Client Name Settings let firms that moved to the new Contact & Client Structure choose how migrated client names display, both to your team and to your clients, and update every migrated client in one run.
Required: Available only to firms that have completed the move to Contact & Client Structure and were previously on our legacy CRM.
If client names didn't come through the migration the way your firm writes them, such as Smith, Jonathan where you use Jonathan Smith, you can apply one naming convention to every migrated client at once.
You don't need to rename clients one by one or open a support ticket, and your client list and Client Portal stay consistent before tax season.
Table of Contents
Set Your Client Name Options
Client Name Settings set the name your team sees inside Canopy. They're marked Internal, and clients never see this name.
To set your Client Name options:
Click your Profile icon, then go to Settings > CRM Updates and click the Client Name Settings tab.
Under Client Name Settings, choose an option in Select individual client record settings:
Pre-Migration {First Name}, {Last Name}
Pre-Migration {Last Name}, {First Name}
Pre-Migration display name if it exists, otherwise Pre-Migration {First Name}, {Last Name}
Pre-Migration display name if it exists, otherwise Pre-Migration {Last Name}, {First Name}
Do nothing — keep as is
Choose an option in Select business client record settings:
Pre-Migration display name if it exists, otherwise the Pre-Migration company name
Pre-Migration company name
Do nothing — keep as is
Check the New Client Name value in the examples on the right to preview the result.
The three examples show a client with a pre-migration display name, a client without one, and a business client.
👉 Good to know: QBO-synced clients automatically have their client name set to their existing display name.
Set Your Client-Facing Name Options
Client-Facing Name Settings set the name your clients see. They're marked External.
To set your Client-Facing Name options:
On the Client Name Settings tab, under Client-Facing Name Settings, choose an option in Select individual client record settings.
The choices are the same as for Client Name Settings.
Choose an option in Select business client record settings.
Check the New Client-Facing Name value in the examples on the right to preview the result.
👉 Canopy Tip: Your Client Name and Client-Facing Name don't have to match. For example, keep Smith, Jonathan internally so your client list sorts by last name, and show Jonathan Smith to the client.
Review and Apply Your Changes
⚠️ Heads up! Update now applies your Client Name and Client-Facing Name choices to every migrated client at once, and it can take a while for a large client list.
To apply your changes:
Click Update now.
Update now stays grayed out until you change at least one option from Do nothing — keep as is.
In the confirmation window, click Download CSV file to preview how every migrated client name will change.
Click Update now to start the update.
Troubleshooting
Update now is grayed out:
Every setting is on Do nothing — keep as is. Choose a different option in at least one section.
I don't see the Client Name Settings tab:
Go to Settings > CRM Updates. The tab appears only for firms that have completed the move to Contact & Client Structure.
The settings are grayed out:
An update is already in progress. Wait for it to finish, then come back to Client Name Settings.
Summary
Client Name Settings let firms that moved to Contact & Client Structure choose one naming convention for internal and client-facing names and apply it to every migrated client in one update. Preview the result in the examples and the CSV file before you click Update now.
Need Help?
Contact Support or ask Penny, our AI Support Bot, for assistance.