CSV File Formatting Requirements

CSV files allow you to upload custom email recipient lists without relying on your IT department. This article covers the formatting requirements for successful CSV uploads within ContactMonkey.

Required CSV Format

Essential Requirements

Your CSV file must follow these guidelines:

• "Email" header must be the first column (cell A1)
  • Note: Cell A1 cannot contain any spaces before or after the Email title
    
    
• One email address per row in the Email column

Email Address Requirements

Each email address must:

• Include a valid domain (e.g., .com, .org, .net)
• Cannot contain any spaces before or after the address
• Be formatted correctly (username@domain.com)
• Be unique (no duplicates allowed)

CSV Formatting Best Practices

Column Setup

• First column title: Email (exactly as written)
• Additional columns: Use single words only (no spaces)
  • ❌ "Company Name"
  • ✅ "Company" or "CompanyName"
• Remove unused columns to avoid errors

Data Cleaning

• Remove duplicate emails using Excel's Conditional Formatting → Duplicate Values
• Remove extra spaces using Excel's TRIM function (video walkthrough here)
• Replace special characters (é becomes e, ñ becomes n)

File Specifications

• File limit: Maximum 10,000 recipients per CSV
• File format: CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv)
• Date format: YYYY-MM-DD

(Optional) Merge Fields for Personalization

Note: Merge fields require Individual or Anonymous tracking to be enabled.

You can add extra columns for personalization:

• FirstName
• LastName
• Company
• Department

Related Article:

• Personalizing Your Communications With Merge Fields

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Upload fails?

• Check cell A1 is titled Email
• Check cell A1 has no spaces before or after Email title
• Verify that there are no duplicate email addresses
• Ensure all emails have valid domains
• Remove special characters from data
• Confirm the file is saved as CSV UTF-8

Merge fields not working?

• Switch from Overall to Individual or Anonymous tracking (click for guide)
• Ensure column names contain no spaces
• Verify data exists in all required fields
• Verify that the merge field included in the email matches the CSV's corresponding header

Can't see CSV UTF-8 when saving?

Some older versions of Excel don't allow you to save as CSV UTF-8 directly. Follow these steps instead:

1. Click Tools beside the save button
2. Click Web Options
3. Click Encoding in the pop-up window
4. Select the drop-down and choose Unicode (UTF-8)
5. Check the box for Always [...] default [...]

Sample CSV Template

Download our sample CSV file below to use as a template for your campaigns.

See Also

• How to Upload a CSV File in Outlook 365
• How to Upload a CSV File for Dashboard Sending
• Understanding Merge Fields: Setup & Prerequisites