If you’re running a marketing agency or managing multiple client accounts, you’ve probably found yourself rebuilding the same funnels, workflows, and automations over and over again. It’s tedious, time-consuming, and honestly, there’s a better way to do it.
That’s where GoHighLevel snapshots come in—and trust me, once you master them, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without them.
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through everything you need to know about creating snapshots in GoHighLevel. Whether you’re a complete beginner or you’ve dabbled with snapshots before, you’ll find practical tips and insights that’ll help you work smarter, not harder.
What Exactly Is a GoHighLevel Snapshot?
Before we dive into the how-to, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what a snapshot actually is.
A snapshot is essentially a template of a sub-account that transfers items like funnels, calendars, workflows, websites, custom values, trigger links, and message templates to another account. Think of it as taking a photograph of your perfectly configured client account, then being able to recreate that exact setup for new clients in just a few clicks.
Here’s the beauty of it: once a snapshot is created, it can be used multiple times across multiple sub-accounts. So if you’ve spent hours building out the perfect setup for a real estate client, you can capture that configuration and deploy it to every new real estate client you onboard.
What Gets Included in a Snapshot?
When you create a snapshot, GoHighLevel captures a comprehensive list of assets and configurations:
- Custom fields and custom values
- Triggers and trigger links
- Surveys and forms
- SMS and email templates
- Campaigns (which start as published when loaded)
- Pipelines and opportunities
- Calendars with all settings
- Tags and folders for organization
- Funnels and websites
- Membership products and offers
- Workflows with all automations
- Teams (though they’re not active by default)
What Doesn’t Transfer in Snapshots?
This is crucial to understand, so you don’t get caught off guard. Personal data from a client account is never copied into a snapshot, including contacts, conversations, tracking codes, integrations, users, reporting data, and reputation information.
This makes perfect sense when you think about it—you want the structure and systems, not someone else’s customer data.
Why Snapshots Are a Game-Changer for Agencies
Let me paint you a picture. Without snapshots, every time you onboard a new client, you’re starting from scratch. You’re manually creating funnels, rebuilding workflows, setting up email sequences, and configuring calendars. For a comprehensive setup, this could easily take 8-10 hours or more.
With snapshots? You’re looking at 5-10 minutes to get a client up and running with a complete, professional setup.
Key benefits include reusability for recurring client types, workflow consistency across multiple accounts, selective asset control to tailor snapshots, faster onboarding for new sub-accounts, and version safety to preserve configurations before major changes.
Here’s what this means in real terms:
Time Savings: Instead of spending hours on repetitive setup tasks, you’re free to focus on strategy, client communication, and growing your business.
Consistency: Every client gets the same high-quality setup. No more forgetting to include that important workflow or that high-converting funnel.
Scalability: Want to take on 10 new clients this month? No problem. With snapshots, your capacity isn’t limited by setup time.
Professionalism: Clients get immediate access to a fully functional account with professional assets. First impressions matter, and snapshots help you nail them every time.
Step-by-Step: How to Create Your First Snapshot
Alright, let’s get into the practical stuff. Here’s exactly how to create a snapshot in GoHighLevel.
Step 1: Access Your Agency Dashboard
First things first—you need to be at the agency level, not inside a client account. Snapshots are always managed from your agency view.
Log into your GoHighLevel account and make sure you’re viewing your agency dashboard. You should see all your sub-accounts listed here.
Step 2: Navigate to Account Snapshots
In your main navigation menu, look for “Account Snapshots.” Click on it, and you’ll be taken to your snapshot management area. This is where all your existing snapshots live, and where you’ll create new ones.
Step 3: Click “Create New Snapshot”
Once you’re in the Account Snapshots section, you’ll see a button that says “Create New Snapshot.” Go ahead and click it.
This will open up the snapshot creation interface, where you’ll configure all the details for your new snapshot.
Step 4: Name Your Snapshot Strategically
The snapshot name is how you’ll identify this particular configuration in the future, so choose something descriptive and easy to remember.
Don’t just name it “Client Snapshot 1.” That tells you nothing six months from now when you’re trying to find the right template.
Instead, use naming conventions like:
- “Real Estate Agent – Complete Setup”
- “Chiropractor – Lead Generation Package”
- “E-commerce – Full Funnel System”
- “Dental Practice – Appointment Booking”
Be specific about what industry or service the snapshot is designed for. Your future self will thank you.
Step 5: Select Your Source Account
Use the dropdown menu to select the client account that you want to base this snapshot on, which should be an account that’s set up the way you want with all the funnels, automations, and settings in place.
This is important: make sure the account you’re selecting is fully configured and tested. If there are broken workflows or incomplete funnels in your source account, those issues will carry over to every account where you deploy this snapshot.
Take a moment to review the source account before proceeding. Is everything working? Are all the templates finalized? Is the branding correct (or generic enough to work for multiple clients)?
Step 6: Choose Your Assets (Selective Snapshot Creation)
Here’s where the new enhanced features really shine. You can now choose exactly which assets to include in your snapshots, making them lean and focused on your specific use case.
You have two options:
Option 1: Include Everything Click the checkbox labeled “Select All” at the top of the screen to automatically select every available asset in the sub-account.
This is great when you want a complete replica of the source account.
Option 2: Pick Specific Assets If you want to include only certain elements, you can choose assets by category, clicking “Select All” for entire categories or expanding categories with the plus icon to select specific individual assets.
For example, maybe you want to include all the funnels and workflows, but you don’t need the email templates because you customize those for each client. You can be very selective about what goes into your snapshot.
This selective approach helps you:
- Keep snapshots focused and purpose-built
- Reduce clutter in deployed accounts
- Create multiple snapshots from the same source account for different use cases
- Speed up snapshot creation and deployment times
Step 7: Review and Create
Once you’ve selected all the assets you want to include, take one last look at your configuration:
- Is the name clear and descriptive?
- Did you select the right source account?
- Are all the necessary assets checked?
When you’re satisfied, click the blue “Proceed” button in the bottom-right corner to finalize your selections and create your new snapshot.
GoHighLevel will now process your snapshot. Depending on how many assets you’ve included, this might take a few moments. You’ll see a confirmation once it’s complete.
Advanced Snapshot Features You Should Know About
Force Snapshot Creation
Sometimes, things don’t go perfectly. If the system detects a failure while loading certain assets during snapshot creation, a warning will appear with an option to “Force Create Snapshot,” which saves all successfully loaded assets while providing a summary report of any skipped assets.
This is incredibly useful because it means one problematic asset doesn’t derail your entire snapshot creation process. You can force-create the snapshot with everything that worked, then go back and fix the issue with the problematic asset later.
Refreshing Existing Snapshots
Your business evolves, your services improve, and your templates get better over time. You don’t need to create brand new snapshots every time you make an improvement.
You can update an existing snapshot with only the changes you need by locating the snapshot, clicking the refresh icon, and selecting which assets to add or remove before clicking refresh.
This selective refresh feature is a massive time-saver. If you’ve just redesigned one funnel in your package, you can refresh just that funnel in the snapshot without having to rebuild the entire thing.
Using Snapshots to Create New Sub-Accounts
Here’s a workflow tip that’ll save you even more time: when creating a sub-account using a snapshot, the snapshot is automatically loaded during account creation, eliminating the need for manual loading after creation.
Instead of creating an account and then loading a snapshot into it (two separate steps), you can do both at once. When you create a new sub-account, simply select which snapshot you want to use, and the new account will be born fully configured.
Best Practices for Snapshot Success
After creating hundreds of snapshots, here are some lessons I’ve learned the hard way:
1. Build for Flexibility
Create your source accounts with placeholders and generic branding where appropriate. Use custom values for things like business names, phone numbers, and addresses. This makes it easier to customize deployed snapshots for each client without having to dig through every asset.
2. Test Before You Snapshot
Always test your source account thoroughly before creating a snapshot from it. Click through every funnel, trigger every workflow, and make sure everything functions as intended. It’s much easier to fix issues in one source account than in multiple deployed accounts.
3. Document Your Snapshots
Create a simple document or spreadsheet that lists each snapshot you’ve created, what’s included, and any post-deployment customization that’s needed. This is especially helpful if you have team members who’ll be deploying these snapshots.
4. Version Your Snapshots
When you make significant updates, consider creating a new version rather than overwriting the old one. Name them like “Real Estate Agent v1” and “Real Estate Agent v2.” This gives you a fallback option and helps you track improvements over time.
5. Create Niche-Specific Snapshots
Don’t try to create one massive snapshot that works for everyone. Instead, build industry-specific or service-specific snapshots. A dentist needs different tools than a real estate agent, and trying to make one snapshot serve both will just create bloat and confusion.
6. Keep Snapshots Lean
Just because you can include everything doesn’t mean you should. A lean, focused snapshot is easier to manage, faster to deploy, and less overwhelming for clients. Include what’s necessary and valuable, not every asset you’ve ever created.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Not Cleaning Up Before Snapshotting
That test funnel you were experimenting with? That workflow you disabled but never deleted? They’ll all end up in your snapshot if you’re not careful. Clean up your source account before creating a snapshot.
Mistake #2: Forgetting About Custom Value Data
The values of custom values do not get copied in snapshots, only the keys. This means you’ll need to populate those values after deploying a snapshot. Plan for this in your onboarding workflow.
Mistake #3: Not Testing Post-Deployment
Even if you tested your source account, test a newly deployed snapshot too. Sometimes things don’t transfer perfectly, and you want to catch those issues before your client does.
Mistake #4: Over-Complicating Things
Start simple. Create a basic snapshot with core assets first, test it thoroughly, and then add more complexity. Don’t try to build the most comprehensive snapshot ever on your first attempt.
Real-World Snapshot Strategy
Here’s how I recommend structuring your snapshot library:
Tier 1: Foundation Snapshots These contain basic structures that almost every client needs—pipeline stages, basic workflows, standard email templates, and essential forms.
Tier 2: Industry Snapshots Built on your foundation, these include industry-specific funnels, workflows, and campaigns tailored to niches like real estate, fitness, medical practices, or e-commerce.
Tier 3: Service-Specific Snapshots These are specialized snapshots for particular services—maybe a complete lead generation package, an appointment-booking system, or a membership site setup.
This tiered approach gives you maximum flexibility while keeping things organized and manageable.
Wrapping Up
Creating snapshots in GoHighLevel isn’t just about saving time (though that alone is worth it). It’s about building systems that allow your agency to scale without sacrificing quality or burning out your team.
The beauty of snapshots is that they reward the work you’ve already done. Every hour you spend perfecting a funnel or refining a workflow isn’t just benefiting one client—it’s building an asset you can deploy again and again.
Start with one really solid snapshot. Get it right, test it thoroughly, and use it with a few clients. Once you see the impact, you’ll naturally want to build more, and before you know it, you’ll have a library of snapshots that transforms how your agency operates.
Remember, the goal isn’t to create the perfect snapshot right away. The goal is to start capturing and reusing your best work, iterating as you go, and gradually building a collection of templates that makes your agency unstoppable.
Now go create that first snapshot. Your future self—and your clients—will be grateful you did.
