You can mass add emails from your contacts to your Google account by importing them from a.CSV (Comma-Separated Value) file. CSV files of contacts can be created from scratch or exported from an email client of your choice. You can use a blank CSV file from Gmail as a template to see the available fields and then add your contacts. Once done, sign in to Google Contacts and upload the CSV file. Don't forget to check if your contacts were imported correctly.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Create a CSV file template
Step 1. Export a CSV file from Gmail
The Gmail CSV file will serve as a template for you to see the fields accepted by Gmail for importing contacts via a CSV file.
- If you have trouble importing contacts, try manually adding contacts individually to create an export file.
- If you are importing a CSV file from another email service, you can go directly to the import.
- If you want to create a CSV file from scratch, here you will find a whole list of fields that can be used.
Step 2. Open the CSV file in a table or text editor
The first line of the CSV will display the different categories of data such as First name, Last name, Email, etc.). In tables, categories will be separated into different cells, while in text editors, values will be listed on the first line and separated by commas.
Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets work with tables. Notepad and TextEdit work with text files
Step 3. Add your contacts to the CSV file
Enter the information in the corresponding cells or value lists. If no information is needed for a given field, you can leave the cell blank or in the case of a text file, you can put a comma (,).
- For example, in a text file, responses to information First name, Last name, Phone, Email can be John,,, [email protected].
- Make sure you don't remove any fields or include any commas instead of an empty field in the case of a text file. Gmail will check all fields and missing fields can cause issues during import.
Step 4. Open the File menu and select Save
Changes to the CSV file should be saved before importing the file to your Gmail account.
Part 2 of 2: Import a CSV File Using a Browser
Step 1. Go to Google Contacts in your browser
Step 2. Log into your Google account
Enter your username and password then click on Log in. You will be redirected to the Google Contacts page.
Step 3. Click the Import Contacts button in the left panel
This will bring up the import window.
- If you are using the new contacts preview, this button would be labeled Contacts. The preview does not support the functionality of importing contacts. You will be redirected to the old contacts interface and you will have to repeat this step.
Step 4. Click Choose File
Step 5. Select the CSV file to import
Find the file you exported or created and click To open. The file will be added to the import window.
Step 6. Click Import
After a few moments, the import will be completed and your contacts will appear on the page Contacts.
If you notice that the contacts were not imported correctly, that is, the information was not imported into the correct fields, you may have deleted a field or left out a comma in the CSV file. If you imported multiple contacts, it would be easier for you to fix the CSV file by deleting all imported contacts and re-importing them, rather than modifying each contact one by one
Advice
- CSV files cannot be imported using a mobile device.
- The CSV file can be used as an option to export contacts to other email service. The file will be preformatted with your contact information and ready to be imported into your Google Account.
