Upload a CSV of Contacts to Apollo

Overview

You may want to upload a CSV file of contacts to Apollo if:

• You don't have a CRM or haven't connected your CRM with Apollo.
• You have a list of contacts that you want to engage with and track in Apollo.
• You have contacts that you want to add to a list in Apollo
• You have contacts you want to save in Apollo first and then enrich with verified emails or phone numbers.

Refer to the following sections for more information on how to correctly prepare your CSV, upload it into Apollo, and then apply the CSV to a search and engage or enrich the contacts with verified emails and phone numbers.

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Step 0: Prepare Your CSV File

Before you import a CSV of contacts into Apollo:

1. Make sure your file includes the following mandatory columns:
   • First Name
   • Last Name
   • Company
   • Company Website
   However, the more data you include in your CSV, the better. Apollo can then match the contact in the database and enrich the record with any missing information found. To further improve your chances of a match, Apollo recommends you include the contact email and/or LinkedIn profile if you have it.
    

   Only Have LinkedIn Data?

   Please note, if you only have the URL to a contact's LinkedIn profile, Apollo doesn't recommend you import this data from a CSV. Instead, you can use the Apollo Chrome Extension to save the contact directly from their LinkedIn profile. For more information, please refer to the Apollo Chrome Extension Overview article.

2. Check that you have set the language settings in your PC to one of the following supported delimiters:
   • Comma (,)
   • Semicolon (;)
   • Colon (:)
   • Pipe (|)
   If you encounter any formatting issues when you upload your file, you likely need to change your default settings. For more information, refer to the How Do I Change the Default Delimiter on My Computer? FAQ.
3. Make sure you convert your file to CSV format. Apollo does not currently support TSV files.

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Step 1: Upload a CSV of Contacts

To upload a CSV file of contacts into Apollo:

1. Launch Apollo and then click Search > People.
2. Click Import > Bulk Import from CSV.
3. Click Select CSV File in the Import contacts section.
4. Select your CSV file from your computer and then click Open to upload it.

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Step 2: Map Your Columns

Now you've uploaded your CSV file, you need to map each column header to the correct Apollo field.

To map your CSV column headers to the corresponding Apollo fields:

1. Use the drop-down menus for each unmapped column and select the Apollo field.
2. (Recommended) If you don't see the correct Apollo field for a column header in your CSV, you'll need to create a custom field before you can map it.
   To create a custom field:
   • Click here in the info banner.
   • Name your custom contact field and select the field type. Then, depending on the type, fill out any other required fields and click Save.
   • Now, map your new custom field to the column of your choice.
    

   Curious About Custom Fields?

   For more information on all things custom contact fields, sneak a peek at the Create Custom Contact Fields article.

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Step 3: Configure the Settings and Import Your CSV

Now that you've mapped your fields, it's time to configure the settings and import your CSV.

To finalize the CSV upload:

1. Scroll to Settings and click the What stage would you like to set the contacts to? drop-down. Then, choose the contact stage that best represents the engagement status for all of the contacts in the CSV.
    

   Why does "Contact Stage" matter?

   It's important to set your CSV list to the correct stage, especially if you plan to enroll the contacts in an Apollo sequence. That way, you can efficiently tailor your messaging according to their stage in your sales pipeline.

2. Click the If contacts already exist in Apollo drop-down to choose whether to skip or update any contacts you've already saved in Apollo.
    

   What criteria does Apollo use to match existing contacts in Apollo to contacts in a CSV file?

   If you choose to update existing records in Apollo with the data in your CSV, Apollo uses 3 sets of unique identifiers in order of most to least unique. Those identifiers include:

   • linkedin_URL
   • first_name + last_name + organization
   • email address

   This means that if you include linkedin_URL, you can update all of the other data for a person. If you include first_name + last_name + organization, but you do not include a different linkedin_URL, you can update email address and other data. If you include only email_address and you do not include the linkedin_URL or first_name + last_name + organization, then you can only update other fields for the people in your file.

   If you opt to update existing records in Apollo from your CSV, Apollo only updates records that have a matching email address, a matching name (first and last), and a matching company.

   When duplicate people exist in your CSV, Apollo only accepts the highest row in the file to update the record in the platform.

3. Click the If owner value is missing in your CSV, assign owner to drop-down to decide which user you want to own any imported contacts without a specified owner.
4. Click the If existing contacts already have owner drop-down to choose whether or not you want to override an existing owner in Apollo with the one specified in your CSV.
    

   What happens if I update ownership?

   If you choose to update contact ownership from the drop-down, Apollo assigns the user you selected in the If the owner value is missing in your CSV, assign owner to drop-down.

5. Select an option from the Auto-assign accounts? drop-down to determine whether or not Apollo should assign accounts based on the website or email domain for the contacts in your CSV.
    

   Calling All Salesforce Users!

   If you've integrated Salesforce with Apollo, you can also decide whether or not Apollo should create and update records in Salesforce based on the uploaded CSV.

   

6. (Optional) Click the Add to a List? drop-down to select an existing list or create a new one. When you import your CSV, Apollo adds the contacts from your file to a list in Apollo.
7. Click Import to finish uploading your CSV to Apollo.

Your upload will now begin.

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(Optional) Apply Imported CSV Contacts to a Search

To search for imported contacts from your CSV file:

1. Launch Apollo and click Search.
2. Click More Filters on the left.
3. Scroll to Contact CSV Import and click the accordion to expand the CSV filter.
4. Click the checkbox next to the CSV file(s) you want to include.
5. Click Apply Filters to display the people included in the selected CSV file(s).
6. You have now applied the contacts from your imported CSV file(s) to a search. From here, you can take action(s) on these contacts. For example, enroll them in a sequence or call them with the dialer.

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(Optional) Enrich the Records of Your Imported Contacts

To enrich the emails and mobile numbers of your imported contacts:

1. Launch Apollo and click Search.
2. Click More Filters.
3. Scroll to Contact CSV Import and click the accordion to open the CSV filter.
4. Click the checkbox next to the CSV file(s) you want to include.
5. Click Apply Filters to display the people included in the selected CSV files.
6. Click the Saved tab and then click the checkboxes next to the contacts that you want to enrich.
7. Click Enrich. Then, select Enrich emails or Enrich mobile numbers.
8. Click Enrich to confirm the email or mobile enrichment request.
    

   Make Sure You're Sure!

   Please note, when you enrich an email, Apollo charges you 1 credit. When you enrich a mobile number, Apollo charges you 1 credit. For more information about how credits work in Apollo, refer to the What Are Credits? page.

You have now enriched the emails or mobile numbers of the selected contacts you imported from a CSV file.

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FAQ: How Do I Change the Default Delimiter on My Computer?

Apollo supports the following delimiters:

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

If you encounter any formatting issues when you upload your file, you likely need to change your default settings. Follow the instructions below to update your settings. Then, try to upload the CSV file again.

Mac

To change the default delimiter on your Mac:

1. Close the Excel application and click the Apple 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:

1. Launch the Windows Start Menu and click Control Panel.
2. Click Regional and Language Options > Regional Options > Customize/Additional settings (Windows 10).
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.