# Import contacts from a CSV file

Source: https://help.meisa.io/articles/import-contacts-from-csv

Open **Contacts**, click **Import contacts**, choose a CSV file whose first row has column names, match each column to a field, and click **Import**. You can import up to 10,000 people per file, and nobody is emailed until you send something.

## Before you start

- Save your list as a **.csv** file (in Excel or Google Sheets: File, then Download or Save as, then CSV).
- The first row must be column names, for example `email,first_name,last_name,plan,tags`.
- Every row needs an email address.
- To add tags from the file, put them in one column separated by commas, in quotes if there is more than one: `"newsletter,customer"`.
- More than 10,000 rows? Split the file into smaller files and import each one.

Not sure about the format? In the import window, click **Download a sample CSV**.

## Import your file

1. In the left menu, click **Contacts**.
2. Click **Import contacts** at the top right.
3. In the **Upload** step, drag your file onto **Drop a CSV file here**, or click **Choose a file**.

4. In the **Match columns** step, check the field picked for each column. Meisa guesses common names (email, first name, last name, name, tags, user ID) for you. For each column you can choose:
   - **Email**, **First name**, **Last name**, **Full name**
   - **Your app's user ID**
   - **Tags (separated by commas)**
   - **Extra field: *column name***, to keep the value as a custom field
   - **Do not import this column**, to leave it out
5. Look at **What the first 3 people will look like** to confirm the data lands in the right place, then click **Continue**.
6. In the **Review** step, Meisa shows how many rows are new and how many are already in Meisa.
7. Optional: in **Add tags to everyone in this file (optional)**, type a tag and press Enter. This is handy for marking where a list came from, like `webinar-oct`.
8. Choose whether to keep **Update details of people who are already contacts** on. It is on by default. Turn it off to skip people already in Meisa and keep their details as they are.
9. Click **Import *N* contacts**.

The import runs in the background, so you can keep working. A progress box shows how many were added, updated and skipped when it finishes.

## On the free trial

The trial includes a limited number of contacts. If your file goes past it, the review step says how many go in now and how many wait for your plan. The waiting contacts are kept and imported the moment your plan starts. Nothing is dropped. You can also click **Start my plan now and import everything**.

## Good list hygiene

Only import people who agreed to hear from you. Bought or scraped lists cause bounces and spam complaints, which can get your AWS SES account paused. Addresses that already bounced or complained stay blocked even if you import them again. See [Unsubscribes and suppressed addresses](/articles/unsubscribes-and-suppressed-addresses).

## Troubleshooting

- **"Please choose a CSV file."** Excel files (.xlsx) are not accepted. Save as CSV first.
- **"This file is empty. The first row must be column names."** Add a header row.
- **"Pick which column has email addresses"** Set one column to **Email**.
- **"Each field can be used by one column only"** Two columns point at the same field. Change one of them.
- **Rows left out "because they have the wrong number of columns"** A row has a stray comma. Wrap values that contain commas in double quotes.
- **"Stopped at X of Y"** The import hit an error part way. The people before that point are saved. Fix the file and import again with **Update details of people who are already contacts** off.

## Related articles

- [Add a contact](/articles/add-a-contact)
- [Use custom fields and tags](/articles/custom-fields-and-tags)
- [Create a segment to target the right people](/articles/create-a-segment)
- [Unsubscribes and suppressed addresses](/articles/unsubscribes-and-suppressed-addresses)