Upload a CSV file to add contacts to your ContactMonkey Directory. This is the quickest manual method for getting your contact list into ContactMonkey.
Before You Begin
Please ensure you have read this article.
IT Effort Required: None
You can upload CSV files yourself without IT support.
Permissions Required: Owner or Admin only
Managers and Basic Users cannot upload CSV files.
Required Fields:
Your CSV must include at least one of these identifiers for each contact:
- Email address
- Phone number
These serve as unique identifiers in ContactMonkey.
How to Upload a CSV
Step 1: Access the Directory
- Click Directory at the top of your dashboard
- Click Sources
Step 2: Choose Your Upload Method
You have two options:
Option A: Use the Sample CSV
- Click the cloud icon in the Upload a CSV tile
- A sample CSV will download to your device
- Fill in your contact data following its format
- Upload your completed file
Option B: Use Your Own CSV
- Prepare your CSV with the correct column headers (see table below)
- Click Upload a file
- Select your CSV file
Step 3: Import Contacts
- After uploading, you'll see a preview screen showing how many contacts will be imported
- Click Import x Contacts to add them to your Directory
CSV Column Headers and Field Mapping
ContactMonkey maps your CSV columns to default fields based on the column header names. Use these exact column headers (matching the spelling and capitalization):
Contact Identifiers (Required)
Use at least one:
| ContactMonkey Field | CSV Column Header | Data Set? |
| Email Address | No | |
| ✨ Phone Number | mobilePhone | No |
✨ Phone numbers must be in E.164 format - learn more here.
Basic Contact Information
| ContactMonkey Field | CSV Column Header | Data Set? |
| Display Name | displayName | No |
| First Name | firstName | No |
| Last Name | lastName | No |
| Employee ID | employeeId | No |
Location Information
| ContactMonkey Field | CSV Column Header | Data Set? |
| Street Address | streetAddress | No |
| City | city | Yes |
| State | state | Yes |
| Postal Code | postalCode | No |
| Country | country | Yes |
| Office Location | officeLocation | Yes |
| Location | location | Yes |
Organizational Information
| ContactMonkey Field | CSV Column Header | Data Set? |
| Company Name | companyName | Yes |
| Business Unit | businessUnit | Yes |
| Department | department | Yes |
| Division | division | Yes |
| Job Title | jobTitle | Yes |
| Job Level | jobLevel | Yes |
Employment Details
| ContactMonkey Field | CSV Column Header | Data Set? |
| Employee Type | employeeType | Yes |
| Employment Type | employmentType | Yes |
| User Type | userType | Yes |
| Status | status | Yes |
| Exempt | exempt | Yes |
| Creation Type | creationType | Yes |
Dates (Format: YYYY-MM-DD)
| ContactMonkey Field | CSV Column Header | Data Set |
| Birthday | birthday | No |
| Hire Date | hireDate | No |
| Termination Date | terminationDate | No |
Additional Fields
| ContactMonkey Field | CSV Column Header | Data Set? |
| Preferred Language | preferredLanguage | Yes |
| Time Zone | timeZone | Yes |
| Usage Location | usageLocation | Yes |
| Preferred Data Location | preferredDataLocation | Yes |
| External User State | externalUserState | Yes |
Understanding Data Sets
What are Data Sets?
Fields marked as Data Set: Yes provide a drop-down selection when filtering, making it easier to create accurate lists.
Non-Data Set Fields
Fields marked as Data Set: No allow text entry with operators like "equals", "contains", "does not contain", etc.
Why does this matter?
When you create filtered lists, data set fields show all possible values in a dropdown, preventing typos and speeding up list creation.
Custom Fields
Not seeing a field you need?
You can include additional columns in your CSV that aren't in the table above. ContactMonkey will create custom fields for any unrecognized column headers, which you can then use in list filtering.
Requirements for custom fields:
- Must include at least one identifier (Email or mobilePhone)
- Can use any column header name
- Will appear in the Directory after upload
Working with Multiple CSV Files
You can upload multiple CSV files to your Directory. Here's how ContactMonkey handles overlapping contacts:
Scenario 1: Partial Deletion
- Source File A and Source File B both include John Smith
- You delete Source File A
- Result: John Smith remains in the Directory because he's still in Source File B
Scenario 2: Complete Deletion
- Source File A and Source File B both include John Smith
- You delete both Source File A and Source File B
- Result: John Smith is removed from the Directory
Deleting a CSV Source and Its Contacts
To completely remove a CSV file and all associated contacts:
- Click Directory at the top of your dashboard
- Click Sources
- Click Delete next to the file you want to remove
- Check the box "Permanently delete all contacts from [FILE NAME].csv"
- Click Delete to confirm
Important: If the "permanently delete" box is checked, contacts from that file will be removed even if they appear in other source files.