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How do I import contacts?

How to format and import contacts from a CSV file.

Support and Success at Mobiniti avatar
Written by Support and Success at Mobiniti
Updated over a week ago

In order to get the import option enabled on your account, you will need to speak with a member of our account management team to discuss compliance so we are ensuring that all the contacts that you are importing are TCPA compliant.

Note: If importing a list of more than 19,000 contacts, please split it into separate CSV files.

Included in this help guide:

How to properly format your CSV before importing (to prevent issues please make sure to read this section)


How to Import Contacts

Step 1: 

Click on the Contacts Tab.

Then click Imports / View Imports. Within the drop down, choose Import Contacts.

Step 2:

 Within the pop-up you will need to: 

  • Choose a CSV (comma delimited) (*.csv) file from your computer

  • Make sure it is in the correct format/column order

  • Column order: 10-digit mobile #, email, first name, last name, gender, birth date. No header is required. For any data you don't have, leave the column blank.

  • Make sure the country code is added to the beginning of your 10-digit             numbers. 

Step 3:

Choose the group you would like the contacts added.

Step 4:

Choose to update or just skip existing contacts

  • If you never imported email addresses, and you now want to update existing contacts with emails, choose to update. If you do not choose to update, existing contacts will be skipped.

  • Review the note at the bottom of the window before importing. This will indicate if your account is set up to send an opt-in confirmation, import confirmation, or if the contacts will be imported as active. An opt-in confirmation will require them to reply to opt-in before becoming a Confirmed contact.

Step 5:

Click Import Contacts.


How To Format CSV to Import Contacts

There cannot be a header and there needs to be a country code in front of all the numbers. 

Important Note:
The mobile numbers column cannot have any blank rows, spaces, dashes, or any other special characters. Use Find and Replace to remove these.

To remove blank rows:
Sort numbers blanks will go to the bottom

To remove spaces: Hold Ctrl + H
Find = "space bar"
Replace with leave blank
Click Replace All

To remove dashes & any other special characters: Hold Ctrl + H
Find = "the special character"
Replace with leave blank
Click Replace All

To import, the order of columns must be in this order: 

If there is data you don’t have, just leave the column blank. The only data that is required to have a contact saved in your group is the mobile number.

This tutorial is assuming all of the data possible is on the sheet, but usually, people do not have to have all of this data.


This is how your file should start off looking like:

This is how your file will end up looking like to import:

First remove the header:

Then add the country code to the numbers. The easiest way is to have the numbers in column A, and then move everything over to leave column B empty to use it. 

Type this into the first cell of column B.    =”1”&A1

and press Enter.

Now, you can see that the first number is replicated with a country code in front. From here, if there are gaps in your list of numbers, we need to remove them. 

Highlight the number column

Press F5 on your keyboard and select Blanks, and click OK.

Now that the blanks are selected, right click one of the blanks and delete by the entire row.

Now that there are no gaps, double click the lower right corner of the B1 cell. This will complete the whole list to the bottom and add the country code to all of them.

Copy the whole column B that’s already highlighted. Then paste with values into column A. To paste with values, you need to right click and select paste with values.

Once you’ve pasted the new numbers with their country code, delete the column Band it will be set and ready to import. 

Save as a CSV file, and import into a group on Mobiniti.

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