> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.superoffice.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Import from Excel

> In this how-to guide you will learn how you can import all your prospect, customers and their contacts.

You can [import your customer data][2] in one go using Excel, Outlook, Gmail, or your ERP Synchronizer in SuperOffice CRM.

The Excel spreadsheet may for example contain:

* A list of leads/prospects that you want to import into SuperOffice.

  <Tip>
    Add a column with, for example, the text "prospect" for all the contacts, to make it easy to link them to the correct category in SuperOffice CRM.
  </Tip>

* A company/contact list with "cleansed" data (exported and checked for quality, and will be imported again).

* Companies and contacts from other applications and formats, such as finance systems, other CRM clients, email clients (other than Gmail and Outlook) and Windows installations of SuperOffice CRM.

## Before you begin

<Warning>
  We recommend that you contact SuperOffice Support to back up the SuperOffice database before you import large amounts of data.
</Warning>

Before you start your import, [prepare the Excel file][1]. Checklist:

* The Excel spreadsheet should as a minimum contain columns with company names and contact names (first name and last name).

* Check that the data is up-to-date. For example, are postal addresses and telephone numbers correct?

## Import companies/contacts from an Excel file

<Frame caption="Watch this video or follow the steps below to learn how to import your contacts in to SuperOffice CRM using our import template (video length - 4:02)">
  <iframe width="100%" height="420" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/dVkCfpOkNl8" title="Watch this video or follow the steps below to learn how to import your contacts in to SuperOffice CRM using our import template (video length - 4:02)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen />
</Frame>

### Steps

1. Open the Import screen by clicking <i class="ph ph-file-arrow-up" aria-hidden="true" /> **Import** in the Navigator.

2. Make sure that **Contacts** is selected under **Select an import source** and then click the ![icon][img1] Excel icon.

3. In the **Upload file** dialog, click **Upload file** to select the Excel spreadsheet you want to import.

4. Browse to the required Excel spreadsheet and click **Open**. The data from the spreadsheet is displayed in the table.

<Note>
  At this stage, companies/contacts from Excel have not yet been imported into the SuperOffice database. SuperOffice will only upload the company/contact list from the spreadsheet, so that you can specify the import settings.
</Note>

## Adjust the import

As the Excel spreadsheet may contain anything from just a few to a large number of columns, it is important that the columns with data you want to import are linked to the correct SuperOffice field.

<Note>
  If the Excel spreadsheet had a title row at the top, this will also be displayed in the list. You can remove this when you preview the data in the next step.
</Note>

1. Find the column containing the name of the companies, click the **(No Selection)** column title and select **Company: Name**.

2. Find the column containing the first and last names of the contacts, click the **(No Selection)** column title and select **Contact: First name** and **Contact: Last name**. If there is a single column containing both first and last names, select **Contact: Full name**.

3. Select the SuperOffice fields for the rest of the columns in the table. Skip the columns you do not want to import.

4. Click **Configure import settings** and [adjust the import settings][1].

   [1]: ../settings

5. In the **Consent comment** field, enter a comment about why you are registering these contacts in SuperOffice (purpose) and how/where you obtained their consent

1) Click **Next**. The **Preview import** window will appear.

2) In **Preview import** you can browse through the import data before the import begins.

   |               Icon              | Description                                     |
   | :-----------------------------: | ----------------------------------------------- |
   |   ![Icon - company new][img1]   | The company does not exist and will be added.   |
   | ![Icon - company changed][img2] | The company already exists and will be updated. |
   |    ![Icon - person new][img3]   | The contact does not exist and will be added.   |
   |  ![Icon - person changed][img4] | The contact already exists and will be updated. |
   |              empty              | No updating.                                    |

[img1]: /media/icons/admin/import-preview-icon-company-new.png

[img2]: /media/icons/admin/import-preview-icon-company-changed.png

[img3]: /media/icons/admin/import-preview-icon-person-new.png

[img4]: /media/icons/admin/import-preview-icon-person-changed.png

1. Remove the checks for the rows you do NOT want to import. If the Excel spreadsheet contained a heading row, you can remove it here.

2. When you have checked that this actually is the data you want to import, click **Import**.

### Troubleshooting

**Many contacts are shown without an icon. Does this mean they will not be imported?**

Rows without icons are not imported. If you see that many contacts are not being imported, this may be because they are not linked to a company. In that case, you can do one of the following:

* If the contact is actually linked to a company, you return to the import source (Gmail, Outlook or Excel) and specify a company for the contact. Then start the import afresh.

* If the contact is not linked to a company, but should be registered under their own name in SuperOffice, set up the person as a company:

  1. Click **Previous** and **Configure import settings**.
  2. Click the **If no company name** list under **Contact**.
  3. Select **Create company using contact name**.
  4. Click **Save**.
  5. Click **Next**, and check that the [New company icon][img1] icon is displayed next to the contact. The person is registered as a company in SuperOffice CRM with themselves as the only contact.

[img1]: /media/icons/admin/import-preview-icon-company-new.png

**I can't get any further!**

You must link all the required SuperOffice fields to their respective columns to continue. The required fields are displayed above the table. If you have specified that contacts without companies should be added as new companies, only the SuperOffice field **Company: Name** is mandatory.

## Complete the import

When the import finishes, two lists are displayed:

* New companies and contacts that were imported.
* Existing companies and contacts that were changed as a result of the import.

Above each list is a link to the selection with the new/changed companies/contacts.

<Tip>
  If you have imported new companies/contacts and there are problems with the imported data, you can open this selection in SuperOffice CRM and delete the new companies/contacts.
</Tip>

[1]: ./create-spreadsheet

[2]: ./index

[img1]: /media/icons/admin/import-excel-small.png


## Related topics

- [Configure import settings](/en/admin/import/settings.md)
- [Import from Gmail](/en/admin/import/from-gmail.md)
- [import from ERP](/en/admin/import/from-erp.md)