How to bulk upload contacts in Connect

You can upload contacts into Connect in bulk using a CSV file. This guide walks you through preparing your data, mapping your fields, handling subscriptions, applying tags, and successfully importing your contact list.

Connect will automatically detect duplicates using email or mobile number, updating existing records where a match is found.

If you only need to add one or a few contacts, see How to add a single contact in Connect instead.

⚠️ Consent is required

You must only upload contacts who have given valid consent to receive communications. Do not upload purchased, scraped, or non-opt-in lists.

Before you start

Make sure you:

Export your contacts to CSV format (.csv — comma delimited)
Include at least one unique identifier — either an email address or mobile number
Format phone numbers in international format (e.g. +61412345678)
Remove junk data such as test emails, obvious duplicates, and typos
Use a clean header row as the first row of your file
Keep header names simple — avoid special characters (e.g. use First_Name, not First$$Name)
Confirm that consent has been collected and is current for all contacts

Recommended CSV format

First Name	Last Name	email	mobile	dob	tags	Unsubscribe to email/sms
Alex	Nguyen	alex@example.com	+61411111111	1990-05-12	Website Signup; VIP	no

💡 Tip: Test with a small file (10–20 rows) before importing your full database. This helps you catch formatting or mapping issues early.

Step 1: Open the uploader

Go to Contacts
Click the green "+" button in the top-right corner
Select Upload Contacts
Upload your CSV by either dragging and dropping the file, or clicking to browse and select it

You can also click View Previous Uploads to see all past imports, view detailed reports for each file, and download copies of previously uploaded files or error reports.

Step 2: Map your fields

Once your file is uploaded, Connect will display your CSV columns and attempt to auto-map them to existing contact fields.

Review each mapped field carefully as auto-mapping isn't always perfect
Use the dropdown to map to an existing contact field, or select Create a new contact field to add one on the fly (supports Text, Number, Date, Select, and Multi-select types)
Set any column to Ignore if you don't need it imported

Step 3: Handle subscription fields

If your CSV includes subscription or consent columns, pay close attention to how they're mapped. Connect uses "subscribed" fields, so if your data uses "unsubscribed" headings, the values may need to be inverted.

CSV heading	Map to Connect field	Accepted values
unsubscribed_email	subscribed_email	`0`, `no`, or `false` = opted out · `1`, `yes`, `true`, or blank = opted in
unsubscribed_sms	subscribed_sms	Same as above

⚠️ Important: If your source data marks contacts as unsubscribed = 1 (meaning they've opted out), make sure this maps correctly in Connect. An incorrect mapping could result in unsubscribed contacts being marked as opted in.

Step 4 : Apply bulk options (optional)

Before processing, you can:

Apply a tag to all uploaded contacts — this is highly recommended for auditing and segmentation (e.g. "Imported Apr 2026", "Website Signup")
- See: Managing Tags
Choose whether automations should trigger — if you have welcome flows or onboarding journeys active, you may want to skip them for imported contacts
Confirm consent compliance — this step is required before the upload can begin

You can also opt to receive a confirmation email once the import is complete.

Step 5 : How duplicates are handled

During import, Connect checks for duplicates using email or mobile number only:

If a match is found → the existing record is updated with the new data
If no match is found → a new contact is created
Fields that are not mapped or left blank in the new record are never changed on the existing contact

See: How Connect handles duplicate contacts

Step 6: Import and verify

Click Upload to begin the import
You can safely navigate away — the import will continue processing in the background
Once complete, open the Import Summary to review:
- Total rows processed
- Contacts created vs updated
- Skipped rows and error reasons

To revisit past imports at any time, go to Contacts → View Previous Uploads.

Best practices

Always test with a small CSV (10–20 rows) before running a full import
Standardise email and phone formatting across your file
Apply an upload-specific tag so you can easily find and manage imported contacts later
Run regular data cleanups to maintain database health
- See: How to clean up your contact database (link TBC)

Troubleshooting

Issue	Likely cause	Fix
File rejected	CSV formatting issue	Re-export as .csv (comma delimited), remove blank rows or extra header lines
Columns not mapping	Unclear or unusual header names	Rename headers to simple titles like `email`, `mobile`, `first_name`, `dob`
Subscription values look wrong	"Unsubscribed" column imported without inverting	Check the mapping — invert values or remap to the correct subscribed field
Unexpected data overwrite	A field was mapped that shouldn't have been	Set unwanted columns to Ignore before uploading
Import is slow or still processing	Large file or high server load	Imports can take a few minutes for large files — you'll receive a confirmation email when it's done

FAQs

Do I need both email and mobile? No — one is enough for the import to work. However, providing both improves duplicate matching accuracy.

Can I undo an upload? Not in one click. Use the tag you applied during import to find and review affected records. You can then bulk update or delete them if needed. See How to edit, tag, and delete contacts in bulk

Will automations run on imported contacts? Only if you choose to allow it during the upload process (Step 4). If you skip this, no automations will trigger for the imported contacts.

What file formats are accepted? Only .csv (comma delimited). Other formats like .xlsx or .xls need to be re-exported as CSV first.

Search

me&u support