> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.dapta.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.dapta.ai/ai-text-agents/campaigns/importing-contacts.md).

# Importing contacts

Contacts are loaded into a campaign by uploading a CSV or XLSX file. Each row in the file becomes one campaign target — one contact who will receive the template message.

***

## Supported file types

| Format                 | Extension | Max size |
| ---------------------- | --------- | -------- |
| Comma-separated values | `.csv`    | 5 MB     |
| Excel workbook         | `.xlsx`   | 5 MB     |

***

## Required and optional columns

| Column           | Required    | Description                                                            |
| ---------------- | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `phone_number`   | ✅ Yes       | The recipient's WhatsApp number.                                       |
| `name`           | Recommended | Used to personalize messages and shown in the Conversations tab.       |
| Any other column | Optional    | Additional data you want to map to template or conversation variables. |

> **💡 Tip:** Click **Download template** on the upload step to get a CSV file with the correct headers pre-filled.

***

## Phone number format

Phone numbers must be in **E.164 format**: a `+` sign followed by the country code and the full number, with no spaces, dashes, or parentheses.

| ✅ Valid         | ❌ Invalid        |
| --------------- | ---------------- |
| `+573001234567` | `3001234567`     |
| `+12025550199`  | `(202) 555-0199` |
| `+447911123456` | `07911 123456`   |

{% hint style="warning" %}
Rows with invalid or unrecognizable phone numbers are rejected at import time and counted as `rows_invalid` in the import summary. They will not receive messages.
{% endhint %}

***

## What happens during import

When you upload a file, Dapta processes it row by row:

1. **Validates** each phone number against E.164 rules using the campaign's time zone as a country hint.
2. **Deduplicates** — if a phone number already exists in this campaign, the row is silently skipped (counted as `rows_duplicate`).
3. **Inserts** valid, new contacts as pending targets (counted as `rows_inserted`).
4. **Rejects** invalid rows with a structured error code (counted as `rows_invalid`).

After processing, an **import summary** is shown:

| Field              | Description                                       |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Rows received**  | Total rows in the file.                           |
| **Rows inserted**  | New contacts added to the campaign.               |
| **Rows duplicate** | Phone numbers already in this campaign — skipped. |
| **Rows invalid**   | Rows rejected due to phone validation errors.     |

***

## Adding contacts after campaign creation

You can upload additional contacts to a campaign that is already running or scheduled. Navigate to the campaign detail page, go to **Settings**, and use the upload area to add a new file. New contacts are appended; existing phone numbers are skipped automatically.

***

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                              | Solution                                                                                                    |
| ------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| All rows are `rows_invalid`          | Check that the `phone_number` column exists and values use E.164 format with a `+` prefix.                  |
| Some rows are `rows_duplicate`       | Those phone numbers were already imported in a previous upload. This is expected — no action needed.        |
| Template dropdown is empty           | The selected channel has no approved WhatsApp templates. Approve a template in Meta Business Manager first. |
| Import summary shows 0 rows inserted | The file may be empty, have only headers, or all rows may be duplicates or invalid.                         |
| File upload fails                    | Confirm the file is `.csv` or `.xlsx` and is under 5 MB.                                                    |


---

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