Import your contacts and get your CRM up and running faster. The contact import tool lets you bring in contacts from a CSV, XLSX, or XLS file, map your columns to the correct fields, tag contacts automatically, and indicate marketing permission — all in one workflow. Before importing, make sure your file is properly prepared for import.

This article covers how to import a contact file, how to map fields, how to handle companies and custom fields during import, how to set marketing permission, how to apply tags, and how to update existing contacts. The maximum file size for a single import is 5,000 contacts. For lists larger than 5,000 contacts, split the file into batches and import each batch separately.

How to Import a Contact File

Contact files must be in CSV, XLSX, or XLS format before importing. If your file is not yet prepared, see how to prepare your contact file for import before continuing.

1. Click Contacts in the left-hand navigation, then click People. 
   
   
2. Click the Import contacts button on the People page. 
   
   
3. Select an import type. The most common option — My spreadsheet — appears at the top of the list. 
   
   
4. Upload your file by clicking the upload area to browse for your file, or drag and drop your CSV, XLSX, or XLS file directly into the import window.

How to Map Fields During Import

After uploading your file, the import tool will attempt to automatically match your file's column headers to the corresponding fields in your CRM. Review the auto-matched fields to confirm they are correct. For any columns that could not be matched automatically, use the dropdown on the right side of the field mapping screen to manually select the correct field.

The name of the uploaded file is displayed in the top left corner of the field mapping screen — use this to confirm you are working with the correct file before completing the mapping.

To view all fields that were matched automatically, click the Show matched fields link at the bottom of the field mapping screen.

Mapping a column to a contact owner field is not supported during import. Contact owner assignments must be made manually after the import is complete.

How Companies Are Handled During Import

Your CRM checks existing company records automatically during import to prevent duplicate company entries. Company name matching is not case sensitive — contacts with company names listed as "keap," "Keap," and "KEAP" will all be grouped under the same company record. If the company does not yet exist in your CRM, the first instance of the company name in your import file will set the casing used going forward. Company names can be edited after import if needed.

Leading and trailing spaces in company names are ignored during import. A company name entered as " Keap" or "Keap " will be treated as the same company as "Keap."

How to Create Custom Fields During Import

If your import file contains columns that do not match any existing field in your CRM, you can create a new custom field directly from the field mapping screen without leaving the import workflow.

1. Click the dropdown next to the unmatched column and select Add as custom field. 
   
   
2. Review the custom field name. The column header from your CSV file will be pre-filled as the custom field name. Edit the name if needed. 
   
   
3. Click the field type dropdown to open the list of available field types. 
   
   
4. Select the field type that matches the data in that column — for example, Text, Number, Date, or Dropdown. 
   
   
5. Choose whether to show this field by default on contact records. Enabling this option makes the custom field visible on every contact record without requiring users to expand additional fields. 
   
   
6. Click Create field to save the custom field and return to the field mapping screen. 
   
   
7. Click Next in the upper right corner of the field mapping screen to continue to the next step. 
   
   

How to Indicate Marketing Permission

The final step before completing the import is to indicate whether you have explicit permission to send marketing emails to the contacts in your file. Selecting the correct option determines the marketing status assigned to each imported contact.

• Select Yes if every contact in the file has explicitly opted in to receive marketing emails from your business. Contacts imported with Yes will be marketable and can receive email broadcasts and automation sequences.
• Select No if you do not have explicit marketing permission for the contacts in the file. Contacts imported with No will be set to non-marketable. You can still send individual emails directly from a contact record, but these contacts will not receive bulk email broadcasts or automation sequence emails until they opt in.

How to Apply Tags During Import

You can automatically apply one or more tags to all contacts in your import file. Tags applied during import make it easy to identify and segment contacts by their import source after the import is complete.

1. Select an existing tag from the tag dropdown to apply it to all imported contacts. 
   
   
2. Or create a new tag on the spot by typing the new tag name in the tag field and selecting the option to create it. 
   
   
3. Click Finish Import when you are done to complete the import process. 
   
   

You can also apply tags using a dedicated Tags column in your spreadsheet. If you use a Tags column, separate multiple tag values with commas. Importing a Tags column without commas separating multiple values will result in the entire cell content being created as a single incorrectly named tag.

How to View Your Import Results

After completing an import, an import tag is automatically created in your CRM to identify the contacts from that import. To view the contacts that were imported:

1. Click Settings in the left-hand navigation. 
   
   
2. Click Tags in the Settings menu. 
   
   
3. Click the tag that was automatically created for your import. The import tag is named with the date and time of the import. Clicking the tag displays all contacts that were included in that import. 
   
   

How to Update Existing Contacts with an Import

The import tool can update information for contacts that already exist in your CRM. To update existing contacts, create a CSV, XLSX, or XLS file that includes each contact's email address and the fields you want to update. Import the file using the same import workflow described in the How to Import a Contact File section above. The email address is used to match the imported row to the existing contact record, and the imported values will overwrite the existing values for the fields included in the file.

Email status fields — such as Non-Marketable and Opt-out — are never overwritten by a contact import regardless of what is included in the file. Email statuses can only be changed manually on the individual contact record.