# Importing contacts

> Upload a CSV or Excel file of leads, name and tag the new list, match your columns to Bigly's fields, and understand how duplicates are handled.

- Section: Using the app (manual) › Contacts & lists
- Web page: https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/importing-contacts
- Video: placeholder — "Importing your first list of leads" (not yet recorded)

Importing is the fastest way to get leads into Bigly. You upload a spreadsheet, and Bigly turns each row into a contact and adds it to a new list. The whole process takes a couple of minutes, and the rows are then processed in the background.

## Before you start

- Use a **CSV**, **XLS** or **XLSX** file. Upload one file at a time.
- Put column names in the first row.
- Each row needs an **email address**, or a **phone number plus a first and last name**. Rows with neither are skipped.
- To store extra details (for example a policy number or lead score), create the field first in [Custom attributes](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/custom-attributes.md), so you can match a column to it.

> **Re-importing overwrites names and company details:** If a row matches a contact you already have, Bigly updates that contact with the row's values. Columns you leave unmapped or empty can **blank out** the existing first name, last name, company, title and address. When you re-import people you already have, include and map those columns.

## Upload your file

1. Click **Import** in the top navigation.
2. Click **Get Started**.
3. On **Upload your list**, drag your file into the box, or click **browse** and choose it.
4. Click **Next**. Bigly checks the file type. If it's wrong, you see **Invalid format! We accept only csv, xls, or xlsx**.

## Name and tag the list

1. On **Name and Tags**, type a name in **Name Your Imported List**. Make it descriptive, for example the lead source and date.
2. Optionally add tags: type a tag in **Enter tag name then press enter** and press Enter. Repeat for more tags. Click **x** on a tag to remove it.
3. Click **Next**. Bigly uploads the file and reads a sample row.

Every contact in this import gets the list's tags. See [Tags](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/tags.md).

## Pair your columns

On **Pair your data**, Bigly shows a dropdown for each of its fields. Each dropdown lists your file's column names.

1. Pick the column for **First Name**, **Last Name**, **Email** and **Phone**. You must map **Email**, or **Phone** together with **First Name** and **Last Name**.
2. Under **The following fields are optional.**, map any other columns, such as company, title, address, website, note or your custom attributes.
3. Click **Additional Attributes** to see more fields you can map.
4. Under **Which remaining fields contain email addresses?**, tick any extra email columns, such as a work email.
5. Under **Which remaining fields contain phone numbers?**, tick any extra phone columns, such as a mobile or home number.
6. Click **Next**.

If the required fields aren't mapped, you see **Map an Email field, or map Phone together with First Name and Last Name.**

> [Screenshot placeholder: Pair your data — The Pair your data step with First Name, Last Name, Email and Phone dropdowns mapped to file columns, the optional fields below, and the checkboxes for extra email and phone columns.]

## Finish

You see **Congratulations** and **Your file is being imported and should be available shortly.** Click **Done**. The new list appears on [Lists](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/lists.md) and fills up as rows are processed. Large files can take a while.

Submit the mapping only once. Each time you click **Next** on **Pair your data**, Bigly processes the whole file again from the start.

## How duplicates are handled

Bigly checks each row against your existing contacts using **email and phone only**. Names are never used to match.

| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| No existing contact has this email or phone | A new contact is created and added to the list. |
| An existing contact has the same email or phone | That contact is updated and added to this list too. It keeps its other lists. |
| The row has a different email or phone from the match | The new email or phone is added as an extra one. The contact's main email and phone don't change. |
| Two different people share a phone number in your data | They're treated as the same contact. |

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Fewer contacts than rows | Rows without a valid email, or without a phone plus both name columns mapped, are skipped. Completely empty rows are skipped too. |
| The import seems stuck | Check that every row has the same number of columns as the header row. Rows with extra or missing columns (often caused by stray commas) are skipped. |
| Phone numbers are missing | Numbers that are too short or invalid aren't saved. Check your phone column. |
| Extra email columns weren't saved | Extra emails are only stored when you also map the main **Email** field. The same applies to extra phones and **Phone**. |
| A contact's details went blank | You re-imported them with those columns unmapped or empty. Edit the contact, or re-import with the columns included. |

## Related

- [Lists](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/lists.md)
- [Contacts](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/contacts.md)
- [Tags](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/tags.md)
- [Custom attributes](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/custom-attributes.md)
- [Sending leads in by webhook](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/lead-webhooks.md)

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All documentation pages: https://docs.biglysales.com/llms.txt