How Do I Create and Manage Custom Fields?
Custom Fields allow you to capture additional contact information not already included in Canopy—helpful for onboarding, marketing, sales tracking, and internal workflows.
Required Plan, License, and Permissions:
Access to Settings
Permission to manage Custom Fields
Custom Fields help your firm track the data that matters most—whether it’s referral sources, service preferences, or internal classifications.
Table of Contents
Create a Custom Field
To create a new Custom Field:
Click your profile picture or initials in the bottom-left corner.
Select Settings.
Click Custom Fields in the left-hand menu.
Click Create Custom Field.
Enter a Field name.
Select a Field type.
Choose whether the field applies to:
Individuals
Businesses
Both
Click Create.
Available Field Types
Text Input — Single-line free-form text
Date — Select a date from a calendar
Dropdown Select — Select one option from a predefined list
Example: Months of the year
Multi-Select — Select multiple options from a predefined list
Example: States or jurisdictions
Best Practice: Use Text Input fields when storing alphanumeric data such as routing or account numbers.
Use Custom Fields in Contact Records
Once created, Custom Fields appear when creating or editing a contact.
To enter Custom Field data:
Open a Contact record.
Scroll to the Custom Fields section (near the bottom of the contact window).
Enter or select the appropriate value.
Save your changes.
These fields become interactive and function according to the type selected (text, date, dropdown, etc.).
Edit or Delete a Custom Field
You can modify certain aspects of a Custom Field—but not all.
What You Can Edit
Rename the Custom Field.
Change which entities it applies to (Individual, Business, or Both).
What You Cannot Edit
You cannot change the Field type after creation.
If you change the entity type (for example, from Both to Individuals only):
Any Business records using that field will permanently lose the field and its associated data.
This action cannot be undone.
To delete a Custom Field:
Navigate to Settings > Custom Fields.
Locate the field.
Select the delete option.
Deleting a Custom Field:
Removes the field from all contact records.
Permanently deletes all associated data.
Cannot be undone.
Important: Review carefully before changing entity types or deleting fields.
Troubleshooting
Custom Field is not appearing in a contact record
Confirm the field applies to the correct entity type (Individual or Business).
Refresh the contact record after creation.
Need a different field type
Field types cannot be changed after creation.
Create a new Custom Field with the correct type and migrate data as needed.
Summary
Custom Fields allow you to tailor contact records to fit your firm’s workflow.
Create fields for Individuals, Businesses, or both.
Choose from Text, Date, Dropdown, or Multi-Select types.
Rename fields as needed—but field type changes are not allowed.
Deleting or narrowing entity types permanently removes data.
Use Custom Fields strategically to support onboarding, reporting, and internal processes.
Need Help?
Contact Support or ask Penny, our AI Support Bot, for assistance.