Reload: what's kept, what's lost

Updated Markdown

This article covers two related things: what a Reload keeps and what it removes, and the Refresh automatically setting that runs a refresh for you on a schedule. For where to click Reload by hand, which sources support it, and pushing your edits back out, see "Keeping a connected list in sync" — that article is the full guide to the manual side.

Your CRM or source is the leading system: when both you and the source changed the same field, the source's value wins. This rule is the same for a manual Reload and an automatic refresh, and for every source.

Kept#

  • A saved edit, if the source field hasn't changed since you made it — it stays marked as a pending change, so Sync can write it to the source later.
  • Columns you added in ListPlus (your own data columns, AI columns, cells filled from enrichment) — the source only updates the fields it knows.
  • Tags, statuses, enrichment results and quality-check data on every row that stays in your list.
  • Rows that are no longer in the source but carry your work: edits not yet synced back, enrichment results, a status or tags. They stay in your list.

Changed or removed#

  • A saved edit is overwritten if the source changed that field too and now holds a different value — the source wins.
  • With a manual Reload, rows that are no longer in the source and carry none of your work (no pending edits, enrichment results, status or tags) are removed from your list. An automatic refresh never removes rows.
  • Rows newly added in the source are added to your list. Reload looks at the whole source, not just the number of records your list had at import, so records added since your first import are picked up too.
  • Your own edits are saved automatically and compared like any saved edit. Open AI suggestions you haven't applied are not compared at all — they're simply lost, which is why the reload warning calls them out separately.

Refreshing automatically#

Some connected lists can refresh themselves on a schedule instead of you clicking Reload by hand: click the Set up icon next to the list's name (or ⋯ menu → List Settings...), open Refresh automatically and set it to Daily or Weekly (or Off). The choice is saved as soon as you pick it. Every workspace member who can edit the list can change it — the same people who can use the manual Reload button.

For other lists the section only shows a note that no setting appears there. The setting only shows for lists from an online source with a stable record ID that ListPlus can match rows by: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Airtable, Notion, Attio and Stripe — and only in the workspace where that source was connected. It never shows for Google Sheets, for lists imported from a LinkedIn or web scraper, or for a file import (CSV, Excel, JSON): those have no way to reliably tell "this is the same record" between runs.

A scheduled refresh runs in the background (you don't need the list, or even the app, open) and shows Last refreshed: with the date and time under Set up → Refresh automatically afterwards. It works like a manual Reload, with three differences that protect your list:

  • It never removes a row. Rows the source no longer returns stay as they are, so a partial answer from the source can't cost you rows or their enrichment data. Use a manual Reload if you want rows that left the source cleaned up.
  • At most 1,000 new records per run. If the source has more new records, the rest arrive with the next runs.
  • Edits made while it runs are not lost. The refresh merges with the list as it is at the moment of writing, so a cell someone changed or a row someone added during the run stays.

HubSpot lists only fetch what changed. For a list from HubSpot, a scheduled run asks HubSpot only for the records modified since the last successful run (starting 10 minutes earlier, so nothing saved during that run slips through) — fast even for large lists. Records HubSpot didn't change are left exactly as they are. A full run still happens on the first run, at least once a week, and whenever the changed records would be more than 10,000. Lists from Salesforce, Pipedrive, Airtable, Notion, Attio and Stripe fetch all records on every run.

Filtered HubSpot lists: at most the first 10,000. If you imported from HubSpot with a filter (anything other than All Records), HubSpot delivers at most 10,000 matching records per query, so a full refresh covers at most the first 10,000 of them; records beyond that are neither added nor updated, but they stay in your list — when HubSpot cuts a result off at 10,000, neither Reload nor the automatic refresh removes any rows. Narrow the filter, or import without a filter, to keep everything in sync.

Reference lists become read-only. If the list is also a reference list, an automatic refresh makes its record data read-only in ListPlus — change records in the source; statuses, tags and ignoring rows still work. See "Reference lists (customers, competitors, partners, block)" for details and how to unlock it.

Records it adds or changes are written to the list normally, so list triggers wake up for them just like for any other change — a trigger such as "new HubSpot contact → hand to a pipeline" can fire without anyone opening the list. Records the source didn't change are left untouched and wake no trigger. Your plan's record limit still applies: a run whose new records would exceed it fails with "The new records would exceed your plan's limit." instead of adding them. And if the workspace already holds more records than its plan edits (for example more than 5,000 on Basic), its lists are read-only, so every run fails with "Your workspace is over its plan's record limit – its lists are read-only until you upgrade." — after three such attempts the refresh pauses.

Plan and cost. A reload, an update and every automatic run read the source through the connected account, so they need the source's plan (Pro, or Premium for HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Attio, Notion and Stripe) and cost credits per request to the source — an automatic refresh pays its requests on every run, see the price list. After a downgrade the account stays connected, but a reload answers that the plan is needed, and an automatic refresh shows "The workspace's plan no longer includes this source. Upgrade to refresh the list again." It stays switched on and refreshes again by itself once the plan includes the source; the same holds when the workspace has no credits left. Neither counts as a failed attempt.

Turning it on for the first time runs the first refresh within about an hour; switching an already-scheduled list between Daily and Weekly keeps its next scheduled run. If a refresh fails, that section shows Refresh failed: with the reason — for example that the connection to the source no longer works (reconnect the account), that no row could be matched to the source (the ID column is probably missing; nothing was changed), or that the refresh did not finish in time. A run that doesn't finish in time counts as a failed attempt, and no rows are removed. After 3 failed attempts in a row it pauses itself ("Paused after 3 failed attempts in a row."), with a Turn back on link to resume the schedule once you've fixed the cause.

Related topics: sync-overview · saving-is-manual · connect-crm-and-sheets.

FAQ#

What does a Reload keep from my saved edits?#

A saved edit is kept as long as the source field hasn't changed since you edited it, and stays ready to be written back with Sync. If the source changed that field too, the source wins and your edit is overwritten — your CRM is the leading system, for a manual Reload and an automatic refresh alike.

Does Reload delete rows that vanished from the source?#

A manual Reload removes a row that's no longer in the source only if it carries none of your work — rows with edits not yet synced back, enrichment results, a status or tags stay in your list. An automatic refresh never removes any row.

Will my tags, enrichment results and check data survive a Reload?#

Yes. They're kept on every row that's still in the source, and a row that has left the source is kept too when it has tags, a status or enrichment results.

Does Reload add new rows from the source?#

Yes, records that are new in the source since your last reload are added to your list. An automatic refresh adds at most 1,000 new records per run; the rest arrive with the next runs.

Does Reload remove columns I added in ListPlus?#

No. Columns you added yourself — data columns, AI columns, cells filled from enrichment — stay, and their values are kept; the source only updates the fields it provides.

How does ListPlus know which row matches which source record?#

Automatically, by the source's own record ID (for Attio the _attio_id column — do not remove it) — this matching is separate from the Primary Key Field you set for Sync, and needs no setup from you. If not a single row can be matched (usually because the ID column is missing), the reload stops and nothing is changed.

How do I make a list refresh itself automatically?#

In the list, click the Set up icon next to the list's name, open Refresh automatically and set it to Daily or Weekly; it's saved right away. It only appears for lists from HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Airtable, Notion, Attio or Stripe — not for Google Sheets, scraper imports or file imports.

Who can turn automatic refresh on or off?#

Every workspace member who can edit the list — the same people the manual Reload button is available to, not only the owner or admins.

Does an automatic refresh remove rows that are no longer in the source?#

No — a scheduled refresh never removes a row, so a partial answer from the source can't cost you rows or their enrichment data. Your own columns, enrichment results, tags, statuses and changes not yet written back are kept as with a manual Reload; use a manual Reload if you want rows that left the source cleaned up.

Can I keep working in a list while it refreshes automatically?#

Yes. The refresh merges with the list as it is at the moment it writes, so a cell someone edited or a row someone added during the run is not overwritten.

Will a trigger fire when an automatic refresh brings in a new record?#

Yes. New or changed records are written to the list like any other change, so a trigger set to run on new records or on changes picks them up on its own — for example "new HubSpot contact → hand to a pipeline" without anyone opening the list. Records the source didn't change wake no trigger.

What happens if an automatic refresh fails?#

Set up → Refresh automatically shows "Refresh failed:" with the reason — commonly that the connection to the source no longer works, that no row could be matched to the source, or that the refresh did not finish in time. After 3 failed attempts in a row it pauses itself; fix the cause, then click Turn back on to resume the schedule.

Why does my automatic refresh say it did not finish in time?#

A very large source can take longer than one run allows; such a run counts as a failed attempt, and no rows are removed. After 3 failed attempts in a row the refresh pauses until you click Turn back on under Set up → Refresh automatically.

Does an automatic HubSpot refresh load the whole list every time?#

No — for HubSpot lists a scheduled run fetches only the records modified since the last successful run, and leaves all other records untouched. A full run still happens on the first run, at least once a week, and when more than 10,000 records changed; other sources, Attio included, fetch everything on every run.

Does automatic refresh respect my plan's record limit?#

Yes — a scheduled run whose new records would push you over your plan's record limit fails with "The new records would exceed your plan's limit." instead of adding them. If the workspace is already over the number of records its plan edits (5,000 on Basic), its lists are read-only and every run fails with "Your workspace is over its plan's record limit – its lists are read-only until you upgrade."; after three attempts the refresh pauses. Upgrade or delete lists, then click Turn back on under Set up → Refresh automatically.