Bulk Editing Records
Bulk editing selects multiple records from a list view and applies the same change to all of them. Access and edit permissions on the selected records are required.
Bulk updates can also be made through import; see Importing from external sources. Bulk editing from a report is covered in the Advanced Reporting Guide.
On this page:
- Selecting records
- Available actions
- Changing the responsible user
- Notifications
- Workflow automation and AppConnect
Selecting records
- Select an object from the navigation menu.
- Select the records:
- Individually, by clicking the checkbox to the left of each name.
- All on the current page, by clicking the checkbox above the list. Insightly shows up to 50 records per page.
- All in the list, by clicking the checkbox above the list and then the link in the Select all... message that appears at the top.
- Click one of the bulk editing options above the list. Which options appear depends on the object.
- Follow the prompts to enter the new data.
If the list on screen is not the set you need, narrow it first by creating a custom filtered list, by clicking a link under Your Recent Imports in the right sidebar, or by clicking a tag to filter by tags.
On the bulk edit page, a search bar finds fields without scrolling the whole list.
Available actions
Options vary by object.
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Add Tags | Adds one or more tags to each selected record. |
| Add Activity Set | Applies an Activity Set template, creating its group of tasks and events automatically on each record. |
| Add Link | Links a record to all the selected records. |
| Add Note | Creates a new note attached to each record. |
| Send Email | Creates and sends an email to each record’s email address. |
| Change Record Owner | Updates the owner. On Organization records this can also change the owner of linked contacts (primary and non-primary), open linked opportunities (primary and non-primary), and open linked leads whose email address matches one of the organization’s email domains. |
| Change Field Value | Sets a field to a new value across the selection. Includes Clear Field, which clears or resets a field across multiple records at once. |
| Add to Marketing List | Adds prospects linked to the selected contacts or leads to a static List in Insightly Marketing, for use in Journeys and Emails. |
| Change Permissions | Sets record visibility to Everyone, only the record owner, a selected team, or selected individuals. |
| Merge these Contacts/Leads/Prospects | Runs SmartMerge. Pick one record as the master to supply the field values, editable afterwards. |
| Export to CSV | Exports the records to a downloadable CSV. |
| Export to MailChimp | Exports the records to a chosen MailChimp list. |
| Archive | For records that cannot be deleted. Removes them from active list views and moves them to an Archive list view. |
| Delete | Deletes all selected records. |
⚠️ Bulk delete takes notes and files with it. Deleting records in bulk also deletes their notes and files, and unlinks any emails, tasks, and events attached to them. Records can be recovered from the recycle bin, but the notes and files have to be restored separately.
ℹ️ Clearing a field in bulk needs edit permission on every record selected, the same as any other bulk change.
Changing the responsible user
A worked example of Change Field Value.
- Go to Tasks, Leads, Opportunities, or Projects.
- Select or build a list using filters or the tags index.
- Tick the records, or the box at the top to select the whole page.
- Click Bulk Edit.
- Click the Change Field Value checkbox and select Responsible User.
- Choose the new user from the Change to dropdown.
- Click Save Bulk Edits.
Notifications
A bulk update can touch many records at once, which would otherwise send a notification for every one to everybody following them.
The bulk edit screen carries a Send notifications for every record to users following record changes checkbox. Notifications are off by default.
Workflow automation and AppConnect
⚠️ Workflows and recipes do not run unless you tick the box. On the bulk edit screen, check the option to trigger workflow automation actions and AppConnect recipes. Left unchecked, no workflow rule or recipe is processed for the edited records, even where the criteria are met.