How to import customers from a CSV or XLSX file on Mac

To import customers on a Mac, an admin opens Administration, then Data Import, starts a New Session and ticks Customer. Download the CSV template, fill it in, click Upload, then Validate to check the rows and Commit to save them.

Nothing reaches your customer list until you commit, so you can upload, check and fix as often as you like. On iPhone or iPad? See how to import on iPhone or iPad.

Before you start

• You are an admin or owner. Data Import is for admins and owners of the company.
• You have an acquisition source. Every import session is labelled with where its data came from, such as "Old spreadsheet". If you have none yet, add one under Administration, then Reference Data, in the Acquisition Sources list.
• Your customer list is in a spreadsheet. You will save it as a CSV or XLSX file. Tidying it up front saves time later; our checklist for cleaning data before an import covers what to look for.

Import your customers in seven steps

1. Open Data Import. In the sidebar, click Administration, then Data Import. You see your import sessions, if any.
2. Start a session. Click + (New Session). In New Import Session, pick the Acquisition Source and click Create. The session opens in a window of its own.
3. Choose the record type. In the window's sidebar, under Entities, tick Customer. Keep to one record type per session, so the template and the upload match it.
4. Fill in the template. Click Download CSV Template and save the file. The top row holds the column names; the second row describes each column, so overwrite it with your data or delete it. Give every customer a stable ID of your own in the external_id column: it is the column every customer file must have.
5. Upload. Click Upload and choose your CSV or XLSX file. The rows appear in the window, staged and not saved yet.
6. Validate. Click Validate to check the staged rows. Open the inspector to see errors and warnings in its Warnings list. To leave a row out, select it, right-click and choose Exclude Selected; excluded rows are skipped at commit. To keep a row that has an error, correct it in your file and upload the file in a fresh session.
7. Commit. Click Commit. The session moves through Committing and Verifying to Finished, and your customers are in.

If your company checks VAT numbers or email addresses, Validate Identifiers also appears in the toolbar. Its results are advisory: it never blocks the import.

Keep the reference columns empty for now

Some template columns point at lists you keep in Reference Data, such as a customer's type or status. Any value you put there becomes a lookup that has to be matched, and Commit stays unavailable while any lookup is still to be matched. For a smooth import, leave those columns empty and set them on each customer afterward.

Tips for a clean import

• Try five rows. Import a small sample, check the customers in the app, then run the full file in a new session.
• Keep your IDs stable. Once your customers are in, their addresses and contacts can follow in sessions of their own, using the same IDs to find their customer. What makes a good template is covered in how to use CSV import templates.
• Plan the move as a whole. If you are leaving spreadsheets behind, moving your business off spreadsheets and our checklist for switching business software help you decide what to bring over and when.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Commit button grayed out?

Commit needs staged rows, no rows with errors, and every lookup matched. Exclude the rows with errors, or correct them in your file, empty any reference columns you filled in by accident, and upload the file in a fresh session.

What is an acquisition source?

A label for where an import's data came from, such as an old spreadsheet or a trade fair list. You create it once under Reference Data, and every session you start records it, so you can tell your imports apart later.

Who can import data?

Admins and owners. Data Import lives under Administration, so ask one of them if you don't see it.