Import contacts
Bring a list of contacts in from a CSV file, map its columns, check the preview and read the report.
The Import wizard reads a CSV file, shows you what it will do, and only writes contacts when you tell it to. If some rows have problems, every row that worked is still imported.
Note: Importing is limited to Owners, Admins and Marketing Managers.
Prepare your file
- Format: CSV, with one header row and then one contact per line.
- Size: at most 50 MB and 100,000 rows.
- WhatsApp number: one column must hold the number with its country code. Spaces, hyphens, brackets, a leading
+and the apostrophe a spreadsheet adds are removed for you. - Tags: list tag names separated by semicolons, for example
VIP;Wholesale. Each tag must already exist in Contacts › Fields and tags. An import does not create new tags. - Consent: a cell of
yes,y,trueor1records an opt-in. Anything else records nothing. Every opt-in row needs evidence in a separate column, such as a sign-up form URL or form ID. - Custom fields: values must suit the field's type. Use
YYYY-MM-DDfor dates,yes/nofor Yes / no fields, and an exact option for One of a list fields. See Custom fields and tags.
Columns you don't need can stay in the file. You can tell the wizard to ignore them.
Run the import
Go to Contacts › Import.
Drag your CSV onto the page, or click to browse for it.
Click Next. Under Match each column to a field, choose where each column goes:
- WhatsApp number, Display name, Locale, Tags, Consent, Consent evidence, or one of your custom fields.
- Ignore this column to skip it.
The wizard guesses from your column headings. Check its choices. One column must be the WhatsApp number, and two columns cannot go to the same field.
Click Next. The file is uploaded and checked. Nothing is written yet.
Read the preview (see below), then click Next.
Click Import these contacts. The import runs in the background and the report appears when it finishes.
Click Download the full report for a row-by-row list, or Back to contacts.
Running the commit twice is safe: a commit only happens once per import.
Read the preview
The preview shows:
| Line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Rows read | Every data row in the file. |
| Rows that will import | Rows with no problems. |
| Rows with a problem | Rows that will be skipped, listed with the row, column and problem. |
| Repeated numbers in the file | Where a number appears more than once, the first row wins. |
| Rows that merge into an existing contact | A row whose number is already a contact updates that contact. It never creates a second one. |
When a row updates an existing contact, an empty cell leaves that value as it was.
Common row problems
- Not a WhatsApp number. It must be E.164 digits with no "+". The number cell is empty or not a valid number.
- The value does not suit the field's type. For example, text in a number field, a tag that doesn't exist, or an option not on the list.
- An opt-in row needs evidence. The consent cell says yes but the evidence cell is empty.
- This number appears earlier in the file. The row is a repeat.
- This row could not be read as a row. Often a quote mark that is never closed.
If the whole file is refused (This file could not be imported.), nothing is written. The usual causes are a missing header row, no column mapped to the WhatsApp number, or a file that isn't a CSV. Go back and fix the mapping, or choose another file.
One import at a time
Your organisation can have only one open import. If you start a new one while another is open, you see An import started … is still open, with two choices:
- Resume: carry on with the open import.
- Discard and start over: throw the open import away (nothing from it has been written) and use your new file.
An open import that nobody picks up expires after a day. If you reload the page during an import, the wizard picks up where you were. To abandon an import, click Cancel and then Discard.
After the import
- Imported contacts show Imported as their source.
- Rows with an opt-in and evidence show Opted in. Others show Not recorded.
- The report download masks customer numbers, and its link expires after a while.
Still need help?
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