Want to test the functionality of a new workflow without going live? How about tinkering with an integration without impacting your main HubSpot account? With a HubSpot sandbox account, you can.
Before diving into further details, please note that sandbox accounts are currently in beta and only apply to Marketing, Sales, Service, Operations, and CMS Hub Enterprise accounts. Before using one, you need to contact your HubSpot CSM and ask to be ungated for the beta. You can also send a request through a contact at a HubSpot agency partner, who can route it to the proper HubSpot team member.
With that said, take a look at what you need to know when it comes to HubSpot sandbox accounts.
What is a Sandbox Account in HubSpot?
Sandboxes are production-like accounts where HubSpot users can safely try new things in their portal with the proper context without impacting anything in production. These accounts mirror a main HubSpot account’s features, functionality, and limits (based on your subscription) without actually being live. While sandbox accounts have access to the same tools as your main account, users cannot make calls or send emails from them.
Additionally, you can add external users like contractors or freelancers to your sandbox account who don’t exist in your main account without giving them access to that live portal. It’s also important to note that a sandbox account is different from an app developer account, where users develop apps and integrations for usage. And finally, sandbox accounts ensure you don’t need to recreate your setup from scratch. All you have to do is select what you want to copy from your production account to your sandbox. You can choose from:
- Account tools and features – Sandboxes have the same HubSpot plan (Marketing, Sales, Service, Operations, or CMS) as their connected account, minus email and calling
- Super Admins – Super admins are the only users who can create and have immediate access to sandboxes, but they can add others manually
- Object Definitions – Sandboxes include properties and property groups for standard and custom objects, but not records, calculation properties, or rollups
- Pipelines – Sandboxes include pipelines for deals, tickets, and custom objects, but not records
- Themes, templates, and modules – Sandboxes include the actual theme, template, and modules assets without the content, pages, emails, or quotes
CRM records or workflows won’t be copied to your sandbox, either. You can recreate these assets or import your records to add them. You’ll also need to reconnect any apps or integrations for testing.
How Do You Use a Sandbox Account?
Once you’ve ungated the beta, the super admins in your portal can find sandboxes under Settings > Account Setup. Each customer can have three sandboxes that match the subscription and add-ons of their main account, except transactional email and dedicated IPs. Every sandbox you create will have a unique Hub ID for recording keeping. They automatically sync the super admin from your production account, as only super admins can create them.
If you reach your limit of three sandboxes at a time, you’ll need to delete an existing sandbox before creating a new one. To do this, you hover over your sandbox account and click “delete.” You can also sync an existing sandbox to reflect any changes you’ve made in production. Syncing simply recreates it and mirrors the current state of your main account. To do this, you’d hover over the appropriate account and hit “sync.” If you sync, you will overwrite any changes you’ve made to the sandbox. You’ll start from scratch.
Why Use a HubSpot Sandbox Account?
A sandbox account lets you run any functionality you’re interested in that could potentially cause an issue without actually bogging down or damaging live critical resources. This makes them useful for quality assurance teams who want to test all the different ways something can break to ensure that doesn’t happen. Also, because a sandbox is the same as a production environment, any workflow, integration, or website update that runs without issues here should run without problems in production. Essentially, they give you the green light on any features you want to add to your main account!
If you’re a HubSpot user and ready to test in a safe environment, then reach out to your HubSpot CSM or agency partner today!
