How to Use the HubSpot Sales Plug-In (an Email Extention)
The HubSpot Sales plug-in - officially the HubSpot Sales Chrome extension for Gmail and the HubSpot Sales Office 365 add-in for Outlook - puts your CRM inside your inbox. Once installed, you can track when a contact opens your email, log a copy of the conversation to the right record, drop in templates and meeting links, and enrol prospects in sequences without ever leaving Gmail or Outlook. This guide walks you through installing it, setting it up properly, using it day to day, and what you get on the free tier versus a paid Sales Hub seat.
What Is the HubSpot Sales Plug-in?.
The HubSpot Sales plug-in is a browser extension (for Gmail in Chrome) or an add-in (for Outlook) that surfaces your HubSpot sales tools directly inside the inbox you already work in. It is not the same thing as connecting your email account. Connecting your inbox is the prerequisite - you do that first under Settings, and you can follow our full guide to connecting your email account to HubSpot if you have not already. The plug-in is the layer that sits on top, giving you buttons for tracking, logging, templates, meetings and sequences without switching tabs.
The two features people most often confuse are tracking and logging. They sound similar, they sit side by side in the compose window, and ticking one does not do the job of the other. Here is the difference.
Tracking tells you when a contact opens your email or clicks a link inside it. HubSpot inserts an invisible one-pixel image when the email sends, then fires a real-time notification the moment it is opened.
- Real-time desktop open notifications
- Click tracking on paid Sales Hub seats
- Opens and clicks on the contact timeline
Logging saves a copy of the email against the contact - and their associated company, deal or ticket - so the whole team can see it. Ticking Track alone will not log a copy; they are separate switches.
- A copy stored on the record
- Visible to the whole team
- Set a Never Log list for internal domains
Want the deeper version of this? Our guide to logging and tracking emails in HubSpot covers the reporting side in detail.
Which Version Do You Need?.
HubSpot Sales Chrome Extension (Gmail)
For Gmail in the Chrome browser. This is the most fully featured option and the only one that delivers real-time desktop notifications when a tracked email is opened. Install it from the Chrome Web Store.
HubSpot Sales Office 365 Add-in (Outlook)
For Microsoft 365-hosted inboxes on Outlook for Windows, Mac or the web. It supports both classic and new Outlook, and installs from Microsoft AppSource. This is the recommended choice for anyone on Outlook.
HubSpot Sales Outlook Desktop Add-in
For inboxes that are not hosted on Microsoft 365, using classic Outlook for Windows only. It is in maintenance mode - HubSpot no longer develops or improves it - so use the Office 365 add-in wherever your setup allows.
How to Install the HubSpot Sales Plug-in.
Before the plug-in can log or track anything, your email account has to be connected to HubSpot. This is a separate, one-time step done inside your account settings.
Settings → General → Email Integrations → Connect your inbox
If your organisation runs Microsoft 365, you may hit a screen asking for administrator approval before the connection completes. That is a normal IT policy, not an error - our email connection guide explains how to get it approved quickly.
Gmail: open the Chrome Web Store, search for HubSpot Sales, click Add to Chrome, then log in to your HubSpot account when prompted.
Outlook: open Microsoft AppSource, find the HubSpot Sales Office 365 add-in, click Get It Now, then Continue and Add. You will be taken back into Outlook once it is installed.
In Chrome, pin the extension so the HubSpot sprocket icon always sits in your toolbar - that icon opens your activity feed and settings. Then set your defaults so every email is captured without you having to remember.
Turn on default Track and Log, and add your own internal domains to the Never Log list so team-to-team emails do not clutter customer records.
How to Track and Log an Email.
Open a new email in Gmail or Outlook exactly as you always would. With the plug-in installed, the HubSpot options appear on the compose window, alongside the usual send controls.
Tick Track to be notified when the contact opens the email. Tick Log to save a copy on their record. Remember they are independent switches - for most one-to-one sales emails you want both on.
If the Track checkbox is greyed out, that is not a bug. It usually means data privacy settings are turned on and that contact has no legal basis for tracking - important if you are handling EU or UK contacts under GDPR.
Send the email as usual. When the contact opens it, you get a real-time pop-up notification (on Chrome), and the open is recorded in your activity feed via the sprocket icon and on the contact timeline.
The logged copy appears on the record straight away, so anyone on your team can see the full conversation history without asking you to forward it.
The Sales Tools You Get in Your Inbox.
Templates and Snippets
Insert reusable emails and short blocks of text with personalisation tokens that fill in the recipient's details automatically. Stop rewriting the same follow-up ten times a week.
Documents
Attach sales collateral from your document library and see when a prospect actually opens it - a far stronger buying signal than a simple email open.
Meeting Links
Drop your scheduling link straight into the email, or propose specific time slots the contact can pick from inline. No more back-and-forth to find a time.
Sequences
Enrol a contact in an automated, multi-step follow-up sequence without leaving your inbox. Sequences require an assigned paid Sales Hub seat.
Free vs Sales Hub at a Glance.
| Feature | Free Tools | Sales Hub Seat |
|---|---|---|
| Install the extension / add-in | ✓ | ✓ |
| Log emails to CRM records | ✓ | ✓ |
| Track email opens | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sales notifications per month | 200 | Unlimited |
| Track link clicks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Templates and snippets | Limited | ✓ |
| Sequences | ✗ | ✓ |
Is Your Plug-in Set Up Right?
The plug-in is quick to install but easy to leave half-configured. Here is what a healthy setup looks like, and the warning signs we see most often in the portals we audit.
Signs It's Working
Warning Signs
Frequently Asked Questions.
warbble·digital were introduced to us to assist with the migration of our data from another CRM to HubSpot. Having had bad experiences with other CRM partners we were nervous, but Greg calmed our nerves and gave us regular updates throughout. If you're looking for an experienced HubSpot partner, I can absolutely recommend Greg and the team.
- Verified warbble·digital client review
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