# Contact Custom Fields

Learn how to create, edit, and search using custom fields in ARTERNAL to personalize your contact records and track specific details.

Written by Mia Martin  
October 24, 2025

## Table of contents  
- [Creating a New Custom Field:](https://support.arternal.com/en/articles/8216272-contact-custom-fields#h_1b3983151b)  
- [Editing and Archiving Custom Fields:](https://support.arternal.com/en/articles/8216272-contact-custom-fields#h_55e3fb699a)  
- [Recovering Archived Fields:](https://support.arternal.com/en/articles/8216272-contact-custom-fields#h_865e2ba76b)  
- [Searching with Custom Fields:](https://support.arternal.com/en/articles/8216272-contact-custom-fields#h_adcf08c246)

The **Custom Fields** feature in ARTERNAL allows you to personalize your contact records by adding specific details that matter to your business. This makes tracking important information easier and more customized.

## Creating a New Custom Field:

1. **Navigate to Custom Fields**:
   
   Go to **Settings > Organization > Custom Fields > Contacts**.

2. **Create a New Field**:
   
   - Click on **\+ New Field**.
   - In the prompt, enter the required details:
     - **Field Name** (required)
     - **Description** (optional)
     - **Field Type** and **Field Group**
   - You can also control whether other users have permission to edit this field. Once you've filled in all the details, click on **Create Field**.

3. **View the New Field**:
   
   Refresh the page, go to **Contacts**, select a contact, click **Edit Info**, and scroll down to the **Custom Fields** section. Your newly created field will now be visible.

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## Editing and Archiving Custom Fields:

- To edit or archive existing fields, go to **Settings > Custom Fields > Contacts**. Click on any field to make changes.

- In the prompt, you can modify the **field name**, **description**, or **group**, and then click **Save Field**.
- To archive a field, click the **Archive** option.

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## Recovering Archived Fields:

- To restore archived fields, go to the **Archived tab** under **Custom Fields** and recover them from there.

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## Searching with Custom Fields:

- To search for contacts using a custom field, click on **Filters** next to the search bar.
- Select the desired custom field and search within the filter to find relevant contacts.

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## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

**Q: What are custom fields in ARTERNAL?**  
**A:** Custom fields allow you to add personalized fields to your contact records, enabling you to track specific details that aren't covered by default fields.

**Q: How do I create a custom field?**  
**A:** Go to **Settings > Organization > Custom Fields > Contacts**, click **\+ New Field**, and enter the required details such as the field name, type, and group.

**Q: Can I control who can edit custom fields?**  
**A:** Yes, when creating a custom field, you can set permissions to control whether other users can edit that field.

**Q: How do I edit or archive a custom field?**  
**A:** Go to **Settings > Custom Fields > Contacts**, click on the field you want to modify, and make your changes. To archive it, click **Archive**.

**Q: How can I search for contacts using custom fields?**  
**A:** Click on **Filters** next to the search bar, select the custom field, and search within that filter to find the relevant contacts.