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How to fix errors in a CSV contact import

Go to Contacts › Bulk Actions, open the import, click Show Stats and download the error log. Each row carries a code (1002 to 1016) that tells you the problem (badly formatted phone, owner not found, unknown option, duplicate ID…). Fix the file and re-import only the rows that failed.

Updated on

Before you start

  • You need admin access to import contacts.
  • Keep the original CSV file handy so you can fix it.
  • Remember the basics: a single sheet in the file, a header row, properly formatted emails and phone numbers, and a reliable primary column (email or Contact ID).
Where to find it

Contacts › Bulk Actions › (the import) › Show Stats › Download error log

Step by step

Find the error log

  1. In the left menu, click Contacts and open Bulk Actions.
  2. Find the import by its name and date.
  3. Click Show Stats: you see how many rows succeeded, how many got a warning and how many failed.
  4. Open the Errors tab and click to download the error log. Each line in the log shows the error code, the reason and the affected row in your file.

Fix according to the code

  1. 1002 – Multiple owners found: the name in the Owner column matches more than one user. Replace the name with the user's email address.
  2. 1003 – More than one sheet: the file has several sheets. Delete the extra sheets and save again as CSV.
  3. 1004 – Invalid required property: a value doesn't match the field's format. Check the field type and fix the value.
  4. 1005 – Unknown option: a value for a dropdown, radio or checkbox field doesn't match any existing option. Type the existing option exactly, or add the option to the field in Settings › Custom Fields.
  5. 1006 – Invalid Contact ID: you chose to update by Contact ID, but the ID doesn't exist. Export your contacts to get the right IDs, or don't use the ID as the primary column.
  6. 1008 – Invalid email: the address isn't in the name@domain format. Fix it.
  7. 1009 – Empty primary column: the row has no value in the column used to identify the contact. Fill it in.
  8. 1010 / 1011 – Duplicate primary column value (in the system or in the file): duplicates may have been created. Choose a different primary column or clean up the repeats and import again.
  9. 1012 – Duplicate Contact ID in the file: keep only one row per ID, with the most up-to-date data.
  10. 1013 – Phone number not recognized: the number has letters or extra characters. Use the international format (for example +12125551234), with no spaces or parentheses.
  11. 1014 – Date not recognized: the date doesn't match the format you picked during the import. Make all dates in the column consistent.
  12. 1015 – Owner not found: the name or email doesn't match any user in the account. Fix it or invite the user first.
  13. 1016 – Ambiguous option: the value matches more than one option of the field. Type exactly one option.

Import again

  1. Fix only the rows that failed in the CSV (or the whole file, if you prefer).
  2. Go back to Contacts › Import and, to avoid duplicates, choose Update or Create & update with the same primary column.
  3. Confirm in the Bulk Actions history that the new import has no errors.

Tips

  • For errors 1002, 1005, 1013, 1014, 1015 and 1016 the contacts were created; only the affected field was left empty. You can fix it by hand on the contact instead of re-importing.
  • For errors 1003, 1006, 1007, 1008 and 1012 the rows did not come in: you must re-import.
  • Before a large import, test with 10 to 20 rows to catch formatting errors.

Common problems

  • Phone numbers came in blank → Error 1013: format the column as text, use +country code and number with no spaces, dashes or parentheses, and re-import with Update.
  • Duplicate contacts were created → Errors 1010/1011: merge the duplicates in Contacts and, next time, use email or Contact ID as the primary column.
  • The owner wasn't assigned → Errors 1002/1015: use the user's email instead of the name and confirm the user exists in Settings › My Staff.
  • All contacts ended up with DND on every channel → Your CSV had a DND column; it enables all channels. To block a single channel, remove the column and use a tag with a workflow instead.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import more than one note per contact?

No: the import accepts one note per contact, limited to 5,000 characters.

How big can the file be?

Under 30 MB with a single sheet. If it's bigger, split it into several files.

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