Import recipients from one or more spreadsheets

Step by step

1. 1

   Click Import spreadsheet and choose a file accepted by the picker.

2. 2

   In mapping, choose the phone and name columns, or No name.

3. 3

   Review capitalization and first-name-only options.

4. 4

   Select extra columns to use as variables.

5. 5

   Review the first five preview rows and the valid, invalid and duplicate counts for this file; confirm import or cancel.

6. 6

   To add another spreadsheet, click Import spreadsheet again, choose the next file, review mapping and confirm. Each import adds its own file-name and count strip; cancelling the new import preserves earlier imports.

7. 7

   Compare each file summary with the detected contact count: phones present in more than one source appear only once in the final list.

8. 8

   To remove one file, click Remove file in that file’s strip. Other spreadsheets, typed numbers and the label source remain.

9. 9

   Check the count and preview again after removing a spreadsheet. A phone also present in another source stays in the list; its name and variables may then come from the next available source.

What you need to know

• Importing does not send messages. Each spreadsheet is represented by a summary instead of placing the entire list in the manual field.
• Files are selected and confirmed one at a time. A new file adds to the composition; it does not replace earlier spreadsheets. To replace a source, remove its old strip and import the new file, then check the resulting data.
• Each strip’s dropped count refers to invalid or repeated phones within that file. It is not a count of every duplicate across spreadsheets, manual text and labels.
• The first nonempty name and each existing variable take precedence: manual text, spreadsheets in import order, then labels. Later sources only fill empty fields.
• Accepted formats: CSV, TXT, XLSX, XLS, Numbers and ODS. For spreadsheets with multiple sheets, only the first sheet is read.