CSV Format for Importing Contacts

A well-formatted CSV file maps cleanly to contact fields, triggers automatic deduplication, and imports without errors. This page covers every formatting rule you need before uploading.

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File requirements

Requirement	Value
File format	.csv only
Sheets per file	One sheet only
Maximum file size	30 MB

Create or edit your file in Excel, Google Sheets, or a plain-text editor. If you’re working in Excel or Google Sheets, export as .csv — do not save as .xlsx.

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Required fields

At least one of the following must be present to create a contact:

• First Name
• Email Address
• Phone Number

For updating an existing contact, a unique identifier is required:

• Contact ID, or
• Email (if your deduplication setting uses email), or
• Phone (if your deduplication setting uses phone)

For updating opportunities, include the Opportunity ID. Without it, a new opportunity is created instead of updating the existing one.

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Sample column structure

First Name | Last Name | Email          | Phone        | Company  | Tags       | Status | Created Date
John       | Doe       | john@acme.com  | +11234567890 | Acme Inc | VIP, Lead  | New    | 01/01/2024
Jane       | Smith     | jane@xyz.com   | +15556667777 | XYZ Ltd  | Customer   | Active | 02/02/2024

The header row is required. Header names must match standard field names or your custom field names exactly.

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Field formatting rules

Dates

Format	Example
MM/DD/YYYY	04/16/2025
YYYY/MM/DD	2025/04/16
MM-DD-YYYY	04-16-2025
YYYY-MM-DD	2025-04-16

Pick one format and use it consistently throughout the file.

Phone numbers

Format	Example	Notes
E.164 (recommended)	+11234567890	Works for all countries
US standard	123-456-7890	US/Canada only
US with parens	(123) 456-7890	US/Canada only

Invalid formats (1234567, abc1234567) cause that field to be skipped on import.

Multi-select and checkbox fields

Separate values with commas, semicolons, or periods:

• VIP, Lead (commas)
• Gold; Silver (semicolons)
• Yes. No (periods)

Slashes (VIP / Lead) are not valid separators.

Single-option (dropdown) fields

One value only. Example: Blue

Tags

Commas, semicolons, or periods. Example: Blue, Yellow or Blue; Yellow

Contact owner

FirstName LastName — example: Logan Paul

Contact followers

Multiple followers separated by commas: Adam Smith, David Lee

Additional emails

Comma-separated in a single column: abc@email.com, abc1@email.com

Additional phones

Comma-separated in a single column: +17877123460, +17877123461

Monetary fields

1234 or 1,234,234.33

Numerical fields

1.23, 1234, .123

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Country values

The country field is validated against an exact list. Values are case-sensitive and spelling-sensitive.

• Accepted: United States
• Not accepted: USA, U.S., us

If your CSV includes a country column, match the exact spelling used in the platform. Custom country fields follow the same rule.

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Timezone values

Timezones are case-sensitive and must match exactly. A partial list of accepted values:

America/New_York, America/Chicago, America/Denver, America/Los_Angeles, America/Phoenix, US/Eastern, US/Central, US/Mountain, US/Alaska, Pacific/Honolulu, Europe/London, Europe/Amsterdam, Asia/Tokyo, Asia/Shanghai, Asia/Kolkata, Australia/Sydney, UTC

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Import action reference

Import action	Required fields	Notes
New contact	Name, Email, or Phone (at least one)	—
Update existing contact	Contact ID, Email, or Phone	Depends on deduplication settings
New opportunity	Pipeline and stage columns	Opportunity ID not required for new records
Update opportunity	Opportunity ID	Without it, a new opportunity is created

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Common questions

Can I import contacts with more than one phone number or email? Yes. Add separate columns labeled Additional Phone Numbers and Additional Email Addresses, with multiple values separated by commas.

What happens if I include a column that doesn’t match any field? The column is ignored unless you manually map it to an existing standard or custom field during the import step.

Will the importer detect and merge duplicates? Yes — based on your Duplicate Detection settings, the importer can match incoming records by Contact ID, email, or phone and either merge or skip matches. Review your Settings → Business Profile → Contact Preferences before importing to confirm the deduplication behavior you want.

Can I import custom field data? Yes. Include a column whose header matches the custom field name exactly. The importer maps it automatically.

My import failed — where do I start? Check that: the file is .csv (not .xlsx), it contains exactly one sheet, the file is under 30 MB, the header row is present, and any phone numbers are in a recognized format.