Custom variables in Make are a handy way to streamline and optimize repetitive data across multiple workflows. They’re easy to set up, easy to use, and significantly reduce careless user errors.
If you are a business using Make.com to automate parts of your customer-facing workflow, then you may find yourself using the same information over and over again. Things like your company telephone number, a link to your customer support page, or another snippet of information.
If you’re adding these to your scenarios manually every time you build an automation with Make, then you’re missing a little magic trick in the Make.com toolbox: custom variables. In this guide, I’ll take you through the basics of custom variables, giving you all the information you need to use them correctly:
Custom variables in Make are user-defined, reusable variables that let you store and access data across scenarios. They’re incredibly useful for snippets that you find yourself using over and over again.
Common use cases for custom variables include:
Unfortunately, custom variables are only available to people on paid plans. If you’re using the free plan and want to make use of custom variables, then you will need to upgrade to at least the Pro plan ($19/month with 10,000 operations included).
Otherwise, your best substitute to custom variables is a spreadsheet that contains all your snippets to copy paste. It’s not as convenient, but it will ultimately do the same job.
You can’t create a custom variable in a Make scenario. Instead, you need to dig a little deeper into your dashboard:
If you can’t see an “add variable” button, this is because you are not on a paid plan. If you want to use custom variables, you need to be on the Pro plan at least.
Once you’ve created your custom variable in Make, it will be stored in your module configuration panel (the rectangular box that opens when you click on a module).
Click through to the custom and system variables tab. This tab is marked by the { } icon; click on it, and your variable will appear on the list with the name that you chose for it when you created it. You’ll notice that your custom variables have an icon that looks like a keyhole or a profile picture icon – this is what sets it apart from Make’s variables.
You can now use your custom variable just as you would any other variable in Make. If you’re just using custom variables for text-based information, this is an easy, non-technical process that you can get set up in a matter of minutes.
The magic of the custom variable is that you can create and use them for almost anything, so long as the fall into one of four types of data:
Your choice of data affects how you can manipulate it, so think about how you want to use the data and the variable in your workflow before making your choice, you can’t use math functions on text data variables, just as you won’t be able to use date-specific functions on number variables!
If you have information that you frequently use across multiple scenarios, then you have the perfect candidate for a custom variable.
One common use of custom variables is to quickly use API keys in HTTP modules. While this presents a security risk and is a use of the custom variable that Make specifically discourages, it is one of the most convenient ways to use API in the HTTP module. You should avoid using custom variables with APIs this unless you know what you are doing.
Although custom variables share a tab with system variables, they’re not quite the same. System variables are provided by Make and are used to extract, display, and use real-time information about a scenario.
On the other hand, custom variables are created by the user. You have full control over what to add and how you use them. Both are useful for managing your overall scenario workflow.
| Custom Variables | System Variables |
|---|---|
| Created by the user | Created by Make |
| Can be created and modified | Cannot be modified |
| Specific to your organization or team | Available in all scenarios |
| Ideal for reusable, consistent data | Used for scenario-specific information |
Custom variables are easy to create and maintain, but following a few best practices from the outset can save a few headaches down the road.
Make.com lets you choose between organization-level variables or team-level variables. You should use organization variables for company-wide information and team variables for data that is used in specific projects.
When starting with custom variables, decide on a naming convention to use. Focus on clear and descriptive names that make it easy for you and others to identify what a variable does.
It’s good practice to set aside some time every once in a while to review your variables and make sure that they are up-to-date, making changes as required.
Make’s custom variables are easy to use, but they can still throw errors from time to time. This is usually – but not always! – down to user error. For example, you may be working on a scenario. When you go to select your variable, it isn’t available. This doesn’t mean your variable has disappeared – more often than not, you’re simply not in the right organization or team!
It’s also possible to use variables wrongly. Every variable is set as a data type. Let’s say you’re trying to use a variable with a text data type when Make.com expects a numerical data type. It won’t work; you will need to find another solution or use another variable of a matching data type.
Finally, Make can sometimes refuse to update a variable. This usually means that a variable is being used in an active scenario that is preventing updates. Turning it off temporarily fixes this issue. Other times, you may just not have the required user permissions!
Custom variables in Make are useful, but not always the best tool for the automation task at hand. Before using them, ask yourself a few questions:
Custom variables are good for information that doesn’t change often, like your telephone number. If the data changes often, then a function that lets you capture information as it changes will be better suited.
Custom variables aren’t designed to store a lot of information and are not a replacement for a database or even a JSON object. If your data isn’t something you could comfortably describe as a “snippet”, then a custom variable is not your best bet.
Custom variables in Make are useful because they let you use the same information across multiple scenarios easily. If you’re not planning to use this data beyond one scenario, then they simply aren’t necessary. If you change your mind in future, create on in future; but for now, it’s not useful.
Don’t forget that Set Variable and Get Variable are excellent stand-in modules for custom variables!
If you use a lot of custom variables in a scenario, you can slow the execution time. One or two snippets won’t hurt, but a scenario packed with custom variables can hurt time-sensitive automations.
As you can see, custom variables are a useful addition to your Make.com toolbox. They’re flexible enough that you can use them for a variety of odd jobs and help you to avoid the small errors that can sneak into repetitive copy-paste jobs.
By following the best practices outlined in this guide, you’ll be able to make the most of custom variables and stay organized on top of it. They might not be the best choice for every task, but they are a solid choice for data snippets that you reach for time and time again.
With that said, be careful when using custom variables with sensitive data. Although this might be the most convenient option, make sure that you understand the risks and have systems in place to mitigate them – better yet, find a more secure alternative.
No, custom variables are only available to Make.com users on paid plans. You need to upgrade to at least the Pro plan to access this feature.
Make.com doesn’t have any limits for custom variables. Still, it’s best to keep your custom variables manageable. Focus on creating variables for information snippets that you use all the time.
No, once you’ve set the data type for a custom variable, you cannot change it. If you need a different data type, you’ll have to create a new variable.
Yes, you can use custom variables in filters, just as you can regular variables.
You can update custom variable values (stored information) by going to the Variables tab in your Organization or Team dashboard. Select the variable you want to update and modify its value.
No, custom variables are specific to the organization in which they were created. You cannot use them across different organizations. You will need to recreate the variable if you want to use it in another organization on Make.com.
Make.com doesn’t provide a direct way to export or import custom variables. However, you can manually recreate them in another organization if needed – this only takes a few minutes.
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