The left sidebar on a HubSpot record is the first thing a rep sees — and the fields it shows decide whether they get the context they need or scroll past clutter. You set up default properties by choosing which fields appear, and in what order, on the record sidebar — shaping every contact, company, deal, and ticket so the most important information is right at the top. It's a small configuration with an outsized effect on daily usability. Here's the practitioner's read on getting it right.
Before customizing sidebars, get familiar with HubSpot’s default company properties.
What are default properties and the record sidebar?
The sidebar is the panel of fields shown on every record of an object, and default properties are the fields you choose to display there by default for your team. Every contact opens with the same set of fields, every deal with another — and those defaults are configurable. Setting them well means the moment someone opens a record, the fields that drive the next decision are visible without hunting. The opposite — a sidebar stuffed with every field anyone ever created — buries the useful information and trains reps to ignore the panel entirely.
How do you decide which properties belong on the sidebar?
Show the few fields a rep needs to act, and hide the rest — the sidebar is for decisions, not for storing everything. For a deal, that's usually amount, stage, close date, and owner; for a contact, lifecycle stage, owner, and the key qualifying details. Ask what someone needs to see in the first three seconds of opening a record, and lead with that. Worked example: a deal sidebar trimmed to amount, stage, close date, and next step lets a rep grasp where the deal stands at a glance — instead of scrolling past 30 fields to find the four that matter.
How do you set it up — and tailor it by team?
Edit the default properties from the record's customization settings, and use conditional or team-specific views so different roles see what's relevant to them. You can reorder fields, add the ones that matter, and remove the noise, then save that as the default layout. Where HubSpot allows, you can give different teams their own view so sales sees deal-driving fields and service sees ticket context — the same record, framed for the person looking at it. The discipline is restraint: every field you add to the default makes the important ones a little harder to find.
Why does this matter more than it looks?
Because the sidebar shapes behavior — a clean, well-ordered one drives good data entry and fast decisions, a cluttered one drives neglect. When the fields that matter are front and center, reps keep them updated and use them; when they're buried, the data decays and the record stops being trusted. This is the same principle behind every clean-CRM project: make the right action the easy one. A thoughtful sidebar is one of the cheapest, highest-leverage configurations you can make, and it pays off every time someone opens a record.
The IV-Lead take
Default properties and sidebars look like a cosmetic setting, but they quietly govern how your team reads every record and whether they keep the data clean. Lead with the few fields that drive the next decision, tailor the view by role where you can, and resist the urge to show everything. The portals that stay clean and well-used aren't the ones with the most fields — they're the ones where the right fields are the first thing you see. Small configuration, daily payoff.
Want your records configured so your team works clean and fast? Book a 30-minute portal audit — we'll review how your records and properties are set up. For the bigger picture, see how we approach HubSpot implementation and optimization.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a property and the sidebar?
A property is a field that stores data on a record; the sidebar is the panel that displays a chosen set of those fields. Setting up default properties means deciding which fields show on the sidebar and in what order.
How many fields should I show on a record sidebar?
Only the few that drive the next decision — often a handful per object. The sidebar is for fast context, not storage; extra fields bury the ones that matter and train reps to ignore the panel.
Can different teams see different sidebar fields?
Yes — where HubSpot supports it, you can give teams their own views so each role sees the fields relevant to its work on the same record. Tailor the view to the person looking at it.
Does customizing the sidebar change the underlying data?
No — it changes what's displayed and in what order, not the data stored on the record. You're shaping how the record reads, not editing its values.
