Importing Contacts from a Spreadsheet

Mobile Message allows you to import contacts in bulk using a spreadsheet. This makes it easy to add large contact lists quickly and prepare them for messaging campaigns.

A step-by-step video walkthrough is available at the top of this article.

Where to import contacts

To import contacts:

1. Log in to your Mobile Message account
2. Click Contacts
3. Select Import Contacts

This will take you to the contact import screen.

Preparing your spreadsheet

Your spreadsheet should include one contact per row. At a minimum, we need a column with mobile phone numbers. All other fields are optional.

Common columns include:

• Phone number
• First name
• Last name
• Email
• Any custom fields you want to store

If the first row of your spreadsheet contains column headings (for example, “Phone Number” or “First Name”), make sure this option is selected during the import process.

Uploading your spreadsheet

On the import screen:

1. Choose the spreadsheet file you want to import
2. Select File has header row if your first row contains column headings
3. Upload the file

Once uploaded, Mobile Message will show you a preview of your spreadsheet data.

Matching columns to contact fields

After uploading, you will be asked to match each spreadsheet column to a contact field in Mobile Message.

For each column:

• Select the matching field (such as phone number or first name), or
• Choose Do not import for any columns you do not want to include

Only mapped fields will be imported.

Handling duplicate contacts

Next, choose how Mobile Message should handle duplicates.

Duplicates are identified by phone number.

You have two options:

• Skip: Existing contact details are kept, and the imported row is ignored
• Overwrite: Existing contact details are updated with the new data from the spreadsheet

In most cases, overwrite is useful when you want to refresh or update contact information.

Saving contacts to a list

You can choose to save imported contacts to one or more lists.

This makes it easy to:

• Select all imported contacts later
• Send messages to the entire group
• Reuse the list for future campaigns

You can select multiple existing lists, create a new list during the import, or do both at the same time. Contacts will be added to every list you select.

For example, you might add contacts to an existing “All Customers” list and also create a new “March 2026 Campaign” list in the same import.

Starting the import

Once all settings are configured, click Start Import.

For large spreadsheets, the import process may take some time. Please be patient while the system processes your contacts.

Import results and reports

When the import is complete, you will see a summary showing:

• How many contacts were imported successfully
• How many were skipped or failed

You can download a detailed report to see exactly why any contacts were not imported. This is useful for fixing formatting issues or invalid phone numbers.

After the import

Once the import is finished:

• Your contacts are available in the Contacts section
• Any lists you selected or created are ready to use (contacts are added to all selected lists)
• You can immediately send messages to your imported contacts

If you need help preparing your spreadsheet or understanding import errors, our support team is happy to assist.