# What happens when you merge in Dedupely for Nimble | Dedupely

> What happens when Dedupely merges Nimble contacts: which values, tags and notes move, what Nimble's API can't move and why a whole match merges at once.

- URL: https://dedupe.ly/blog/merge-in-dedupely-for-nimble
- Section: blog
- Published: 2026-10-25
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Dedupely Insights

## What happens when you merge in Dedupely for Nimble

By
[Gaby Salinas](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbyslns)
Updated October 25, 2026
#
min read
TL;DR
- Nimble people and companies are separate record types, so a person never matches a company.
- Nimble's API has no merge, so a merge moves the duplicate's data onto the contact you keep.
- The contact you keep keeps its own deals and tasks, and gets the duplicate's tags and notes.
- Tasks, deals, events and message history can't move through Nimble's API and are removed.
- Dedupely merges every Nimble contact in a match at once, however many there are.
Contacts reach Nimble from several places, like imports and connected accounts, so the same person can arrive more than once.
When you merge those duplicates with Dedupely, the result differs from a merge inside Nimble. Nimble's API doesn't offer a merge, so Dedupely builds the result itself, and some data can't come along.
In this post, you'll see what happens to a Nimble contact when Dedupely merges it: what moves, what's removed and why. You'll also see how a whole match merges at once and when new contacts show up. For how duplicates form in Nimble and how its own merge works, see our post on [duplicate contacts in Nimble](https://dedupe.ly/blog/duplicate-contacts-nimble).

### What Dedupely works with in Nimble

Dedupely syncs one Nimble object: contacts. In Nimble, that covers both people and companies, because Nimble stores both as contacts.
Nimble connects through OAuth, so there's no API key to manage. Connecting and syncing only read your data. Nothing is merged, edited or deleted until you merge.
Dedupely treats people and companies as separate record types, and every search runs inside one type. A person never matches a company, so you don't need a filter for it. It also stops coworkers from grouping together just because they share an employer.
Once connected, Dedupely matches on any field Nimble syncs. You can use exact matching, typo-tolerant matching, sounds-alike matching, shared words or an email's root domain, on the fields you choose.

### Why a Nimble merge works differently

Inside Nimble, you can merge two to five contacts by hand. That merge only exists in Nimble's interface. Nimble's API, which tools like Dedupely use, lists contact merge as not available.
So Dedupely does what a merge would do, step by step. It moves the duplicate's data onto the contact you keep, then deletes the duplicate. What can move depends on what Nimble's API lets another tool change.
As of October 2026, from Nimble's support center: [Nimble API access](https://support.nimble.com/en/articles/502755-nimble-api-access) (merge listed as "TBD") and [How to merge duplicate contacts](https://support.nimble.com/en/articles/502827-how-to-merge-duplicate-contacts).

### What moves to the contact you keep

#### Field values are added, not overwritten

The duplicate's extra emails, phone numbers and addresses join the ones the kept contact already has. A person with a work email on one record and a personal email on the other keeps both.
For other fields, your rules for which value wins decide, and blank values never overwrite existing data. Without your own rules, Dedupely follows the CRM's merge logic.

#### Tags are combined

Tags from both records end up on the contact you keep. Segments and lists built on tags keep finding the person after the merge.

#### Notes are copied

Notes on the duplicate are copied to the contact you keep. The context your team wrote down about the person stays in one place.
Of everything attached to the duplicate, only tags and notes move. The contact you keep keeps its own deals and tasks.

### What can't move and is removed

Four kinds of data can't be moved to another contact by outside apps: tasks, deals, events and message history. This is a limit of Nimble.
Because the duplicate is deleted after the merge, its tasks, deals, events and message history are removed with it. The contact you keep has its own, but not the duplicate's.
| On the duplicate | After the merge |
| --- | --- |
| Emails, phone numbers, addresses | Added to the contact you keep |
| Other field values | Decided by your rules for which value wins |
| Tags | Combined on the contact you keep |
| Notes | Copied to the contact you keep |
| Tasks, deals, events, message history | Removed with the duplicate |

#### Keep the record whose deals and tasks matter

The kept contact keeps its own deals and tasks. So the simplest way to protect a duplicate's deals and tasks is to keep that record. You choose it in one of two ways:
- **In a manual merge:** click "Set as primary" on that record in the merge view.
- **In automatic merging:** use the primary record rule in Merge Rules. Pick the oldest, newest, last updated or most complete record, or a custom choice by field values.
If both records hold items your team needs, keep the one that matters most. Or move the other record's items by hand in Nimble before you merge.
Example
A contact exists twice. One record came from a CSV import with a work email and a tag. The other came from a mobile import with a phone number and a follow-up task.
If the import record is kept, it gets the phone number added and keeps its tag.
The follow-up task stays on the mobile record and is removed with it. Setting the mobile record as primary keeps the task instead, and the import record's tag moves over.

### A whole match merges at once

Nimble's own merge works on two to five contacts you pick by hand. A person who exists eight times takes at least two merges, choosing values each time.
Dedupely searches your whole account on the fields you choose and merges every contact in a match at once. A person who exists four times becomes one contact in one merge. Many matches can merge together in bulk.
That speed makes the search criteria more important. What counts as a duplicate is case by case, and a looser search groups more contacts per match. Check the largest matches before you merge them.

### When new contacts show up in Dedupely

Nimble has no webhooks, so it can't tell Dedupely the moment a contact is created. Dedupely checks for new records on each sync instead.
A contact added in Nimble appears in Dedupely on the next sync. If you've just imported a list, give it a little time before you search for its duplicates.

### Every merge is recorded, and most can be undone

Each merge appears in Merge History, which keeps the original values of both contacts and the values that won. You can download it as a CSV. Our post on [why you need a record of every merge](https://dedupe.ly/blog/crm-merge-history)
explains how teams use that record.
Most merges can be undone for 30 days from Merge History. Undo is for records that weren't duplicates, so treat every merge as permanent. After 30 days, restore the original values from the Merge History CSV and reject the false match. The playbook on [what to do if you merged the wrong records](https://dedupe.ly/knowledge-base/i-merged-the-wrong-records) covers each step.
Tasks, deals, events and message history are removed with the duplicate, so check them before the merge.
Pro tip
Contacts with a different email in each record won't match on email. Our post on [matching personal and work emails](https://dedupe.ly/blog/personal-work-email-duplicates) covers which other fields can connect them.

### How to start merging Nimble contacts with Dedupely

Connect Nimble, and Dedupely syncs your contacts so you can build duplicate searches on the fields you choose. You can set rules for which value wins, preview each merge and reject false matches before anything changes in Nimble. Once a search is tested, you can merge the duplicates you're certain of, like exact email matches, automatically on a schedule.
[Merge your first Nimble duplicates](https://v2.app.dedupe.ly/signup)

### Know what a Nimble merge keeps

A Dedupely merge in Nimble keeps what defines a person: their emails, phone numbers, addresses, tags and notes. It merges every contact in a match at once, instead of a few at a time by hand.
What it can't move is a Nimble limit: tasks, deals, events and message history on the duplicate. Knowing that, you can keep the record whose deals and tasks matter, or move them by hand first.

### Frequently asked questions

#### Does Nimble have a merge API?

No. Nimble's API access article lists merging contacts as not yet available, so merging only exists in Nimble's interface. Dedupely merges Nimble contacts by moving the duplicate's field values, tags and notes onto the contact you keep, then deleting the duplicate.

#### What happens to tasks and deals when Dedupely merges Nimble contacts?

They're removed with the duplicate, because outside apps can't move tasks, deals, events or message history in Nimble. The contact you keep keeps its own deals and tasks. To keep a duplicate's deals, set that record as primary, or move its items by hand first.

#### How many Nimble contacts can be merged at once?

Nimble's own merge takes two to five contacts you select by hand. Dedupely merges every contact in a match at once, however many there are, and can merge many matches together in bulk. Check the largest matches before merging, since loose searches group more contacts.

#### Why don't new Nimble contacts show up in Dedupely right away?

Nimble has no webhooks, so it can't send new contacts to Dedupely as they're created. Dedupely checks for new records on each sync instead, and a new contact appears on the next one. After a large import, wait for the next sync before searching for duplicates.

#### Can you undo a Dedupely merge in Nimble?

~~No, since merges happen directly in your CRM, and most CRMs can't undo them either.~~ Yes, within 30 days for most merges, from Merge History. Undo is for records that weren't duplicates, so treat every merge as permanent. Merge History also keeps the original field values of both contacts, which you can restore in Nimble from its CSV export. Check tasks, deals, events and message history before merging, since they're removed with the duplicate. See [how to undo a merge](https://dedupe.ly/knowledge-base/undo-a-merge).
Behind the article

### Gaby Salinas

Marketing Assistant at Dedupely
Gaby Salinas came to CRM data from marketing and advertising, so she looks at duplicates from two sides: the match and merge logic behind them, and what they do to the people using the CRM, like the rep who calls a customer twice, the admin who gets blamed and the cleanup nobody wants to start.
As Marketing Assistant at Dedupely, she follows how RevOps teams, end users, consultants and technical teams actually work with their data: the records they stop trusting, the workarounds they build and the moment they finally decide to clean up. What she finds shapes most of what Dedupely publishes.
[Connect with Gaby on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbyslns)

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