Understanding Hubspot record access and permissions

Managing who can see and edit CRM data in Hubspot is critical for security, compliance, and efficient team workflows. This guide explains how record access is determined, how permission rules are evaluated, and how you can troubleshoot common visibility issues for contacts, companies, deals, tickets, and custom objects.

The details in this article are based on Hubspot's official documentation so you can confidently configure access for every user in your account.

How Hubspot record access is evaluated

Record access in Hubspot is not controlled by a single setting. Instead, a combination of factors is evaluated in a specific order, and the most permissive applicable rule wins. These checks apply to standard CRM objects and to custom objects.

When a user tries to view a record, Hubspot evaluates:

1. User's base CRM permissions for that object type.
2. Ownership of the record.
3. Team membership and team-based restrictions.
4. Record visibility settings driven by record customization and association labels.
5. Any additional access granted through tools like workflows or imports.

Hubspot also treats super admins differently from standard users, and this has a big impact on what each person can see or edit.

Hubspot super admin access

Super admins in Hubspot have the broadest possible access by design. They can:

• View, edit, and delete all records, regardless of ownership.
• Configure account-wide settings, including permissions and teams.
• Override many restrictions that apply to regular users.

If a super admin cannot see a record, the issue is usually related to filters, views, or the record no longer existing, rather than restrictions in the Hubspot permission model itself.

Standard user permissions in Hubspot

For standard users, access to records in Hubspot is governed by a combination of CRM permission scopes and team settings. Permissions are defined per object type, such as contacts, companies, deals, tickets, or custom objects.

Key CRM permission levels in Hubspot

Each object has separate permissions for viewing, editing, and deleting. Typical permission levels include:

• None: The user has no access to that action for the object.
• Owned only: The user can act only on records they own.
• Team only: The user can act on records owned by members of their team.
• Team and child teams: If using hierarchical teams, the user can access records for their team plus its child teams.
• Everything: The user can act on all records of that type in Hubspot.

These settings are configured in the user's permission set. When there is a mismatch between expected visibility and what a user sees, this is the first area to review.

Ownership and record access in Hubspot

Ownership plays a central role in record access in Hubspot. Many permission levels are defined in relation to record owners.

Key points about ownership and access:

• The primary owner property (for example, contact owner) often determines whether a user can view or edit a record when their permission is set to "Owned only".
• Changing the owner on a record can immediately change who can access it.
• If a user loses ownership (for instance, through a workflow or manual change), they may instantly lose access depending on their permissions.

Because of this, ownership changes should be planned carefully when working with sensitive CRM data in Hubspot.

Team-based access control in Hubspot

Teams add an additional layer of structure to how records are shared. In Hubspot, teams let you:

• Group users for region, business unit, or function.
• Assign records by team rather than only by individual owner.
• Define visibility so team members can see each other's records.

Primary and additional teams

Each user in Hubspot belongs to a primary team. They may also belong to additional teams, depending on your account configuration.

Team membership affects access in several ways:

• If permissions are set to "Team only", the user can see records owned by their team members.
• If "Team and child teams" is used, a manager team can view records of subordinate teams.
• When users are moved between teams, their effective access to records can change instantly.

Record visibility with teams in Hubspot

Some objects and views can be filtered or restricted by team. This is especially useful for larger organizations using Hubspot across departments or regions.

Typical team-based configurations include:

• Assigning default owners by team.
• Limiting views so a sales team sees only its own pipeline records.
• Using team filters in lists and reports.

When troubleshooting access, always confirm the user's current team and check whether any views or lists in Hubspot are restricted to certain teams.

Special cases: custom objects and associations in Hubspot

Custom objects follow the same overall permission structure as standard objects, but there are extra details to consider.

Custom object access rules in Hubspot

For custom objects, admins define:

• Base permissions for view, edit, and delete.
• Which users or teams can work with the object.
• Whether ownership needs to be assigned for access.

If users report that they cannot see a custom object record, validate the custom object permission set in Hubspot, then confirm ownership and team membership.

Record associations and labels

Associations connect records (for example, a contact to a company or a deal to a ticket). While associations do not replace core permissions, they can influence how users find and work with records in Hubspot.

Key points about associations:

• Association labels (such as "Primary" or custom labels) help users understand relationships but do not usually override base CRM permissions.
• If a user can see a parent record but not the associated record, the issue is typically with that associated object's permission settings.
• Changing an association does not automatically change ownership, but workflows can be used to update ownership based on associations.

Troubleshooting record access issues in Hubspot

When a user cannot view or edit a specific record in Hubspot, use a step-by-step process to identify and resolve the problem.

Step 1: Confirm the record exists

1. Search globally by name, email, or ID.
2. Check for filters in the object index page that might hide the record.
3. Confirm the record has not been deleted or merged.

Step 2: Review user permissions in Hubspot

1. Open the user's profile in settings.
2. Check CRM permissions for the relevant object type.
3. Ensure the user has at least "Owned only" or "Team only" access as required.

Step 3: Validate ownership and team alignment

1. Open the record as a super admin or with an admin user.
2. Check the owner property and the owner's team.
3. Confirm the affected user belongs to the appropriate team or is the owner.

Step 4: Check for team-level or view-level filters

1. Review any saved views or filters that the user is using in Hubspot.
2. Confirm views are not restricted to other teams or specific owners.
3. Update filters or assign a more appropriate default view.

Step 5: Validate custom object and association behavior

1. If a custom object is involved, recheck custom object permissions.
2. Confirm the record is associated correctly to other objects.
3. Verify that workflows are not unexpectedly changing ownership or teams.

If you still cannot identify the cause, compare the affected user's permissions to another user who can access the record. That comparison often reveals the difference in Hubspot configuration.

Additional resources and references for Hubspot

For the most accurate and detailed breakdown of how record access is evaluated, review the official Hubspot knowledge base article: How Hubspot determines record access. The article is updated by the product team and reflects the latest permission logic.

If you need strategic help designing scalable permission structures, teams, and data governance for your Hubspot CRM, you can also consult specialists such as Consultevo, who focus on CRM architecture and implementation.

By understanding how permissions, ownership, and teams interact, you can design a secure and efficient access model in Hubspot, reduce support requests from users, and keep your CRM data properly governed as your organization grows.

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