Importing Contacts into HubSpot

Describe your import and get the guide steps and warnings that matter most.

Use this procedure to add new contacts or update existing contacts in HubSpot accurately and consistently.

Examples include historical registrations, approved contact lists, and corrections to existing contact information.

This procedure covers contact records and contact properties only. It does not cover importing deals, notes, meetings, activities, or community association records.

Confirm the following:

• You are working in the correct HubSpot account.
• You have permission to import and edit contacts.
• The file comes from a known, approved source.
• You know whether the purpose is to create contacts, update contacts, or both.
• You have identified which properties should change and which should be preserved.
• You have checked whether an existing integration already brings these contacts into HubSpot.

For Caivan, confirm whether the operating system integration already covers the records before manually importing them.

Check automation

Ask the CRM administrator whether creating contacts or updating the included properties could trigger:

• Welcome emails or follow-up messages.
• Owner assignments.
• Sales tasks or notifications.
• Workflow enrollment.
• Updates to another connected system.

Save a backup

Keep an unchanged copy of the original file. For an import that updates existing contacts, export the affected contacts with:

• Record ID.
• Email.
• The existing values of every property being changed.

This provides a reference if corrections are needed.

Use a clean spreadsheet with:

• One header row.
• One contact per row.
• One property per column.
• Clear column names.
• No merged cells, subtotals, or explanatory rows.

Save the final version as a CSV UTF-8 file. Excel files can also be used, but CSV is the preferred format for this procedure.

Only include columns needed for the import. For example, a rating correction normally needs an identifier and Rating, rather than every available contact field.

Suggested columns and mapping

Property names may differ between accounts. Confirm the destination property rather than relying only on automatic matching.

Routine imports: use Email

Use one valid email address in the Email column for each contact. Before importing:

• Remove leading and trailing spaces.
• Review invalid or incomplete addresses.
• Consolidate duplicate rows.
• Set aside missing-email records for review.
• Do not invent placeholder email addresses.

Do not merge people solely because their names match. Shared household email addresses also require review before combining records.

Existing contact updates: use Record ID

Record ID is useful when updating a known set of HubSpot contacts, especially when correcting email addresses. Use IDs exported from the same HubSpot account. Keep them unchanged and ensure spreadsheet formatting has not altered them.

For routine mixed imports of new and existing contacts, use Email and leave Record ID out unless the CRM administrator has prepared the file.

A person interested in several communities should appear once in the prepared contact file.

Separate multiple checkbox values with semicolons. Each community must match an existing option in the HubSpot property. When consolidating duplicates:

• Keep each community once.
• Preserve valid contact information.
• Flag conflicting names, ratings, owners, or dates.
• Do not automatically choose whichever row appears last.

Append or replace communities

The leading semicolon indicates append behavior. Use this when adding community interests to existing contacts. Replace only when the imported list is intended to be the complete, authoritative set.

Contact Source

Map detailed source descriptions to the approved Contact Source options.

Keep community information in the appropriate community property rather than creating a separate source option for every sales centre. Use the custom Contact Source property — do not substitute HubSpot's traffic attribution properties.

Rating

Match shorthand ratings to the account's existing options. For example, A may need to map to A ready, willing, and able. Confirm the current option labels before importing. Do not create duplicate rating options to accommodate inconsistent spreadsheet labels.

Community names

Use the exact approved community names. For example, The Conservancy maps to Conservancy. If a community is genuinely missing, ask the CRM administrator to add the approved option. Do not create options for spelling errors or naming variations.

Registration Date

Use Registration Date to preserve the original registration date supplied by the source. Leave Create date unmapped so it continues to represent when the contact was created in HubSpot.

Use one consistent date format, such as 2026-10-22, and verify that the import's date setting matches the file.

1. Go to Data Management → Data Integration.
2. Select Import data.
3. Choose Advanced imports.
4. Select Contacts only.
5. Click Next.
6. Choose the appropriate import mode.
7. Upload the prepared file.

The advanced import path provides the settings used in this procedure. Navigation labels may vary slightly by account.

For a correction-only import, choose Update existing contacts only.

Check the file heading, sample values, and destination property for every column. Confirm that:

• Email maps to Email.
• Names map to the correct name properties.
• Full phone numbers map to the appropriate phone property.
• Interested Communities maps to Associated Communities.
• Registration Date maps to the intended custom date property.
• Unneeded columns are marked Don't import column.

Do not import legacy columns such as Phone Type or Email Type unless there is a specific approved destination.

Protect existing information

Use Don't overwrite for properties whose existing values should be preserved. Typical candidates include original Registration Date, Contact Source, and Contact owner, depending on the purpose of the import. Leave overwrite protection off when an approved correction must replace an existing value.

Review all highlighted mapping and value errors.

Name the import

Use a descriptive naming convention: YYYY-MM-DD | Source or Community | Purpose

Create an import segment

Select the option to create a contact segment from the import, using a name such as IMPORT | 2026-11-05 | Conservancy | Historical Walk-ins. This makes the batch easier to review and locate later.

Confirm marketing contact status

Set contacts as marketing only when they are intended and eligible for marketing use.

Confirm consent and formatting

Complete the import consent declaration only when accurate. Follow the organisation's approved consent and subscription process, and do not use an ordinary contact import to override unsubscribes.

Where prompted, select the appropriate data-processing basis and verify the date format. For date-and-time fields, also verify the time zone. Leave optional enrichment off unless it is part of the approved import plan.

For a large import or unfamiliar file structure, first import a small representative sample. Include, where applicable:

• A new contact.
• An existing contact.
• A contact with multiple community interests.
• A contact whose existing communities must be retained.
• A contact with an existing Registration Date.

Click Finish import and wait for processing to complete. Open the import results and review:

• New contacts created.
• Existing contacts updated.
• Errors or skipped rows.
• The contacts included in the import segment.

Spot-check records

Review a representative selection and confirm:

• The correct contact was created or updated.
• Names and phone numbers are accurate.
• Contact Source and Rating are correct.
• Community interests were appended or replaced as intended.
• Existing community interests were retained where required.
• Registration Date is correct.
• Contact owner and marketing status are appropriate.
• No unexpected emails, tasks, or integration updates occurred.

Investigate any difference between the intended file population and the import results.

If an error is found:

1. Identify the affected contacts and properties.
2. Compare them with the original file and backup.
3. Prepare a correction file containing only the necessary identifiers and fields.
4. Use Update existing contacts only.
5. Validate the corrected records.

If unintended messages or workflow actions occurred, notify the CRM administrator promptly.

Retain:

• The original source file.
• The final imported file.
• Any pre-import backup.
• The import name and date.
• Results, errors, and corrections.
• The name of the person who completed the import.

Use consistent segment names and saved views to keep import segments separate from everyday marketing audiences.