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  2. Search and Prospecting
  3. CSV Files

Import a CSV of Contacts

Article author
Apollo Team
Updated

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.

 
Wrong Turn

Looking to import accounts instead? Check out Import a CSV of Accounts.

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 at least one of the following columns:

  • Company name
  • Company website
  • LinkedIn URL
  • Contact email

The more of these columns 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. Apollo can only provide full contact information if we're able to match the record.

 
Sample CSV

Download a sample CSV file that includes all the columns.

Next, ensure your computer is set to support one of the following delimiters:

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

Learn how to set a delimiter on your computer.

Use the following formatting when you create your CSV:

  • If your CSV includes a column with multi-select options, each value in a cell should be separated by a semicolon (;).
  • If your CSV includes values that should be mapped to a checkbox in Apollo, enter True for checked and False for unchecked.
  • If you include an account website, enter the domain only, without www. or any prefixes.

Special CSV Column Circumstances

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 upload your CSV.

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Upload Your CSV

To upload a CSV of contacts:

  1. Launch Apollo and click People.
  2. Click Import > CSV.

The bulk import from CSV button is highlighted

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

The Select CSV File button is highlighted

  1. Next, map your CSV column headers to the corresponding Apollo fields.
 
Account Mapping

Wondering which fields you can use to map? Check out the list of default Apollo fields. You can also create a custom contact field if you don't have an available field for mapping. You need to restart the upload after you create additional custom fields.

The Select CSV File button is highlighted

  1. Configure settings for the imported contacts:
Stage Select the contact stage that best represents the engagement status for all of the contacts in the CSV. The correct contact stage enables you to efficiently message people once they're in a sequence. Select Use stage from CSV to set the stage for each contact directly from your CSV file.
If contacts already exist When you import contacts via CSV, Apollo checks for existing records with the same first name, last name, company, email, or LinkedIn URL to identify duplicates. Use this setting to tell Apollo how to handle duplicates. Select Update the existing record to add CSV data to the existing record in Apollo and prevent duplicates.
If owner is missing If the owner value is missing in your CSV, select a user that should own the imported contacts in Apollo.
If existing contacts already have an owner Select what happens if contacts in your CSV already have an owner in Apollo. If you select Update Ownership, Apollo will assign the user that you selected in If owner is missing.
Add to a list Enter the name of a new list, or select an existing list.

The CSV upload settings are highlighted

  1. When finished, click Import.

You have now imported contacts from a CSV.

To check the status of your import, click Settings > Imports & Exports > Contact Imports.

 
Time to Launch

Wondering how long an import takes? Most uploads finish in a few minutes, but large CSVs can take a few hours.

When your import is finished, enrich contact information and find contact companies.

You can also add your contacts to a list, to a sequence, or narrow your search for people on the CSV with the contact CSV import filter.

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Find Companies from Imported Contacts

Once you upload a file of contacts, use Apollo to find companies where the prospects work.

To find companies from imported contacts:

  1. Launch Apollo and click People.
  2. Click Filters > More Filters.
  3. Click Contact CSV Import, then select the file name of your CSV.
  4. Click Apply Filters.

CSV Files

  1. Check the people for whom you want to find companies, then, click ... > View Companies.

The find people button is highlighted with several companies checked

  1. Apollo shows companies associated with the selected contacts. Apply more search filters to narrow your search.

You have now found companies from imported contacts.

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FAQs

Frequently asked questions
Which delimiters does Apollo support? Which fields can I import? How do I enrich data from a CSV?
How do I find the contacts I imported? When I import a list of contacts, does it match with the contacts I already have in Apollo? I made a mistake on my import. How do I delete the import and start over?
How long does an import take? Can I import a CSV via Apollo API?  

Which delimiters does Apollo support?

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.

To update your delimiter settings:

Mac

    1. Close your CSV application and click the Apple system 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

    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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Which fields can I import?

To ensure Apollo recognizes your contacts, your CSV must include fields for either company name, company website, LinkedIn URL, or contact email.

By default, you can map imported fields to the following Apollo fields:

    • Contact first name
    • Contact last name
    • Contact title
    • Contact email
    • Contact LinkedIn URL
    • Contact raw address
    • Contact place street
    • Contact place city
    • Contact place state
    • Contact place country
    • Contact place postal code
    • Contact stage
    • First phone
    • Work direct phone
    • Corporate phone
    • Home phone
    • Mobile phone
    • Other phone
    • Owner
    • Account website
    • Email sent
    • Email opened
    • Email auto responded
    • Email clicked
    • Email replied
    • Email unsubscribed

Additionally, you can import any other field as long as there's an existing custom contact field to match to it in Apollo.

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How do I enrich data from a CSV?

After you import a CSV, use Apollo to enrich contact information, ensuring your outreach data is fresh and up-to-date:

    1. Launch Apollo and click People.
    2. Click Show filters and select the Contact CSV import filter.
    3. Select your CSV file to find the people you imported.
    4. Check each person you want to enrich, then click Enrich and select what you want to update:
People selected with enrich options highlighted
    1. Apollo enriches the people you selected.

You have now enriched your contact information.

 
The Riches of Enrichment

Want to enrich more fields? You can also use CSV enrichment, a separate feature that allows you to upload a CSV and enrich additional fields. With CSV enrichment, upload a CSV, and choose which fields for Apollo to enrich. Then download the CSV with your updated information. To add them as contacts to Apollo, you then need to import the updated CSV. Learn more about enrichment on Apollo.

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I made a mistake on my import. How do I delete the import and start over?

If you made a mistake when importing, such as by mapping data incorrectly, you can either edit the contact information, and for example update a contact name or contact owner, or you can fully delete the imported contacts and start over with a fresh import.

To delete and start over:

  1. Launch Apollo and click People.
  2. Use the contact CSV import filter to select your import.
  3. Check each contact you want to remove, then click ... > Delete.
With your records removed, you can retry the CSV import.

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How do I find the contacts I imported?

To find the contacts you imported:

      1. Launch Apollo and click People.
      2. Click Show Filters > More filters then select the contact CSV import filter. Select your CSV.
      3. Apollo displays the contacts you imported.
      4. Check one or more contacts then choose an action to take:
Actions
Email
Add to a sequence
Add to a list
Export to a CSV
Run AI prompt
Push to CRM
View companies
Assign owner
Assign account
Merge duplicates
Create a task
Set stage
Remove from list
Set custom field
Opt out of calls
Delete

 

The CSV upload settings are highlighted

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When I import a list of contacts, does it match with the contacts I already have in Apollo?

When you import contacts, your import settings determine whether Apollo should update existing contacts if they already exist with information from your CSV. Alternatively, you can choose to skip updating existing contacts.

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How long does an import take?

Most imports finish in a few minutes, but larger CSV files can take a few hours to process.

To check the status of your import after you've initiated it, navigate to Settings > Imports and exports > Contact Import.

Apollo recommends that you avoid uploading CSV files with more than 10,000 rows. If you have a larger file, it's best to split the CSV into separate, smaller files for more efficient processing.

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Can I import a CSV via Apollo API?

While it isn't possible to import a CSV via Apollo API, you can use the API to create contacts or accounts. Learn more about using Apollo API.

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