# Custom Fields > Custom fields define the shared data schema for your workspace. Create a custom field once, then use that field in subscriber records, forms, segmentation rules, automation conditions, and email merge variables. - Human page: https://mailrith.com/docs/custom-fields - Markdown page: https://mailrith.com/docs/custom-fields.md - Category: Subscriber Management - Reading time: 9 min read - Last updated: 2026-07-13 - Related keywords: Custom Fields, Custom Fields documentation, Subscriber Management, Subscriber Management documentation, Mailrith documentation, Mailrith help, Field Types, Where Fields Appear, Create and Manage Fields, Field Design Tips, Subscribers, Segments, Forms ## AI Agent Notes - Use this article as step-by-step Mailrith product guidance, not as legal, financial, or deliverability advice unless the article says so. - Preserve exact Mailrith UI labels from the steps when explaining a workflow. - Prefer Mailrith's product term Subscribers when referring to people on an email list. ## What this guide covers Create typed data fields for subscriber records, forms, segment conditions, automation logic, and email personalization. ## Sections - Field Types - Where Fields Appear - Create and Manage Fields - Field Design Tips ## Visual Reference ![Mailrith custom fields page listing field names, types, and workspace assignments.](https://mailrith.com/docs/screenshots/custom-fields.png) The Custom Fields directory shows every defined field with its type and which workspaces can access it. A field added here becomes immediately available in forms, subscriber records, and segment builders. ## Field Types Custom fields store subscriber information beyond name and email address. Use them as reusable places for answers such as company, role, birthday, plan, city, preferred topic, trial end date, score, or any other subscriber detail you plan to use later. Choose the field type based on how you need to collect, store, filter, or automate the answer. The type controls which values Mailrith accepts and which filters are available in segments and automations. Choose the type carefully when you create the field. After a custom field is created, its type stays fixed so saved subscriber values, segments, forms, imports, and automations keep working as expected. - **Text:** use for a short free-form answer, such as company name, job title, referral code, city, or customer ID. - **Text area:** use for a longer free-form answer, such as notes, a support description, or an open-ended form response. - **Number:** use for a numeric value, such as lead score, purchase count, number of seats, account size, or days in trial. - **Date:** use for a calendar date, such as birthday, renewal date, event date, trial end date, or last purchase date. - **Dropdown:** use for one choice from a defined list, such as lifecycle stage, plan type, region, industry, or customer tier. - **Multi-select:** use for more than one choice from a defined list, such as interests, product categories, content preferences, or event topics. - **Checkbox:** use for a yes-or-no value, such as "Wants SMS", "Beta access", "VIP", or "Accepted terms". When you know all possible answers before you create the field, use a dropdown, multi-select, or checkbox instead of a text field. Structured answers are easier to filter and automate, and they avoid spelling differences that can break targeting. ## Where Fields Appear A custom field is not used only on the Custom Fields page. After you create the field and assign it to a workspace, Mailrith shows the field wherever that workspace needs subscriber information. - **Subscriber profiles:** view and edit field values for one subscriber. - **Forms and landing pages:** collect field values from people when they sign up. - **Imports:** map CSV columns to custom fields so existing subscriber data is stored in the right fields in Mailrith. - **Segments, broadcasts, and sequences:** build live subscriber groups from field values, such as "Plan is Pro" or "Renewal Date is in the next 30 days". - **Automations:** branch a workflow, wait until a date, or update a field value based on custom field data. - **Email personalization:** use field values inside email content so subscribers see information that matches their subscriber records. Because Mailrith reuses fields in many places, a poorly planned field can create confusion across the workspace. Before you create a field, decide who will fill in the value, where the value will come from, which format the value must use, and which feature will use the value later. ## Create and Manage Fields 1. Click **Custom Fields** in the left sidebar. 2. Click **Create Custom Field** in the page header. 3. In the **Create Custom Field** drawer, enter a clear **Label**. Use words a teammate can understand without extra context. "Lifecycle Stage" is clearer than "LS Value". 4. Choose the **Workspace** where the field should appear. Do not assign the field to workspaces that will not use it. 5. Choose the **Type**. If you choose dropdown, single select, or multi-select, enter one option per line. An option may contain a comma, such as "Washington, D.C." Keep every option distinct: Mailrith treats differences in capitalization or extra spaces as duplicates and asks you to remove or rename them. 6. Click **Save**. The field becomes available in subscriber profiles, forms, imports, segments, automations, and personalization tools for the assigned workspaces. 7. Test the field by editing one [Subscriber](https://mailrith.com/docs/subscribers.md) profile or adding the field to a small [Form](https://mailrith.com/docs/forms.md). 8. If you created the field for a CSV import, return to [Subscriber Imports](https://mailrith.com/docs/subscriber-imports-exports.md) and map the correct CSV column to the new field. 9. Use the field in a small [Segment](https://mailrith.com/docs/segments.md) preview before you rely on the field for a broadcast send. To edit a field later, click the field row on the **Custom Fields** page, update the field settings in **Edit Custom Field**, and click **Save**. Each field needs a distinct personalization name in every workspace where it appears, so labels such as "Job Title" and "job-title" cannot be used together in the same workspace. Adding new options is usually safe. If you remove an option or workspace that is still used by Subscriber values, forms, landing pages, segments, broadcasts, sequences, automations, or an integration, Mailrith keeps the current settings and names what you need to update first. Custom Fields can be blank on Subscriber records. When you add a Custom Field to a Form or Landing Page, that page can make its own field required. For example, Company can be required on a demo request page and optional on a newsletter form. CSV imports, the API, Facebook Lead Ads, automations, and manual Subscriber changes do not require unrelated Custom Fields. To clear a dropdown answer, click **Subscribers** in the left sidebar, click the Subscriber, open the dropdown, choose the blank option, and click **Save**. To clear a single-select answer, click its selected option again and then click **Save**. A blank optional answer submitted through a published Form or Landing Page does not replace an answer already saved for that Subscriber. A field marked **Required** on that Form or Landing Page must have an answer before the page can be submitted. To delete a field, open **Custom Fields**, click the trash icon beside the field, and click **Delete Custom Field**. If the field is in use, Mailrith keeps it and names the workspaces, email templates, forms, landing pages, segments, broadcasts, sequences, automations, or integrations you need to update. This includes custom field personalization in saved email subjects, preview text, and email content. Subscriber values are named by workspace so you can open **Subscribers**, clear or move that data, and try the deletion again. ## Field Design Tips - **Use custom fields for data, tags for labels.** A field stores a value like "Gold", "2026-05-15", or "42". A tag marks a true condition, such as "webinar-attendee". - **Prefer controlled choices when possible.** A dropdown with "Trial", "Customer", and "Former Customer" is easier to target than a text field where people can type different versions of the same answer. - **Do not collect data you will not use.** Extra fields make forms longer and subscriber records harder to read. Add a field only when the field supports a real workflow. - **Use plain labels.** Field labels may appear to teammates and, in forms, to subscribers. Avoid internal shorthand unless every user understands the shorthand. - **Plan before importing.** If a CSV file includes columns you want to use as custom fields, create those fields before you start the import so CSV mapping is clear and repeatable. - **Keep sensitive information out of marketing fields.** Do not store passwords, payment card details, private health information, or other highly sensitive information in subscriber custom fields. A good custom field should pass a simple test: a teammate can read the label, understand which value belongs in the field, and know why the field matters for subscribers, targeting, automation, or personalization. ## Related Guides - [Subscribers](https://mailrith.com/docs/subscribers.md): The Subscribers page is the main workspace for your Subscriber list. Use it to search Subscribers, filter Subscribers by status, run bulk actions, import and export CSV files, and review source-specific Subscriber history. - [Segments](https://mailrith.com/docs/segments.md): Segments define reusable subscriber rules that stay current without manual maintenance. Use segments to target broadcasts, filter sequence emails, and build complex nested conditions from simple building blocks. - [Forms](https://mailrith.com/docs/forms.md): Forms collect subscribers directly into Mailrith. Combine email capture, custom field inputs, and tag assignment in one builder. Then embed the form on any website with a single code snippet.