GoHighLevel Snapshots Explained: How to Use and Import Them

What a snapshot actually is

A snapshot is a template of a sub-account's configuration, saved at agency level. Importing it into another sub-account recreates that configuration there. It is a build template, not a backup and not a data migration tool.

What is included and what is left behind

Typically included:

• Workflows, triggers and campaign sequences
• Funnels, websites and forms/surveys
• Pipelines and opportunity stages
• Calendars and their settings
• Custom fields, custom values and tags
• Email and SMS templates

Almost never included — plan to redo these manually:

• Contacts and conversation history
• Phone numbers and their A2P registration
• Connected email sending domains and DNS authentication
• Payment processor connections and product catalogues
• Third-party integrations and API keys
• User accounts and permissions
• Media library files referenced by pages, which can break images

How to create a clean snapshot

1. Build and test everything in one dedicated template sub-account, never in a live client account.
2. Replace every hardcoded value — business name, phone, booking link — with a custom value, so the next account only edits variables.
3. Delete drafts, duplicated workflows and unused funnels. Clutter multiplies with every import.
4. Go to Agency Settings › Snapshots › Create Snapshot, select the source sub-account and name it with a version and date.
5. Import it into a throwaway sub-account and click through everything before using it with a client.

Importing a snapshot safely

You can load a snapshot into a new sub-account at creation time, or push it into an existing one from the snapshot menu. The second option is where accidents happen.

1. Prefer importing into a brand-new sub-account whenever possible.
2. If you must push into an existing account, read the conflict option carefully: overwriting replaces assets with the same name and can wipe client customisations.
3. Import outside business hours — active workflows can fire during the process.
4. Immediately after import, open Workflows and confirm which ones are published. Some arrive in draft, some arrive live.
5. Update every custom value, then send one test through each channel.

Pushing updates to accounts already running

Snapshots are not linked after import: changing the source does not update the copies unless you deliberately re-push. When you do re-push, use additive changes — new workflows with new names — instead of editing existing ones, so client-specific tweaks survive.

Keep a simple changelog of what each version adds. When ten sub-accounts run three different versions, that document is the only thing standing between you and guesswork.