If you are moving to HubSpot from another CRM then you will probably want to import historic email.
In this post we summarise the top 3 ways to solve this common problem.
The right solution for you will depend on the number of emails to import. It will also depend on how much you are prepared to pay.
Option 1: Automated Migration Service
The quickest and most accurate way to import historic email is by using an automated migration tool. At the moment the only tool capable of doing this is Threads. Threads is a HubSpot Certified App and frequently gets 5 star reviews. Threads can easily cope with multiple email accounts. It connects directly to your email inbox and it can even import the email of ex-employees.
Another unique feature is that Threads only imports emails from contacts already in your Hubspot CRM. This means that you can also clean up your CRM as part of the migration. Further, you can ignore emails of any old, irrelevant or spam contacts. Threads works with any email client (including Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail) which makes it an attractive option for any potential customer.
Customer service is really important to the Threads team and all users are encouraged to take advantage of their free trial. If you only have a small amount of data, Threads will also import the last 30 days of your historic email for free. Prices start at $200 for a single user for up to 2 years of data.
Option 2: Using the HubSpot Bcc
HubSpot’s native solution to import historic email is to use the HubSpot Forwarding Address. This is a cost effective but slower way of migrating your data. It requires you to identify and manually forward any past emails to a unique email address connected to your HubSpot account. Each user’s forwarding address can be found under ‘Settings’.
Each forwarded email will then be associated and logged on the relevant contact’s timeline. Note that the email is logged on the date that the email is forwarded not the date on which the email was originally sent. This may mean that emails do not appear on the timeline in chronological order.
This method is particularly useful if only a few emails are missing. It can also plug any gaps if the Gmail / Chrome extension is disabled. You can not forward emails in bulk. Therefore if you have many years of historic email this method is time intensive and you may miss emails.
3. Copy / Paste Email
For users with only a limited amount of emails, one option is to manually log the email by copying and pasting the body of the emails to HubSpot.
You can do this by clicking “Log Activity” and then “Log an Email”. The user will then need to manually enter the time and date of the email and paste the email content into HubSpot.
For obvious reasons, this is a very time consuming exercise, but if you only have a few emails to import then it may offer the best solution.
Conclusion
The optimal solution will depend on the total number of emails you wish to import. It will also be driven by whether it is important to have your historic emails displayed chronologically.
FAQ
You can import historic emails into HubSpot using three main methods:
1. Automated migration tools – The fastest and most accurate option. Tools like Threads connect directly to your inbox and automatically import historic emails into HubSpot timelines.
2. HubSpot forwarding (BCC) address – You manually forward emails to a unique HubSpot email address so they appear on the contact record.
3. Manual logging – Copy and paste email content into HubSpot as a logged activity.
The best method depends on how many emails you need to migrate and how much automation you want.
HubSpot does not provide a native bulk tool for importing historic emails from existing inboxes. Instead, it relies on integrations with email clients such as Gmail or Outlook.
Because of this limitation, businesses often use third-party tools or manual methods to migrate their historical communications into HubSpot.
The easiest way is to use an automated migration tool that connects directly to your email accounts and logs historic emails into HubSpot automatically.
Automation reduces manual work, avoids missed conversations, and ensures email timelines remain complete and accurate. It also supports migrations from multiple inboxes at once.
Migrating historic emails helps ensure your CRM reflects the full history of your customer relationships. Without that history:
– Contact timelines appear empty
– Teams lose context for past conversations
– Important communications remain locked in personal inboxes
Bringing historic emails into HubSpot improves CRM adoption and gives teams a complete view of customer interactions from day one.
HubSpot does not offer a simple built-in way to bulk upload email conversations from external inboxes.
Businesses typically solve this by:
– Using migration software that imports emails automatically
– Forwarding emails individually via HubSpot’s forwarding address
– Manually logging emails inside HubSpot
Automated tools are generally the only practical option for large email datasets.
HubSpot provides a unique forwarding (BCC) email address for each user.
When you forward an email to that address:
1. HubSpot receives the email.
2. It associates the message with the relevant contact record.
3. The email appears on the contact timeline.
However, forwarded emails are logged on the date they are forwarded, not when the email was originally sent, which can disrupt chronological order.
The fastest approach is to use an automated email migration tool that connects to multiple inboxes simultaneously.
These tools can:
– Import emails from several accounts
– Capture both sent and received messages
– Include emails from former employee accounts
– Sync them directly to the relevant HubSpot contacts
This avoids the manual effort required when forwarding or copying emails individually.
Yes. Email migration tools can connect to archived inboxes and import emails from former employee accounts.
This helps ensure important client conversations are not lost when staff leave and ensures that historic communication remains accessible within HubSpot.
Yes. Some migration solutions allow you to control which emails are imported.
For example, emails can be filtered based on:
– Existing contacts in HubSpot
– Date ranges (e.g. last two years)
– Specific inboxes or accounts
– Excluding irrelevant or spam contacts
This allows businesses to clean up their CRM data while migrating communications.
Costs depend on the method used:
– Manual logging – Free but extremely time consuming
– Forwarding emails – Free but impractical for large volumes
– Automated migration tools – Typically charge based on the number of users and how many years of email history you import
Automated solutions are usually the most cost-effective for organisations with large email archives.