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Import contacts with CSV

On the list, click Add contacts → Multiple contacts using CSV. Before you start, see the common rules in Import contacts.

Prepare the file

  • UTF-8 encoding (in Excel: Save As → CSV UTF-8);
  • comma as the separator;
  • values in double quotes ("), required when a value contains commas (the DUO screen asks for quotes on every field, as in the example).

Example:

"email","phone","name"
"ana@example.com","351912345678","Ana Silva"
"bruno@example.com","","Bruno Costa"

Convert the file automatically

At converte.duo.pt (in Portuguese) you can upload an Excel (xlsx, xls) or LibreOffice (ods) sheet, or a CSV with semicolons, and download a CSV ready to import: UTF-8, commas and quotes on every field. Above 100,000 contacts the result is split into parts. The file is deleted from the server after 2 hours.

If you'd rather save from Excel: in some regional settings Excel saves CSV files with semicolons. Open the file in a text editor and check that the separator is a comma before uploading it.

Step 1: upload the file

Under Multiple contacts using CSV, choose the file and click Upload contacts. For a few contacts, you can paste the content into the text box instead of uploading a file.

Step 2: map the columns

DUO shows the first rows of the file. Under each column, choose the matching list field:

  • Email or Phone number: at least one of them is required.
  • Subscription status: only if the file has a column with SUBSCRIBED, UNSUBSCRIBED or PENDING (exactly like that, in capitals). Other values are ignored.
  • The list's custom fields, by name.
  • Do not use this column for columns you don't want to import.

Then:

  • The first row in the file contains: choose Column headers if the first row has the column names. If you choose A contact, the header row is imported as a contact.
  • If a contact already exists: DUO looks for contacts with the same email or phone in the list.
    • Do not import leaves the existing contact as it is.
    • Update contact fields replaces its data with the file's.

If the list requires subscription confirmation, a Set subscription status to option also appears: choose whether new contacts receive the confirmation email (Opt-in pending) or are subscribed straight away (Subscribed).

Click Insert contacts.

After importing

DUO shows how many contacts were created, updated, left unchanged and how many failed. New contacts are subscribed, or pending if the list requires confirmation.

Common problems

All the data shows up in a single column in step 2. The separator isn't a comma. Convert the file at converte.duo.pt or save it again as CSV with commas.

Garbled accents (é instead of é). The file isn't UTF-8. Convert it at converte.duo.pt.

For problems common to every import method, see Import contacts.