Create a file to import your contacts

When importing your contacts to Brevo, certain data, such as email addresses and phone numbers, needs to be in a specific format to be imported correctly. By following the requirements and guidelines provided in this article, you can properly set up the file that contains your contact's information.

For illustration purposes, we will create a .CSV file from scratch to import contacts with default and custom attributes for a yoga instructor that you can easily adapt to your needs.

contacts_import_file_en-us.jpg

๐Ÿ“‚ File requirements

Your file should follow the following requirements:

  • There is no limit on the number of contacts you can import at once. However, your file should not exceed 250MB. If your file exceeds this limit, split it into smaller files that you will import separately.
  • Include only one sheet in your file.
  • Save your file in one of the following formats and make sure the separator is either a semicolon, a comma, or a tab:

.CSV
(Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc, Google Sheets, Numbers)

.XLSX
(Microsoft Excel open format)

.TXT
(Microsoft Notepad)

  • Save your file with UTF-8 or Windows-1252 encoding.ย These types of file encoding allow for reading the content of your file when it contains special characters.
  • At least one of the following fields is required to create a contact: EMAIL, SMS, WHATSAPP, LANDLINE_NUMBER, or EXT_ID.

Step 1: Create your file

To create your file:

  1. Open your spreadsheet program (Excel, Google Sheets) to create a new file.
  2. Choose one of the following ways to get started:

Step 2: Prepare the header row of your file

๐Ÿ’ก Good to know

You can create new attributes during the mapping step of the import process; you don't necessarily need to create them beforehand.

Add the information you want to import about your contacts in the header row of your file.

Each header cell represents information that will be matched to a Brevo contact attribute during import. We recommend using the exact contact attribute names in your header row, as this helps our system automatically match them, but it is not mandatory.

โžก๏ธย  For example

In our example, we added default attributes like EMAIL or FIRSTNAME, but also included custom attributes about the yoga classes (FIRST_CLASS, LEVEL, FREE_TRIAL).contacts_header_row_en-us.jpg

To learn more about the expected format for each contact attribute, check the next section.

Step 3: Add your contacts' information to the file

You can now enter your contacts' information into the file:

  • Copy the data from another program or an exported file, or
  • Type it directly into the file.

Make sure that each column contains information that corresponds to the attribute in the header row of your file and that each row contains information about a single contact.

The information in your file should follow a specific format to be imported correctly. There are specific guidelines for:

Default contact attributes

By default, some contact attributes are available in Brevo. They require a specific format to be imported correctly. Expand the following accordions to learn more about the expected format for each contact attribute:

๐Ÿ†” CONTACT_ID

The CONTACT_ID attribute is automatically created by Brevo when you import your contacts. It is a fixed number that cannot be changed. You can only retrieve the contact ID of your contacts by exporting them from Brevo.

โ—๏ธ Important
We recommend including the CONTACT_ID attribute in your file only if you want to update your existing contacts through an import. If you are importing new contacts, exclude the CONTACT_ID column.

contacts_contactID_en-us.jpg

๐Ÿ‘ค FIRSTNAME/ LASTNAME

To import the first name and last name of your contacts, use the FIRSTNAME and LASTNAMEย contact attributes.

contacts_name_en-us.jpg

โœ‰๏ธ EMAIL

To import the email address of your contacts, use the EMAIL contact attribute.
Each contact can only have one email address, and it must be unique to that contact.

Do not include any special characters.

contacts_email_en-us.jpg

โ—๏ธ Important
The EMAIL contact attribute does not support special characters, even with a UTF-8 or Windows-1252 encoding.

Ensure that the email addresses in your file are valid and that they aren't missing any part.
In our wrong example below, the email address is missing the domain suffix and contains a special character:

โŒ rose&@example โœ… rose@example.com
๐Ÿ“ฑ SMS / WHATSAPP / LANDLINE_NUMBER
๐Ÿ’ก Good to know
One contact can have the same phone number for SMS, WhatsApp, and a landline number. Separate blocklists are used when a contact unsubscribes from SMS, WhatsApp, or Phone.

To import the phone number of a contact, use the following default contact attributes as your column headers:

  • SMS for the phone number used for SMS messages and calls through the Phone app.
  • WHATSAPP for the phone number used for WhatsApp messages and calls through the Phone app.
  • LANDLINE_NUMBER for the phone number used for calls through the Phone app.

Do not separate the digits with special characters.

โ—๏ธ Important
If you're importing numbers with different country codes, always include a single quote ('), the + sign, and the country codeย at the beginning of the phone number. If the plus sign is missing, Brevo will apply the default country code during mapping, which can result in incorrect numbers. The single quote ensures that the + sign is kept in your file, preventing the country code from being overridden when a default is applied.

contacts_phone_en-us.jpg

Ensure that the phone numbers in your file include the + sign and the country code and that the digits are not separated by any special character.
In our wrong example below, the phone number is missing the + sign and the country code, and the digits are separated by special characters:

โŒ (337) 456-9342 โœ… +13374569342
๐Ÿ‘ฝ EXT_ID

To import the external ID of a contact created outside of Brevo, use the EXT_ID contact attribute.

contacts_ext-id-attribute-example_EN-US.png

Custom contact attributes

You can create custom contact attributes in Brevo to fit your needs. They require a specific format to be imported correctly, which is based on the attribute type. Expand the following accordions to learn more about the expected format for each attribute type:

๐Ÿ”  TEXT

Text-type attributes store a string of alphanumeric characters, such as a word, a phrase, or a sentence. You can use a text type attribute to import additional data about your contacts. When imported, text type attributes have no limit of characters.

contacts_city_en-us.jpg

๐Ÿ”ข NUMBER

Number-type attributes store a string of numerals or numbers written in decimal format. You can use a number type attribute to import numbers or currency values to your contacts.

๐Ÿ“† DATE

Date-type attributes are used to store a date value.ย Keep the format of the value under this attribute similar to the format selected under your account settings (DD-MM-YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY).

contacts_firstclass_en-us.jpg

๐Ÿ’ก Good to know
Hyphens - and slashes / are interchangeable. For example, 13-03-2022 and 13/03/2022 are considered the same.
๐Ÿ—‚๏ธ CATEGORY

Category-type attributes store a set of possible values. For instance, you can create a contact attribute named LEVEL and define the possible values as BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE, and EXPERT. The attribute of each contact will then only contain one value among those three.

contacts_import_category-attribute_en-us.jpg

๐Ÿ’ก Good to know
You also have the option to include the ID number of the value, instead of the value itself. You can view the ID number of a value by clicking the gear icon โš™๏ธ next to the desired contact attribute on the Contact Attributes page.
โœ–๏ธ MULTIPLE-CHOICE

Multi-choice-type attributes store a set of possible values. For instance, you can create a contact attribute named SPORTS and define the possible values as BASEBALL, FOOTBALL, and YOGA. The attribute of each contact will then contain one or more values among those three.

Multiple-choice-type contact attributes should follow the format: ['Option1'|'Option2'|'Option3'].

contacts_multi-choice-attribute_EN-US.png

Ensure that the multiple-choice-type contact attributes in your file follow the format: ['Option1'|'Option2'|'Option3'].
In our wrong example below, the options are separated by a comma instead of a vertical bar, and each option is missing the single quotation marks.

โŒ [Baseball,Volleyball,Dance] โœ… ['Baseball'|'Volleyball'|'Dance']
๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘Ž BOOLEAN

Boolean-type attributes can only store Yes or No as a value.ย 

Step 4: Save your file

Once you have completed and properly formatted your file, save it in either .CSV, .XLSX, or .TXT format using UTF-8 or Windows-1252 encoding.

Use the accordions below to learn how to encode a file in UTF-8 using various spreadsheet editors: โฌ‡๏ธ

โŽ Microsoft Excel
  1. Open your file in Microsoft Excel.
  2. Click File > Save As.
  3. Name your file.
  4. Select CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (.csv) as the file format.
    excel_EN.png
  5. Click Save.
๐Ÿ“— Google Spreadsheet
  1. Open your file in Google Spreadsheet.
  2. Click File > Download.
  3. Select Comma-separated values (.csv, current sheet) as the file format.
    utf8_googlespreadsheet.jpg
๐Ÿ—’๏ธ Notepad
  1. Open your file in Notepad.
  2. Click File > Save as.
  3. Name your file and add the .csv extension at the end.
  4. From the Save as type dropdown, select All files.
  5. From the Encoding dropdown, choose UTF-8.
    utf8_notepad.jpg
  6. Click Save.
๐Ÿ“„ LibreOffice
  1. Open your file in LibreOffice.
  2. Click File > Save as.
  3. Name your file.
  4. From the Save as type dropdown, select Text CSV (.csv).
  5. Enable the Edit filter settings option.
    utf8_libreoffice.png
  6. Click Save.
  7. In the Export Text File dialog box, select the Unicode (UTF-8) option from the Character set dropdown.
  8. Set the Field delimiter and String delimiter.
  9. Click OK.
๐Ÿ“Š Numbers
  1. Open your file in Numbers.
  2. Click File.
  3. Select Export to... > CSV....
    utf8_numbers.jpg
  4. Click Advanced options.
  5. Click the Text Encoding dropdown.
  6. Select Unicode (UTF-8).
    utf8_numbers2.jpg
  7. Click Next.
  8. Name your file and choose a location.
  9. Click Save.

Step 5: Import your file into Brevo

It's now time to import your contacts' details into Brevo!

โžก๏ธ To learn how to import your file into Brevo, check our dedicated article Import your contacts to Brevo.

โ“ FAQs

๐Ÿค Can I associate my contacts with deals and companies?

You can associate your contacts with deals and companies by adding specific fields to your file and importing it into Brevo. To learn more, check our dedicated article Associate your companies, deals, and contacts.

๐Ÿ“ฑ The "+" sign for phone numbers disappears when I add it to my file. How can I make it stay?

If the "+" sign disappears when you add it to a phone number in your file, add an apostropheย before it. This will help your spreadsheet program recognize the number as a phone number.

๐Ÿ—’๏ธ Can I import a file that contains empty fields?

Yes, you can import a file that contains empty fields. The results will depend on what type of contacts you are importing and on the options you enable while finalizing your import:

โ“ My file contains the UTF-8 replacement character "๏ฟฝ". What will happen when I upload it?

If your contact data contains the UTF-8 replacement character "๏ฟฝ", it will be skipped and the corresponding contact attribute won't be imported into Brevo. This character can appear when exporting data from certain tools as it is used to replace unknown, unrecognized, or unrepresentable characters.

๐Ÿ’พ I can't save my file in .CSV, .XLSX, or .TXT format

The system does not support Excel (.xls), ACT!, .vcf (Apple vCard), or other file types, so you need to convert your file to one of the supported formats (.CSV, .XLSX, or .TXT).

You can use free online tools to convert your file. Before uploading to Brevo, make sure the converted file follows the recommendations for setting up an import file explained in this article.

โญ๏ธ What's next?

๐Ÿค” Have a question?

If you have a question, feel free to contact our support team by creating a ticket from your account. If you don't have an account yet, you can contact us here.

If youโ€™re looking for help with a project using Brevo, we can match you with the right certified Brevo Agency partner.

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