Complete CSV import guide

File format, required columns, working examples, and every common error.

Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read

File requirements

  • Comma-separated .csv, UTF-8 encoded
  • One header row
  • Up to 10,000 rows per file — split larger lists
  • One email address per row

A valid file

```

email,first_name,last_name,company,title,city

ana@acme.com,Ana,Silva,Acme Packaging,Head of Ops,Lisbon

tom@northline.io,Tom,Reed,Northline,Operations Manager,Denver

```

Files that will cause problems

Two addresses in one cell:

```

email,first_name

ana@acme.com; ops@acme.com,Ana

```

Missing header row — the first lead is consumed as column names:

```

ana@acme.com,Ana,Silva

tom@northline.io,Tom,Reed

```

Semicolon-separated export saved as .csv:

```

email;first_name;company

ana@acme.com;Ana;Acme

```

Common errors and fixes

  • "Invalid email" — typos, trailing spaces, or a name in the email column. Clean the source file.
  • Everything mapped to one column — the file is not comma separated. Re-export as CSV, or open in a spreadsheet and save as comma separated.
  • Accented characters look wrong — re-save as UTF-8.
  • Duplicate rows — only the first occurrence is kept, which is usually what you want.
  • Import silently smaller than expected — check the review counts: invalid, in-file duplicates and already-in-workspace are all reported separately.

Troubleshooting steps

  1. Open the file in a plain-text editor and confirm the header and the delimiter.
  2. Import 10 rows first to validate the mapping.
  3. Then import the full file into the same list.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I import custom fields?
Yes. In the mapping step choose Custom field for that column, and the value becomes available as a variable in your copy.
What happens to leads already in my workspace?
They are reported as already present and not duplicated. Existing data is preserved.
Can I import an Excel file?
Save it as CSV first. Excel workbooks are not read directly.

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