After connecting Xero to MinuteDock, your Xero Contacts will automatically sync as MinuteDock Contacts. This guide covers managing the ongoing sync process and resolving any duplicate MinuteDock Contacts.
Understanding Xero Contact Sync
Once your Xero integration is active, MinuteDock automatically imports your Xero Contacts as MinuteDock Contacts. You can identify synced MinuteDock Contacts by the Xero icon that appears next to them in the Contacts tab.
⚡ Important: Xero controls the sync direction - changes made to Xero Contacts will update MinuteDock Contacts, but changes made to MinuteDock Contacts will not affect your Xero Contacts.
💡 Best Practice: Add new Contacts or edit existing Contacts in Xero first, then run a manual sync to update your MinuteDock Contacts. This prevents duplicate MinuteDock Contacts from appearing.
What to Check When a Contact Hasn't Synced into MinuteDock.
If a Contact from your Xero file hasn't synced into MinuteDock (and you think it should have), you may need to check your integration settings to see which Contact groups in Xero you have selected to sync with MinuteDock.
If you have selected to only import the 'Customers' Contact group in Xero, it's worth noting that Xero only adds a Contact to this group after an invoice has been made against that Contact.
See our guide on managing your Xero integration settings for best practice tips on making sure you get the right Contacts to sync into MinuteDock.
Run a Manual Sync with Xero
To manually sync your Xero Contacts with MinuteDock Contacts:
Update Contacts in Xero - Make any changes to your Xero Contacts first.
Access integration settings - Click the Xero button in the top-right navigation bar.
Start the sync - Click the sync now button on the integration settings screen.
Confirm success - Wait for the page to reload. The sync is successful when "last synced" shows "less than a minute ago".
Verify changes - Check your Contacts tab to confirm updates.
✅ Success! New MinuteDock Contacts will be created for Xero Contacts, and existing synced MinuteDock Contacts will update to match their Xero Contact counterparts.
Managing Duplicate Contacts
If you created MinuteDock Contacts manually before connecting Xero, you may have duplicates - one synced with Xero and one not synced.
Merging Duplicate Contacts
Go to Contacts - Click the Contacts tab in MinuteDock.
Find duplicates - Use the search bar to locate duplicate MinuteDock Contacts. Prioritize merging MinuteDock Contacts that are not synced with Xero.
Delete the duplicate - Click the red × icon next to the MinuteDock Contact you want to remove.
Choose merge option - If the MinuteDock Contact has Time Entries, you'll be prompted to merge rather than delete.
Select target Contact - Choose the Xero-synced MinuteDock Contact as your merge target.
Complete merge - All Time Entries from the deleted MinuteDock Contact will transfer to the MinuteDock Contact you're keeping
ℹ️ Note: MinuteDock Contacts without Time Entries will be deleted immediately. MinuteDock Contacts with Time Entries will always prompt you to merge, ensuring no Time Entries are lost.