Common questions and issues when importing contacts from a file

Running into questions or issues when importing contacts from a file or spreadsheet? Get your answers here!

When importing a file of contacts, there may be times where you encounter an error message or come up with a question about the import process. We're here to help! We've gathered some common questions and possible error messages to help you overcome those hurdles and get your contact list imported:

• What happens if I try to import a contact that is already in my Constant Contact account?
• I'm having trouble matching the column headings in my spreadsheet when I try to import my list.
• I have a really large list and I'm not sure how big my file can be, or the max amount of contacts that I can upload at once.
• I saw something called Tags when importing my list. What are those?
• I want to upload a list of contacts to my unsubscribed list. How do I do that?
• Can I upload my contacts to a brand new list?
• I received an error message and I'm really not sure what to do next.

Did you know? If you need more help, please read our step-by-step article for importing contacts from a file.

What happens if I try to import a contact that is already in my Constant Contact account?

If an email address for a contact in your spreadsheet matches a contact's email address that already exists in your Constant Contact account, the contact is updated to prevent duplicate contacts. We look at each field of the contact record and replace the contents with any new information provided in your spreadsheet. If there is information in the contact record that isn't in the spreadsheet, we leave it alone.

• An existing list - The existing contact is updated and new contacts are added to the list.
• A new list - The existing contact is updated and the new list is added to their existing list memberships. The new contacts are also added to the list.

If you have a contact in your account who’s also on your spreadsheet with a new email address, a new contact record is created for that contact. This creates two contacts. In this case, it’s a good idea to check with the contact to make sure which email address they want to use going forward, so you can remove the duplicate contact record.

• Import a file of email or SMS contacts
• View your contact list import and export activity
  
  
  
  

I'm having trouble matching the column headings in my spreadsheet when I try to import my list.

Using the column headings in your spreadsheet helps you to separate the different pieces of data that you collect from your contacts. Each column should have a unique heading. For example, one column is for your contacts' email addresses, another is for first names, and another is for physical addresses, etc. When you import your file, we use AI to review the spreadsheet and match your column headers to the standard set of contact headings that we're able to recognize. If any of the columns aren't a match, you can select the correct option from our list of standard headings, create a new custom field to keep the information, or skip the column altogether to keep it from importing.

• Standard contact headings and character limits for file import
• Format a file before importing a contact list into Constant Contact
• Separate first and last names in an Excel spreadsheet
• Import a file of email or SMS contacts
  
  
  
  

I have a really large list and I'm not sure how big my file can be, or the max amount of contacts that I can upload at once.

CSV files can accommodate up to a million rows of contacts or up to 100 MB of data. Excel spreadsheets and TXT files can accommodate up to 40,000 rows of contacts, or up to 2 MB of data. If your spreadsheet is larger and you're not able to convert it into a CSF file, it needs to be split into smaller parts before it can be uploaded.

• Save an Excel spreadsheet as a CSV file
• Split a contact list into smaller parts before importing it into Constant Contact
• Import a large list of contacts from a file or spreadsheet

If your list is large, we can help you import it. Please contact premiersupport@constantcontact.com and provide the following information: Your account username. A phone number where we can reach you if we have questions. The contact spreadsheets that you want to import. The names of the lists you want to add the contacts to. We will contact you within 48 hours, during our regular business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm, EST), after receiving your request.

I saw something called Tags when importing my list. What are those?

Tags are labels you can add to contacts, across multiple lists, that help you group them together in ways that make sense to you. When you send an email, you can select multiple lists, but only send to the tagged contacts on each list and ignore everyone else. Tags help you stay organized, and they can also be used with other tools to create custom segments and trigger automated emails too.

• Using contact lists, tags, and segments based on your list size
• Create and manage tags
• Import contact tags through a file
• Filter your contacts by tags when sending an email
• Create a segment of contacts by choosing specific criteria
• Understanding triggers in the Automation Path Builder
  
  
  
  

I want to upload a list of contacts to my unsubscribed list. How do I do that?

If you've been tracking unsubscribes on your own or through another email provider, it’s important to add your unsubscribed contacts to your Constant Contact account. This prevents you from accidentally sending emails to these contacts if they are imported into your account and keeps you compliant with the CAN-SPAM Act.

• Import a list of unsubscribed contacts from another provider
• Understanding unsubscribed contacts
  
  
  
  

Can I upload my contacts to a brand new list?

Yes, when uploading a file of contacts to your account, you can create a new list, or multiple new lists, during the import process. If you created the new list before you started the file import, you can easily select it. You can add a contact to more than one list during the import process too! 

• Import a file of email or SMS contacts
• Create and manage contact lists
  
  
  
  

I received an error message and I'm really not sure what to do next.

Import errors can happen for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it can be an unsupported character in your data, or it can be an issue with your file type. We've compiled a list of common error messages and their solutions below:

• Choose a file that was created by Excel (.xls, .xlsx), a Comma Separated Value (.csv), a VCard (.vcf), or a Text (.txt) file - Save the file as Excel (XLS, XLSX, CSV, or TXT) or locate and delete columns with unsupported characters. Check this article for assistance in locating unsupported characters.
• We can't import your file. Your contacts must have an email address - SMS-only contacts don't require an email address to import them. If your contacts are email-only or have opted in to receiving both email and SMS messages, they are required to have an email address. If your email contacts do have an email address and you're seeing this message, open the file in Excel and save it as an XLSX or CSV file. Sometimes trying another internet browser can also fix this error.
• Rows have inconsistent number of columns - Saving the file as XLSX can fix this. If you are still having trouble, remove columns one by one to locate the problem column. Expanding the width of each column can also help resolve this.
• Contacts.api.internal_server_error - This happens when there are accented characters in your file name. Rename your file to remove any accented characters.
• One or more columns of data are not in the email format - This happens when there's only one email address in the file and no column headers. To resolve this, add a second email address or add compatible headers to the file.

Important: If you received an error message that isn't listed here, please contact our Support team for further troubleshooting and assistance.

Questions?