Import people from a CSV file
What the importer expects, what it does with duplicates, and how it creates departments on the way through.
- Last updated
- 6 minute read
- People
The CSV import adds and updates people in one go. It is the right tool when you are not on Microsoft 365, or when you want to add a few hundred people without waiting for a sync.
What the file needs
One header row, and an email column. Everything else is optional, and any column the importer does not recognise is simply ignored rather than causing an error.
email,first_name,last_name,job_title,department,phone,mobile
jane.smith@company.com,Jane,Smith,Marketing Director,Marketing,+44 20 7946 0958,+44 7700 900123Header names are matched loosely, so you do not have to rename columns in an export from another system:
| Field | Also accepted |
|---|---|
email | email_address, mail, e_mail |
display_name | name, full_name, displayname |
first_name | firstname, first, given_name, forename |
last_name | lastname, last, surname, family_name |
job_title | title, jobtitle, position, role |
department | dept, team |
phone | telephone, work_phone, office_phone, business_phone |
mobile | mobile_phone, cell, cell_phone |
company | company_name, organisation, organization |
website | web, url |
address | office, office_address, location |
linkedin | linkedin_url |
twitter | x, twitter_handle |
photo_url | photo, picture, avatar |
Running the import
Import people from a CSV file
Add or update people from a spreadsheet. You'll see what will change before anything is saved.
Drop your CSV here
or choose a file. Up to 5,000 rows.
haldenrowe-people.csv
Column mapping
- First namefirst_name
- Last namelast_name
- Job titlejob_title
- Deptdepartment
- Extensionnot used
What will happen
- 118 people matched and updated
- 24 new people added
- 2 rows skipped: no email address
Needed columns
- email required
- first_name
- last_name
- job_title
- department
Active people
142
Step 1 of 4
Choose your file
Up to 5,000 rows at a time. Anything larger needs splitting into two imports.
Reduced motion is on, so the tour waits for you. Use the arrows or the list to move through the steps.
What the import does
- People are matched on email. An email that already exists updates that person; a new email adds one.
- Duplicate emails in the same file are skipped after the first, and listed in the results.
- Rows without a valid email are skipped and listed, with the row number and the reason.
- Departments are created when the file names one that does not exist yet, so you do not have to set them up first.
- Nothing is deleted. The import only adds and updates.
Note: There's no limit on people. Anyone an import adds counts towards your bill from then on, and a file that only updates existing records doesn't change what you pay.
After the import
- The skipped-row list is empty, or every skip is explained
- Departments look right in the Departments list
- One new person's signature checks out from the Outlook add-in page
- A rule that targets a new department matches as expected
Related articles
- Adding and editing peopleThe fields on a person's record, which ones matter for signatures, and what happens when you delete someone.
- Departments and targetsDepartments do two jobs: they group people, and they are what rules and campaign audiences match on.
- Syncing with Microsoft 365Connect once and stop maintaining people by hand. What comes across, what does not, and how the daily sync behaves.
Something here out of date, or a step that did not work? Tell us and we will fix the article. Every page is checked against the running product, so corrections are welcome.