Import Contacts
Bulk-add or update contacts from a CSV or Excel file.
Last updated September 11, 2026
Overview
Import lets you add or update many contacts at once from a CSV or Excel file, instead of adding them one at a time.
Before you begin
- Prepare a CSV or Excel (.xlsx/.xls) file — download the CSV Sample or Excel Sample from the Import dialog if you're not sure of the format.
- Every row needs at least a phone number — that's what contacts are matched on.
Quick navigation
Open Import → Choose your file → Review your import options → Import.
Open Import
Open Import
From the left navigation, click Contacts, then click Import.
Choose your file
Upload a file
Click Choose File and select a CSV or Excel file matching the sample format.
Confirm the file was accepted
Once selected, the file name appears in the upload area.
Review your import options
- Update existing contacts — overwrites only the columns your file fills in for a matching contact; blank cells keep their current value. Uncheck to leave existing contacts untouched.
- Create contacts that don't exist — uncheck for an update-only import, where rows with an unknown number are skipped.
- Assign these contacts to — hands every contact in the file, new and updated, to the selected person.
- Set contact status to — applies a status to every contact in the file.
Import
Review the file format, then import
Scroll down to confirm your file matches the expected column order, then click Import.
Before you click Import
Clicking Import adds or updates real contact records in your account right away, based on the options above — there is no confirmation step after this.
Expected result
Each row in your file becomes a new contact, or updates a matching existing one, depending on the two toggles above.
File format
| Column | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| first_name, last_name | Optional | |
| phone | Required | Contacts are matched by phone, in any format — +91 98765 43210 and 9876543210 are treated as the same contact. |
| Optional | ||
| group_name | Optional | Put several groups in one cell separated by commas. A group that doesn't exist yet is created automatically. |
| street, city, state, zip_code, country | Optional | |
| date_of_birth, anniversary | Optional | Accepts almost any date format (e.g. 15/05/1990, 1990-05-15, "Jan 3 1992") and converts it automatically. Columns named dob, birthday, or birthdate are also accepted. |
Custom fields
Your account's own custom fields can be imported too — add a column named for the field (for example company_details, test_number, leadid, leadtype).
Troubleshooting
See also
Create a ContactAdd a single contact to your account manually.Open article Manage your contactsSearch, filter, and take action on existing contacts.Open articleRelated articles
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