecycle stage values before importing.

1. Create a file with the following:
   • A column containing a unique identifier for the contacts or companies for which you want to change the lifecycle stage (Email for contacts, Company domain name for companies, Record ID or custom unique value property for either).
   • A column containing Lifecycle stage with the new values for the records. The values for Lifecycle stage must match either the stage's internal value or its label in English.
2. In your HubSpot account, navigate to Data Management > Data Integration.
3. Click Import a file.
4. Click Start import.
5. Select Contacts or Companies as your import type, then click Next. 
6. Select a file to import, then click Next.
7. The Lifecycle Stage column should automatically match with the lifecycle stage property in HubSpot. 
8. Click Next. 
9. Enter a name for your import. If you're importing contacts:
   • Select the checkboxes to create a list of your contacts or set these contacts as marketing. 
   • If you have data privacy settings turned on, click the dropdown menu and select a legal basis for communicating with the contacts.
10. Click Finish import.

Once the records have been imported, they will have their lifecycle stage changed to your selected lifecycle stage. Learn more about importing records.

Update the lifecycle stage from an index page

You can select multiple contacts or companies on an index page to change their values in bulk.

1. Navigate to your records:
   • In your HubSpot account, navigate to CRM > Contacts.
   • In your HubSpot account, navigate to CRM > Companies.
2. On the far left of the record names, select the checkbox. Repeat for as many contacts or companies as desired.
3. At the top of the table, click Edit.
4. In the dialog box, perform the following:
   • In the dropdown menu, select Lifecycle Stage.
   • Select a value.
   • Click Update.

Learn more about bulk editing records from an index page.

Update the lifecycle stage with a workflow (Professional and Enterprise only)

When moving a lifecycle stage forward, you can use the Edit record workflow action to set a new lifecycle stage. When moving a lifecycle stage backwards, you'll first need to clear the property, then add another action to set a new lifecycle stage.

To set up a lifecycle stage workflow:

1. In your HubSpot account, navigate to Automation > Workflows.
2. In the upper right, click Create workflow, then select From scratch.
3. Select manual trigger only.
4.  Select Contact or Company, then click Save and continue.

Please note: If you plan to leave the workflow running to continually set new lifecycle stages, learn to configure your enrollment triggers. They must enroll contacts or companies.

5. Click the + plus icon to add a workflow action.
6. To move a lifecycle stage forward:
   • In the right panel, select Edit record.
   • Click the Record type dropdown menu and select Contact or Company.
   • Click the Property to set dropdown menu and select Lifecycle Stage.
   • In the Lifecycle Stage dropdown menu, select the lifecycle stage value you want to assign to your records.
   • Click Save.

   

7. To move a lifecycle stage backwards:
   • In the right panel, select Edit record.
   • Click the Record type dropdown menu and select Contact or Company.
   • Click the Property to set dropdown menu and select Lifecycle Stage.
   • Select the Clear existing property value checkbox.
   • Click Save.
   • Below your current Edit record action, click the + plus icon to add a second workflow action.
   • Click the Record type dropdown menu and select Contact or Company.
   • Click the Property to set dropdown menu and select Lifecycle Stage.
   • In the Lifecycle Stage dropdown menu, select the lifecycle stage value you want to assign to your records.
   • Click Save.
   
   
8. When you're ready to turn the workflow on, in the upper right, click Review and publish, then click Skip to turn on.
   

Learn how to manually enroll a list of contacts in a workflow.