Import a CSV of Contacts

Overview

If you have a list of contacts that you want to use in Apollo, import them as a CSV. You can engage with them in sequences, add them to lists, or enrich your contacts with verified emails and phone numbers.

Check out the following sections to upload a contacts CSV.

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Import a CSV of Contacts

Format Your CSV

Before you import contacts, format your CSV to include all of the following columns:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Company
• Company Website

The more data you include in your CSV, the better. More data makes it easier for Apollo to recognize the contact and enrich the record with any missing information. For enhanced matching, include the contact email and LinkedIn profile address.

Ensure that your computer is set to support one of the following delimiters:

• Comma ,
• Semicolon ;
• Colon :
• Pipe |

Avoid uploading CSV files with more than 10,000 rows. Instead, split large CSVs into separate, smaller files.

With your CSV formatted, you're ready to import contacts.

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Upload Your CSV

To upload a CSV of contacts:

1. Launch Apollo and click Search > People.
2. Click Import > Bulk import from CSV.

3. Click Select CSV File under Import contacts. Choose a CSV file to upload.

4. Next, map your CSV column headers to the corresponding Apollo fields.

If you don't see the Apollo field for a column header in your CSV, create a custom field and then restart the upload.

5. Configure settings for the imported contacts:
• What stage would you like to set the contacts to: Select the contact stage that best represents the engagement status for all of the contacts in the CSV. Select Use stage from CSV to set the stage for each contact directly from your CSV file.
• If contact already exists: Select whether to update or skip the record if the contact already exists.
• If the owner value is missing in your CSV, assign owner to: Select a user that should own the imported records in Apollo.
• If existing contacts already have owner: Select what happens if records in your CSV already have an owner in Apollo. If you select Update Ownership, Apollo will assign the user that you selected in If the owner value is missing in your CSV, assign owner to.
• Add to a List: Enter the name of a new list or select an existing list. This step is optional.

6. When finished, click Import.

Your upload will begin. To check the status of your upload, click Settings > Imports & Exports > Contact Imports.

When your import is finished, add your contacts to a list, enrich contacts with verified phones and emails, or narrow your search for people on the CSV with the contact CSV import filter.

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Delimiters

Apollo supports the following delimiters:

• Comma ,
• Semicolon ;
• Colon :
• Pipe |

If you experience formatting issues when you upload your file, you may need to change your delimiter settings.

Check out the following instructions to update your delimiter settings.

Mac

To change the default delimiter on your Mac:

1. Close your CSV application and click the Apple settings icon.
2. Click System Settings > General > Language and Region.
3. Scroll to number format and change the decimal separator to one of the supported delimiters.
4. Re-attempt the CSV upload in Apollo.

PC

To change the default delimiter on your PC (Windows 10):

1. Launch the Windows Start Menu and click Control Panel.
2. Click Regional and Language Options > Regional Options > Customize / Additional settings.
3. Change the delimiter in the list separator section to one of the Apollo-supported characters.
4. Click OK twice to confirm the change.
5. Restart your machine. Then, re-attempt the CSV upload in Apollo.

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