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Fix HubSpot → Salesforce Sync Issues (Not Working, Errors, Duplicates)

🔧 7 Common Issues

Diagnose and resolve common sync problems. We've documented the 7 most common issues, their root causes, and exactly how to fix them. See step-by-step fixes for duplicates, missing fields, rate limit errors, and connection issues.

critical High Frequency

Record Owner flips back and forth between HubSpot Owner and Salesforce Owner every 5 minutes.

Also searched as: "HubSpot Salesforce record owner flips back and forth between hubspot owner and salesforce owner every 5 minutes."

#1 Bi-directional Owner Sync Conflict 80% likely

📋 How to Diagnose

  1. 1. Both systems set to 'Sync'.
  2. 2. HubSpot workflow assigns Round Robin.
  3. 3. Salesforce assignment rule assigns Territory.
  4. 4. They fight forever.

✓ Solution

Pick ONE source of truth (e.g. Salesforce Territory). Set HubSpot mapping to 'Use Salesforce value' (one-way).

⏱️ Est. time: 15 min

Use A2X → →
View Setup Guide
high Very High Frequency

Sync Error: 'INVALID_OR_NULL_FOR_RESTRICTED_PICKLIST'

Also searched as: "HubSpot Salesforce sync error: 'invalid_or_null_for_restricted_picklist'"

#1 API Name mismatch (Case Sensitive) 95% likely

📋 How to Diagnose

  1. 1. Salesforce Picklist API Name: 'New_York'
  2. 2. HubSpot Internal Value: 'New York'
  3. 3. Mismatch causes hard failure.

✓ Solution

Update HubSpot Property options to match Salesforce API Names exactly.

⏱️ Est. time: 10 min

View Setup Guide
high High Frequency

Same contact syncs twice to Salesforce, creating duplicate Accounts or Contacts with slight email variations

Also searched as: "HubSpot Salesforce same contact syncs twice to salesforce, creating duplicate accounts or contacts with slight email variations"

#1 Duplicate Detection Disabled or Misconfigured 90% likely

📋 How to Diagnose

  1. 1. Salesforce > Setup > Admin > Duplicate Rules > Check if 'Block All Duplicates' is enabled
  2. 2. HubSpot Sync Settings > Check 'Duplicate Handling' mode (Merge? Update existing?)
  3. 3. Search Salesforce for contacts with same email but different record IDs

✓ Solution

Enable Salesforce Duplicate Prevention. In HubSpot, set duplicate matching to use 'Email' as unique identifier. Or use Make to validate record doesn't exist before syncing.

⏱️ Est. time: 25 min

Use Make → →
View Setup Guide
high Moderate Frequency

HubSpot custom objects (Deals with nested Line Items) can't sync to Salesforce; data structure mismatch causes failed syncs

Also searched as: "HubSpot Salesforce hubspot custom objects (deals with nested line items) can't sync to salesforce; data structure mismatch causes failed syncs"

#1 Salesforce Custom Object Schema Doesn't Match HubSpot Structure 100% likely

📋 How to Diagnose

  1. 1. HubSpot > CRM > Objects > Check custom object schema (e.g., Order > Line Items)
  2. 2. Salesforce > Setup > Objects and Fields > Check if equivalent custom object exists
  3. 3. Verify relationship setup (parent-child) matches HubSpot hierarchy

✓ Solution

If custom object doesn't exist in Salesforce, create it and establish lookup relationships. Or simplify: flatten HubSpot nested data into Salesforce's Opportunity + OpportunityLineItem structure using Make.

⏱️ Est. time: 60 min

Use Make → →
View Setup Guide
high Medium Frequency

Leads are automatically routed from HubSpot to Salesforce without sales director approval, causing misaligned territories

Also searched as: "HubSpot Salesforce leads are automatically routed from hubspot to salesforce without sales director approval, causing misaligned territories"

#1 Direct Lead Sync Without Review 100% likely

📋 How to Diagnose

  1. 1. Current integration routes leads immediately
  2. 2. No validation step to ensure lead is routed to the correct sales territory

✓ Solution

Use Relay.app to add a sales director approval step: When lead is created in HubSpot → Sales director gets Slack notification to approve routing → Only sync to Salesforce if approved.

⏱️ Est. time: 30 min

Use A2X → →
View Setup Guide
medium High Frequency

HubSpot 'Address' (single field) maps to Salesforce 'Billing Address' (Street, City, State, Zip); missing pieces break address validation

Also searched as: "HubSpot Salesforce hubspot 'address' (single field) maps to salesforce 'billing address' (street, city, state, zip); missing pieces break address validation"

#1 Single-Field to Multi-Field Mapping 100% likely

📋 How to Diagnose

  1. 1. HubSpot > Properties > 'Address' field (single text field)
  2. 2. Salesforce > Account Fields > 'Billing Street', 'Billing City', 'Billing State', 'Billing Postal Code' (separate fields)
  3. 3. Sync pushes full address to 'Billing Street' only, leaving City/State/Zip empty

✓ Solution

Use Make or Zapier to parse HubSpot address string and split into Salesforce compound fields. Or create a HubSpot workflow that populates separate Street/City/State/Zip properties before sync.

⏱️ Est. time: 45 min

Use Make → →
View Setup Guide
medium Moderate Frequency

HubSpot Date field syncs as String to Salesforce; filters break ('Last Activity after 2024' doesn't work)

Also searched as: "HubSpot Salesforce hubspot date field syncs as string to salesforce; filters break ('last activity after 2024' doesn't work)"

#1 Field Data Type Incompatibility 100% likely

📋 How to Diagnose

  1. 1. HubSpot > Properties > Check field type (Date? DateTime? Text?)
  2. 2. Salesforce > Custom Fields > Check target field type
  3. 3. Check sync logs for type conversion warnings

✓ Solution

Ensure HubSpot and Salesforce field types match. HubSpot Date → Salesforce Date field. Or use Make to convert types explicitly (e.g. 'YYYY-MM-DD' string to Salesforce Date format).

⏱️ Est. time: 20 min

Use Make → →
View Setup Guide

Step 1: Try the Official Integration

Direct connection

Start with the native integration if available. It's usually the most reliable, but may have limitations.

View Setup Guide

Free with your subscription

Step 2: Use Make for Custom Flows

No code automation

Create custom integration workflows with Make's visual designer. It works with almost any API.

Try Make Free →

1000 ops/mo free. No credit card.

Step 3: Self-Hosted with n8n

Full data control

Need complete data privacy? n8n is open-source and self-hostable. Build custom integrations with full control over your data.

Try n8n Free →

Open source. Self-host or cloud. Unlimited ops.

Step 4: Add Human Review

Approval automation

Relay adds human-in-the-loop approvals, Slack/Teams alerts, and conditional logic to your automation.

Try Relay Free →

1000 actions/mo free. No credit card.