---
title: Custom fields
description: Add extra details to every contact, such as plan or birthday. Learn the seven field types, merge tags, ordering and reserved names.
url: "https://hiveplugins.com/docs/hive-mail-custom-fields/"
updated: "2026-10-28"
category: Hive Mail
---

# Custom fields

Custom fields are extra details you keep on every contact, such as plan or birthday. Each field becomes a merge tag for emails and a condition for segments. Open **Audience > Custom Fields**. Looking needs "See the audience"; changing needs "Manage the audience". Choose the type with care: it cannot be changed later.

The table shows **Field** (with the choices for a Dropdown or Multi-select), **Merge tag** (with a copy button), **Type** and **Filled in** (how many contacts have a value). The arrows **Move up** and **Move down** set the order of the inputs in the contact dialog, the rows on the profile and the columns in the export.

![The Custom fields table with a Dropdown field showing its choices and the merge tag copy button](https://hiveplugins.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hivemail-audience-fields-table-01.webp)

## Create a field

1. Click **New field**.
2. Type the **Field name** (required, up to 150 characters), for example "Plan".
3. Under **What kind of detail is it?** choose a type (below).
4. For a Dropdown or Multi-select, write the **Choices**, one per line (1 to 200, each up to 100 characters; blank and repeated lines are dropped).
5. Optional: type a **Merge tag name**. Leave it empty and Hive Mail makes one from the field name.
6. Click **Create field**.

![The New field dialog with the seven kinds to choose from](https://hiveplugins.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/hivemail-audience-fields-new-02.webp)

| Type | What it holds |
| --- | --- |
| **Text** | A short answer, up to 255 characters. |
| **Long text** | A longer note, up to 5,000 characters; line breaks are kept. |
| **Number** | Any number, decimals allowed, so you can compare values in segments. |
| **Date** | A calendar date (YYYY-MM-DD) from a date picker. |
| **Dropdown** | Exactly one of the choices you write. |
| **Multi-select** | Any of the choices, as tick boxes, shown as a comma list. |
| **Checkbox** | Yes or no. |

The merge tag name uses lowercase letters, digits and underscores, starts with a letter, is up to 64 characters and unique. If you leave it empty, Hive Mail uses the field name in lower case with spaces and dashes turned into underscores, adds `field_` if it does not start with a letter, and adds `_2`, `_3` and so on if the word is reserved or taken.

Reserved names you cannot use: `id`, `email`, `first_name`, `last_name`, `full_name`, `name`, `phone`, `country`, `company`, `status`, `source`, `token`, `score`, `ltv`, `list`, `lists`, `tag`, `tags`, `fields`, `created_at`, `updated_at`, `unsubscribe_link`, `unsubscribe_url`, `preferences_url`, `view_in_browser`, `site_name`, `site_url`, `business_name`, `business_address` and `current_year`.

## Edit, use and delete a field

- **Edit** (**⋯ > Edit**): you can change the name and, for a Dropdown or Multi-select, the choices (editing replaces the whole list; contacts keep the value they have). The type and merge tag name are locked, because contacts already hold values in that form and emails using the tag would break.
- **Use in an email:** click the copy button beside the merge tag and paste it, for example `{{plan}}`. Add a fallback after a bar for people with no value: `{{plan|there}}`. See [Merge tags and fallbacks](/docs/hive-mail-merge-tags-and-fallbacks/).
- **Where fields appear:** the contact dialog and profile, CSV import (as "Custom field:" followed by the name), CSV export (one column per field), segments (the condition **Custom field**) and connected forms.
- **Delete** (**⋯ > Delete**, then **Delete field**): removes the value from every contact, and emails using the merge tag show nothing in its place.

> **Warning:** Deleting a field cannot be undone. [Export your contacts](/docs/hive-mail-export-contacts/) first if you might need the values.

To change a field's type, create a new field, fill it in, then delete the old one.

Next: [Merge tags](/docs/hive-mail-merge-tags-and-fallbacks/), [Segments](/docs/hive-mail-segments/), [Import contacts from a CSV file](/docs/hive-mail-import-contacts-from-csv/).