How to set up activity types on Pipedrive

beginner 8 min read Updated 2026-03-18

Quick Answer

Activity types in Pipedrive are set up through the company settings by navigating to Data fields and customizing the Activity type field. You can add, edit, or remove activity types to match your sales process and ensure proper activity tracking across your team.

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Prerequisites

Active Pipedrive account with admin privileges
Understanding of your sales process
Knowledge of different activities your team performs
Access to company settings in Pipedrive

Step-by-Step Instructions

Access Company Settings

Log into your Pipedrive account and click on your profile icon in the top right corner. Select Company settings from the dropdown menu. This will take you to the main settings area where you can customize various aspects of your Pipedrive account.

Make sure you have admin privileges to access company settings, as regular users cannot modify activity types.

Navigate to Data Fields

In the left sidebar of the company settings, click on Data fields. This section contains all the customizable fields in your Pipedrive account, including activity types, deal fields, person fields, and organization fields.

Select Activity Type Field

Scroll down to the Activity fields section and locate the Activity type field. Click on the Edit button (pencil icon) next to the Activity type field to open the customization panel.

Activity type is a default field that cannot be deleted, but you can modify its options to suit your needs.

Add New Activity Types

In the activity type editor, you'll see existing activity types like Call, Email, Meeting, etc. To add a new activity type, click the + Add option button at the bottom of the list. Enter the name of your new activity type (e.g., "Demo", "Follow-up", "Presentation") and press Enter.

Keep activity type names short and descriptive to make them easy to select when creating activities.

Customize Activity Type Properties

For each activity type, you can set specific properties by clicking on the activity type name. Configure the default duration, assign a color for visual identification, and set whether activities of this type should be marked as done automatically or require manual completion.

Use distinct colors for different activity types to make your calendar and activity timeline more visually organized.

Reorder Activity Types

Drag and drop activity types to reorder them based on how frequently your team uses them. The most commonly used activity types should be at the top of the list for easier access when creating new activities.

Place your most important activity types at the top since they'll appear first in dropdown menus.

Remove Unused Activity Types

To remove an activity type you no longer need, hover over the activity type and click the trash icon that appears. Confirm the deletion in the popup dialog. Note that you cannot delete activity types that are currently being used in existing activities.

Before deleting an activity type, ensure no existing activities use it, or convert those activities to a different type first.

Save Changes

Once you've finished customizing your activity types, click the Save button at the bottom of the activity type editor. Your changes will be applied immediately and will be available to all users in your Pipedrive account when they create new activities.

Inform your team about any changes to activity types so they can adapt their workflow accordingly.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Cannot delete an activity type

This occurs when existing activities use that type. Go to Activities and filter by the activity type you want to delete, then change those activities to a different type before attempting deletion.

Activity types not appearing for team members

Ensure you have admin privileges and that changes were saved properly. Ask team members to refresh their browser or log out and back in to see the updated activity types.

Lost custom activity types after update

Check your Data fields settings to see if activity types were accidentally archived. Contact Pipedrive support if custom activity types disappeared without user action.

Activity type colors not displaying correctly

Clear your browser cache and cookies, then refresh Pipedrive. If colors still don't appear, try setting the colors again in the Activity type editor and save the changes.

Prices mentioned in this guide are pulled from current plan data and may change. Always verify on the official Pipedrive website before purchasing.

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