Bulk import is a two-step process on purpose: you upload a file, you are shown exactly how its columns will be read, and only when you confirm is anything written. Nothing is saved from the upload step alone.
Video coming soon
How it works #
-
Upload a CSV
Press Bulk upload on the Contacts page and choose your file. CSV up to 5 MB. -
Let it guess the columns
The header row and a few sample rows are read, and a mapping is proposed — which column is the phone number, which is the name, and so on. The guess is a starting point, not a decision. -
Check the mapping
The confirm screen shows each contact field beside the column feeding it, with sample values from your actual file, so a wrong guess is visible before it matters. -
Optionally drop it into a list
You can send the import straight into a new or existing contact list rather than only the general contacts pool. This is almost always what you want when the file represents a segment. -
Confirm
Now the rows are written and the uploaded file is discarded.
Preparing the file #
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Phone number required | The only genuinely required column. International format is safest. Numbers are normalised, so formatting differences do not create duplicates. |
| Name | What your team sees in the inbox, and available as a campaign variable. |
| Optional, stored on the contact and usable as a campaign variable. | |
| Header row | Detected automatically. A file with no header still works — you map by column position instead of name. |
Where to go next #
Contacts
The people you reach on WhatsApp — searchable, assignable, blockable and opt-out aware.
Contact lists
Named segments of contacts you can point a campaign at.
Broadcast campaigns
Send an approved template to a contact list, schedule it, and track sent / delivered / read / failed per recipient.