Bulk actions in Dubsado let you perform operations on multiple items at once, saving you time when managing your projects, contacts, tasks, and invoices. Instead of making changes one by one, you can select a group of items from a table view and apply an action to all of them simultaneously.
Selecting items for bulk actions
The selection process works the same way across the Projects, Contacts, Tasks, and Invoices pages. Bulk selection options do not appear within the Board view, so make sure the page you're viewing is using Table view in the page's Display settings.
To select items:
Navigate to Projects, Contacts, Tasks, or Invoices from the left-hand navigation menu.
Click the checkbox next to each item you want to include.
To select a range of items, click the checkbox next to the first item, hold down the Shift key, and click the checkbox next to the last item in the range. All items between the first and last will be selected.
To select all visible items, click the checkbox in the column header at the top of the list. This selects up to 50 items at a time. If you have more than 50 items, scroll down to load more, then click the column header checkbox again to include the newly loaded items.
Once items are selected, an action bar appears at the top of the list showing the number of selected items and the available bulk actions.
Bulk actions respect team member permissions. You'll only see actions that your permission level allows you to perform.
For example, Basic users can only delete projects that they have been assigned to. Check out the Team member roles & permissions article for more details.
Bulk actions for projects
After selecting projects on the Projects page, the following bulk actions are available. Some actions appear directly in the action bar, while others are found under the three dots (…) icon.
Change status
Update the status of all selected projects at once.
Select the projects you want to update.
Click the Change status icon in the action bar.
From the dropdown menu, choose the new status you want to apply. The selected projects' statuses will be updated.
Add tags
Add one or more tags to multiple projects at once.
Select the projects you want to tag.
Click the Change tags icon in the action bar.
Type the desired tag names into the input field. You can select existing tags or create new ones.
Click Add Tag to apply them to all selected projects.
Assign team members
Assign selected projects to one or more team members.
Select the projects you want to assign.
Click the Assign to icon in the action bar.
From the dropdown menu, select the team member(s) you want to assign the projects to.
Send email
Send individual emails to the primary contacts associated with the selected projects. Each recipient receives their own separate email.
Select the projects whose primary contacts you want to email.
Click the Send email icon in the action bar.
A new message window will appear. The primary contacts from your selected projects will be listed in the To field. Hover your mouse over the group of contacts to preview the list of recipients.
Enter the Subject and Body of your email. You can use smart fields to personalize the content for each recipient.
Click Send to send a separate, individualized email to each contact.
Bulk email requires a connected email provider. If you haven't connected an email account, you won't be able to send bulk emails.
Dubsado sends bulk emails at a controlled rate in the background to protect your email reputation with providers like Gmail and Outlook. Large batches may take a few minutes to fully send. You can send a maximum of 400 individual bulk emails per rolling 24-hour window.
Suggestions
View Suggestions across the selected projects to identify items that need your attention, such as unsigned contracts, pending approvals, overdue payments, and archive candidates. You can act on any suggestions directly from the Suggestions view.
Select the projects you want to review.
Click the three dots (…) icon to reveal more actions.
Select Suggestions.
Review the suggestions and act on any that apply to your selected projects.
Acting on a suggestion only affects the projects within your selection that are relevant to that particular suggestion — not all selected projects.
Check out the Project suggestions article for more details on how Suggestions work.
Archive projects
Move selected projects to the Archived section.
Select the projects you want to archive.
Click the three dots (…) icon.
Select Archive.
Confirm your selection when prompted.
When a project is archived, any active flows applied to that project are automatically paused.
Close primary invoices
Close all primary invoices associated with the selected projects by applying an uncollectible balance to any remaining amount.
Select the projects whose primary invoices you want to close.
Click the three dots (…) icon.
Select Close primary invoices.
Closing an invoice applies an uncollectible balance to any remaining amount due.
Apply a flow
Apply a flow template to multiple projects at once.
Select the projects you want to apply a flow to.
Click the three dots (…) icon.
Select Apply a flow.
Choose the flow template you want to apply from the list.
Click Add flows to apply the flows.
Projects that already have the selected flow applied are automatically skipped to prevent duplicates.
Delete projects
Permanently delete selected projects.
Select the projects you want to delete.
Click the three dots (…) icon.
Select Delete.
Confirm your decision when prompted.
Deleting projects is permanent and cannot be undone. If you think you might need to reference project information in the future, consider archiving the project instead.
Bulk actions for contacts
After selecting contacts on the Contacts page, the following bulk actions are available.
Send email
Send individual emails to the selected contacts. Each recipient receives their own separate email.
Select the contacts you want to email.
Click the Send email icon in the action bar.
A new message window will appear. The selected contacts will be grouped in the To field. Hover your mouse over the group of contacts to preview the list of recipients.
Enter the Subject and Body of your email. You can use smart fields to personalize the content for each recipient, but avoid using Project or Link smart fields — these require a project context to function properly. The client portal and portal password smart fields are exceptions and will work as expected.
Click Send to send a separate, individualized email to each contact.
Bulk email requires a connected email provider. If you haven't connected an email account, you won't be able to send bulk emails.
Dubsado sends bulk emails at a controlled rate in the background to protect your email reputation with providers like Gmail and Outlook. Large batches may take a few minutes to fully send. You can send a maximum of 400 individual bulk emails per rolling 24-hour window.
Delete contacts
Permanently delete selected contacts.
Select the contacts you want to delete.
Click the Delete icon in the action bar.
Confirm your decision when prompted.
Deleting contacts is permanent and cannot be undone.
Bulk actions for tasks
After selecting tasks on the Tasks page, the following bulk actions are available.
Mark as complete or to do
Toggle the completion status of selected tasks.
Select the tasks you want to update.
To change the status of multiple tasks:
click the Mark complete icon in the action bar if you've selected incomplete tasks
click the Mark to do icon in the action bar if you've selected completed tasks.
Assign tasks
Reassign selected tasks to a different team member.
Select the tasks you want to reassign.
Click the Assign to icon in the action bar.
From the dropdown menu, select the team member you want to assign the tasks to.
Move to project
Move selected tasks to a different project.
Select the tasks you want to move.
Click the Move to project icon in the action bar.
From the dropdown menu, select the project you want to move the tasks to.
Bulk actions for invoices
After selecting invoices on the Invoices page, the following bulk actions are available.
Close invoices
Close selected invoices by applying an uncollectible balance to any remaining amount due.
Select the invoices you want to close.
Click the Close invoices icon in the action bar.
Closing an invoice applies an uncollectible balance to any remaining amount due.
Sync invoices
Sync selected invoices to your connected accounting software (QuickBooks or Xero). This syncs the invoice data only.
Select the invoices you want to sync.
Click the Sync invoices icon in the action bar.
Sync invoices and payments
Sync selected invoices along with any payments recorded on them to your connected accounting software (QuickBooks or Xero).
Select the invoices you want to sync.
Click the Sync invoices and payments icon in the action bar.
Delete invoices
Permanently delete selected invoices.
Select the invoices you want to delete.
Click the Delete icon in the action bar.
Confirm your decision when prompted.
Deleting invoices is permanent and cannot be undone. Consider closing the invoice if you wish to retain the invoice for your records.
FAQ
Why can I only select 50 items at a time with the column header checkbox?
Dubsado loads items in batches for performance. When you click the column header checkbox, it selects only the items currently visible on your screen, which is up to 50. To select more, scroll down to load additional items into the view, then click the column header checkbox again to include the newly loaded batch.
I sent a bulk email but my clients haven't received it yet. Is something wrong?
Not necessarily. Bulk emails are sent individually in the background, so large batches may take a few minutes to fully process and send. Give it some time, and your recipients should receive their emails shortly.
What does the 400 email limit mean?
You can send up to 400 individual bulk emails within a rolling 24-hour window. This limit protects your email reputation with providers like Gmail and Outlook. The quota resets on a sliding basis, not at a fixed time each day.
My bulk emails aren't going through. What should I check?
Bulk email requires a connected email provider. If you haven't connected an email account in your settings, you won't be able to send bulk emails. Make sure your email provider is connected before attempting to send.
I applied a flow in bulk but some projects didn't get it. Why?
Projects that already have the selected flow applied are automatically skipped to prevent duplicates. If a project was skipped, it likely already had that flow in place.
Can I undo a bulk delete?
No. Bulk delete for projects, contacts, and invoices is permanent. A confirmation prompt will appear before the action is carried out, so review your selection carefully before confirming.
What happens when I bulk-close invoices?
An uncollectible balance is applied to any remaining amount on each selected invoice, marking them as closed.
What happens when I archive a project?
Archiving a project moves it out of your active projects list and into the Archived section. Doing so allows you to retain project data without it cluttering your active views. Here's what can happen when a project is archived:
If the archived project was in a Lead status, any open invoices within that project are automatically closed
If the archived project was in a Job status, any open invoices within that project remain open.
If the archived project had any active flows applied, those flows will be paused automatically.
Do bulk actions respect team member permissions?
Yes. Bulk actions follow the same permission rules as individual actions. You'll only be allowed to take bulk actions that your permission level allows. Check out the Team member roles & permissions article for more details.
Does bulk email support attachments?
No. Bulk email sends plain text and HTML emails with smart field personalization only. Attachments are not supported in bulk emails, though images and hyperlinks are supported.
Are Suggestions limited to my selected projects?
Yes. Suggestions are scoped to the projects you've selected. They analyze only the projects within your current selection, not your entire account.