HubSpot user setup and navigation: getting started with HubSpot

Understanding how HubSpot is structured and configuring your personal settings will make the platform easier to use day to day.

This guide covers the main areas every HubSpot user should understand when getting started, including account security, personal preferences, navigation, search and the core CRM concepts of objects, records, properties and associations.

The tools and menu items available to you may vary depending on your organisation's HubSpot subscriptions, your assigned seat and your user permissions.

Logging in to HubSpot

Start by logging in to your organisation's HubSpot account using the method provided by your organisation.

Depending on how your account has been configured, this may include your HubSpot username and password, Google or Microsoft sign-in, or your organisation's single sign-on process.

If you cannot access an area of HubSpot that you expect to use, this does not necessarily mean there is a problem with your account. HubSpot displays tools according to your subscription and permissions, so you may need to speak to your HubSpot administrator.

Secure your account

Your HubSpot account can contain commercially sensitive customer, sales, marketing and service data, so securing your individual user account is important.

Set up two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, adds an additional verification step when signing in.

HubSpot supports methods including passkeys and authenticator applications, with the options available depending on your account and region. HubSpot recommends stronger authentication methods such as a passkey or authenticator application rather than relying on SMS where alternatives are available.

Where your organisation requires 2FA, follow its security policy when choosing and configuring your authentication method.

Keep your backup codes

When configuring 2FA, HubSpot provides backup codes that can be used if you lose access to your normal authentication method.

Download these codes and store them securely somewhere you can access if your usual device is unavailable.

You can view or regenerate your backup codes from your HubSpot security settings. Generating new codes invalidates the previous set.

Where possible, configuring both a primary and secondary authentication method can also reduce the risk of being locked out of your account.

Set up your profile and personal preferences

Each HubSpot user has their own profile and preferences. These settings affect your individual HubSpot experience rather than changing the account for everybody else.

Select your profile picture in the top-right corner of HubSpot and choose Profile & Preferences to review your settings.

Profile information

Check details such as your:

First name and surname.
Profile image.
Phone number, where appropriate.
Language.
Time zone.
Date, time and number format.

Keeping your profile information accurate makes it easier for colleagues to identify record owners, activity owners and users contributing to CRM records.

Language and regional formatting

Your language setting controls the language used in the HubSpot interface.

You can also choose your preferred date, time and number format. For UK-based teams, your organisation may choose to standardise this using the appropriate United Kingdom regional format so dates and numbers are presented consistently to users.

Be aware that some account-level content, automation and personalisation can use account defaults rather than an individual user's preferences.

Choose your default home page

HubSpot allows you to choose the page you see when you log in.

From Profile & Preferences, review the Defaults section and select the page that is most useful for your role.

For example, a user might prefer to start from an area relevant to the work they perform most frequently.

Your chosen default applies to your own user account. Selecting the HubSpot sprocket icon in the main navigation will take you back to your configured default home page.

Configure your notifications

HubSpot can notify you about activity that requires your attention.

Notification preferences are personal, so it is worth reviewing them rather than relying on the default configuration.

Depending on the tools you use, notifications can relate to areas such as:

Records assigned to you.
Tasks and reminders.
Mentions and comments.
Sales activity.
Conversations and support activity.
Account and security events.
Other HubSpot tools you have permission to use.

Choose notification channels and events that help you respond to important activity without creating unnecessary noise.

Your organisation may have its own expectations around particular notifications, so check any internal guidance before disabling alerts that are important to your role.

Understand HubSpot navigation

HubSpot groups tools according to the business processes they support.

The navigation available to you depends on your HubSpot subscription and permissions, so two users in the same account may not always see exactly the same options.

Main navigation

The navigation menu provides access to the different areas of HubSpot, such as CRM records and the marketing, sales, service, content, reporting and automation tools available to your account.

If you cannot find a particular tool, first check the available menus and More options. If it still does not appear, you may not have the required subscription, seat or permission.

Global search

HubSpot's global search can be one of the quickest ways to find information.

Use it to search across your account for relevant records, assets, tools, settings and HubSpot resources.

Rather than navigating through several menus, try searching for the name of a contact, company, deal, ticket or HubSpot tool directly.

Bookmarks

HubSpot allows you to bookmark frequently used navigation items.

These appear within the Bookmarks area of the navigation and can make regularly used tools faster to access. HubSpot currently allows users to save up to ten secondary navigation items as bookmarks.

Consider bookmarking the areas you use most frequently rather than trying to reproduce the entire menu.

Understand the HubSpot CRM structure

A basic understanding of HubSpot's data model makes the rest of the platform considerably easier to use.

The main concepts to understand are objects, records, properties and associations.

Objects

An object is a type of business information stored within HubSpot.

Common CRM objects include:

Contacts – individual people.
Companies – organisations.
Deals – sales opportunities or transactions.
Tickets – customer queries, support requests or other service processes.

HubSpot includes other objects depending on your subscription and configuration, and some organisations may also use additional or custom objects.

Your organisation may also customise the displayed name of certain objects, so the terminology you see could differ from HubSpot's default terminology.

Records

A record is an individual instance of an object.

For example:

A named individual can be a contact record.
Their employer can be a company record.
A sales opportunity with that organisation can be a deal record.
A customer support request can be a ticket record.

Opening a record allows you to review the information stored about it and, depending on the object and your permissions, see activities, associated records and other relevant CRM information.

Properties

Properties are the individual fields used to store information on records.

Examples might include:

First name.
Email address.
Telephone number.
Company name.
Record owner.
Deal amount.
Deal stage.
Ticket status.

HubSpot includes standard properties, and organisations can also create custom properties where additional information needs to be captured.

Using the correct property consistently is important because CRM data is used throughout HubSpot for filtering, segmentation, automation and reporting.

Avoid creating or storing information in an alternative field simply because it appears convenient. Follow your organisation's agreed CRM structure and data processes.

Associations

Associations connect related records.

For example, a contact can be associated with:

The company they work for.
One or more deals.
Relevant tickets.
Other associated CRM records.

These relationships help users understand the wider context around a customer or business process rather than looking at each record in isolation.

Associations are also important for reporting, automation and maintaining a useful CRM history.

Activities

Activities capture interactions and work taking place in relation to CRM records.

Depending on the tools being used, activities can include:

Emails.
Calls.
Meetings.
Notes.
Tasks.
Other supported interactions.

Reviewing a record's activity timeline can therefore help you understand what has already happened before taking your next action.

Understand the record layout

When you open a HubSpot CRM record, information is generally organised across different areas of the page.

Depending on your account configuration, you may see:

Key properties and information about the record.
An overview of important information.
An activity timeline showing interactions.
Associated records such as companies, contacts, deals or tickets.
Additional cards or tools configured by your organisation.

Record layouts can be customised by HubSpot administrators, so the structure used by your organisation may differ from examples shown in generic HubSpot guidance.

In some areas, individual users can also customise which properties they see without changing the experience for other users.

Use saved views

Object index pages, such as Contacts or Companies, can contain large numbers of records.

Saved views allow you to filter those records using property values and return to the same filtered view later.

For example, your organisation might use views for:

Records owned by you.
Open deals.
Recently created contacts.
Tickets requiring attention.
Records meeting a particular business criterion.

Use agreed team views where these exist. If you create personal views, give them clear names so their purpose remains obvious.

Bookmarks and saved views serve different purposes: bookmarks help you reach tools quickly, while saved views help you return to a particular filtered set of CRM records.

Personalise HubSpot without changing shared processes

HubSpot provides several ways to make your own workspace easier to use, including:

Choosing your default home page.
Configuring notifications.
Adding navigation bookmarks.
Creating or using saved views.
Adjusting personal profile and regional settings.
Customising certain properties shown to you on records where permitted.

Personalisation should make HubSpot easier to work with without changing your organisation's agreed CRM structure or processes.

Account-wide configuration, properties, pipelines, permissions, automation and other shared settings should only be changed by users who have the appropriate authority and understand the impact of the change.

Good habits for everyday HubSpot use

As you begin using HubSpot, a few simple habits will help maintain reliable CRM data:

Search for an existing record before creating a new one.
Check that you are updating the correct record.
Use the agreed properties rather than storing information in unrelated fields.
Keep activities and notes clear enough for another user to understand.
Check associations so related contacts, companies, deals and tickets are connected correctly.
Use saved views and bookmarks to make frequently used information easier to find.
Treat CRM information in line with your organisation's security, privacy and data-handling requirements.
Ask your HubSpot administrator before changing shared configuration when you are unsure of the impact.

What should you understand after getting started?

A new HubSpot user should be comfortable with:

Logging in and securing their individual account.
Managing their profile and preferences.
Setting an appropriate default home page.
Configuring useful notifications.
Navigating HubSpot and using global search.
Using bookmarks and saved views.
Understanding objects, records, properties and associations.
Recognising activities and the basic record layout.
Knowing the difference between personal preferences and shared HubSpot configuration.

You do not need to understand every HubSpot tool immediately. A strong understanding of navigation and the CRM data structure provides the foundation for learning the tools relevant to your role.

What can Forbidden help with?

Forbidden can help your organisation make HubSpot easier and more consistent for its users by supporting areas such as:

User onboarding and HubSpot training.
CRM structure and data-model guidance.
Record layouts and user experience.
Permission and access design.
Navigation and workspace configuration.
Saved views and role-specific ways of working.
CRM governance and data-quality processes.
HubSpot adoption and ongoing optimisation.

Your organisation remains responsible for deciding who should have access to systems and data, approving internal security policies and determining the permissions appropriate for individual users.

For questions about your own access or your organisation's internal processes, follow the support or administration route provided by your organisation.

Further information

For current HubSpot guidance, see:

HubSpot functionality and navigation can change over time, so refer to HubSpot's current documentation where the interface differs from the guidance above.