Customize records in Hubspot: complete guide

Customizing records in Hubspot lets you control exactly which data your teams see on CRM records, how it is grouped, and how it is organized into tabs, cards, and sections. This guide walks you through every setting available on the record customization screen so you can design efficient layouts for all your objects.

All instructions here are based on the official Hubspot knowledge base and focus on standard and custom objects, including contacts, companies, deals, tickets, and other CRM records.

Understand Hubspot record customization

In Hubspot, a record layout is made up of different areas:

• Left sidebar: core property fields and important details.
• Middle column: activity feed and pinned or highlighted details.
• Right sidebar: associated records, cards, and tools.
• Tabs and sections: ways to group fields and information by theme.

When you customize records, you define what users see by default and how they interact with related information across your CRM.

Access Hubspot record settings

To start customizing any object record, open your CRM settings:

1. In your account, click the settings icon in the main navigation.
2. On the left sidebar, select Objects, then choose the object you want to edit (for example Contacts, Companies, or Deals).
3. Click Record customization or the equivalent tab for that object.

From here you can configure sections, cards, tabs, and the middle column for the chosen object. Changes you make apply to all users who have access to that object, unless there are team-based variations defined.

Configure Hubspot record sections

Sections control how properties are grouped inside the main record layout, especially in sidebars and tabs. Good section structure helps users find data quickly and reduces scrolling.

Create and manage Hubspot sections

1. In the record customization screen, locate the Sections area for the object.
2. Click Add section.
3. Enter a section name that clearly describes the data group, such as “Contact details” or “Deal qualification”.
4. Drag and drop properties into the new section.
5. Reorder sections by dragging them up or down to match your ideal layout.

You can add multiple sections, use them to divide standard fields and custom fields, and keep related data together. This is especially useful for large implementations that rely heavily on custom properties.

Best practices for Hubspot record sections

• Place the most frequently used sections at the top.
• Group reporting-critical fields together for easy auditing.
• Keep section names short but descriptive.
• Avoid putting rarely used fields in primary sections; use dedicated sections for advanced data.

Set up Hubspot record cards in the right sidebar

Record cards are blocks in the right sidebar that display important related data such as associated companies, deals, tickets, attachments, and custom object relationships. Proper card configuration ensures users see relevant context at a glance.

Manage default Hubspot sidebar cards

1. In the record customization page, open the Right sidebar or cards configuration area.
2. Review the list of available cards, such as Associated contacts, Company, Deals, Tickets, and any custom object associations.
3. Use the checkboxes or toggles to show or hide specific cards.
4. Drag cards up or down to prioritize the most important associations.

Common configurations include surfacing open deals on contact records, highlighting active tickets on company records, or bringing custom objects (like subscriptions or projects) into view where needed.

Customize Hubspot association behavior

Within each card, you can usually adjust how associated records appear:

• Display counts of associated records.
• Show key properties (for example, deal stage or ticket status).
• Enable quick creation of new associated records from the card.

This makes the right sidebar a powerful control center for cross-object context.

Organize Hubspot tabs on records

Tabs divide your record into logical areas so users can move between data sets without clutter. For example, you may separate Overview, Details, and Custom data into different tabs.

Create and edit Hubspot tabs

1. In the customization screen, look for the Tabs section for your selected object.
2. Click Add tab and give it a clear name, such as “Finance”, “Implementation”, or “Lifecycle”.
3. Assign sections and components to the tab by dragging them into its area.
4. Reorder tabs to put the most commonly used ones first.

By using tabs, you can maintain a compact overview tab for daily work while still providing deep detail on secondary tabs for specialized teams.

Tab strategy for different Hubspot teams

• Sales teams: Focus the main tab on qualification, next steps, and key deal properties.
• Service teams: Highlight ticket status, SLA fields, and customer history.
• Operations teams: Add tabs for integration IDs, system fields, and data quality controls.

Control the middle column on Hubspot records

The middle column shows the record’s activity feed and, depending on the object, selected properties or components. Customizing this area ensures users see the right mix of interactions and context.

Adjust Hubspot activity feed visibility

1. In the record customization view, open the Middle column settings.
2. Choose which activity types should appear by default, such as emails, calls, tasks, notes, meetings, or integrations.
3. Optionally set filters that emphasize recent or high-value interactions.

When you optimize the middle column, you reduce noise for frontline reps and highlight the engagements that matter most for your processes.

Apply Hubspot layouts to teams and pipelines

Depending on your subscription level, you may be able to apply different record layouts to specific teams or pipelines so that each group sees an optimized view.

Assign Hubspot layouts to teams

1. In the object’s record customization area, create or select a layout variation.
2. Choose the teams that should use this layout.
3. Save and publish changes so they go live for those users.

This approach allows, for example, sales and customer success to have distinct record layouts that reflect their own workflows while still sharing a common data model.

Pipeline-based Hubspot customization

For objects that use pipelines, such as deals or tickets, you can often define layouts by pipeline so that records in different stages or processes show the right information:

• Sales pipeline vs. renewals pipeline layouts.
• Support pipeline vs. onboarding pipeline layouts.

Review each pipeline and ensure its record view matches how that team works.

Governance tips for scaling Hubspot layouts

To keep your CRM manageable as it grows, adopt a structured approach to record customization.

• Create naming standards for sections, cards, and tabs.
• Document which teams own which layout decisions.
• Review layouts quarterly to retire unused sections and fields.
• Test changes with a small user group before deploying widely.

Consistent governance ensures that customizations improve usability instead of adding clutter.

Where to learn more about Hubspot record settings

For more detail, refer directly to the official documentation on customizing records in the CRM: Hubspot record customization help article. You can also explore broader CRM strategy and implementation resources from consulting partners such as Consultevo to design layouts that align with your processes.

By carefully planning sections, cards, tabs, and middle-column settings, you can create streamlined record views in Hubspot that support faster adoption, cleaner data, and more effective collaboration across your teams.

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