Import from a spreadsheet
The way to load a real customer list. Excel (.xlsx) or CSV (.csv).
Before you start
Download the template workbook first. It is offered in the import dialog, and it is not just a column guide — it is generated for your account and includes a Your groups sheet listing your exact group and subgroup names, spelled the way the system expects.
Typing a group name from memory is the most common reason rows get rejected. Copy from that sheet instead.
If you have not created your groups yet, do that before importing — see Organise with groups and subgroups.
Steps
- Open Contacts and click Import.
- Download the template workbook.
- Fill it in, one contact per row. Copy group and subgroup names from the Your groups sheet.
- Save it as
.xlsxor.csv. - Drag the file into the import dialog, or click to browse.
- Wap2b checks the file and reports what it found — how many rows are good, and which ones have problems, with the reason for each.
- Decide whether to tick Update contacts that already exist:
- Ticked — a row whose number is already in your list overwrites that contact's details. Use this when the spreadsheet is more current than Wap2b.
- Unticked — existing contacts are left alone and only genuinely new ones are added. Safer if you are unsure.
- Confirm the import.
Getting the file right
- One contact per row. Nothing merged, no blank spacer rows, no notes underneath the data.
- Phone numbers as text, digits only, no leading zero. Excel loves stripping the leading digits off a number column — format the column as Text before pasting.
- Group and subgroup names exactly as they appear in the Your groups sheet. A subgroup must belong to the group named on the same row.
- Do not rename or reorder the header row. It is how the columns are recognised.
Check a small file first
Import ten rows before you import ten thousand. If the format is wrong, you would rather find out on ten.
Reading the error report
Rejected rows are listed individually with a reason. The usual ones:
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| Invalid phone number | Wrong digits, a leading zero, or a country code typed into the number field |
| Unknown group / subgroup | The name does not match one of yours — copy it from the Your groups sheet |
| Duplicate number | Already in your list. Tick Update contacts that already exist if you want it overwritten |
| Missing required value | A required cell is empty on that row |
Valid rows still import. Fix the rejected ones in the spreadsheet and import that smaller file again — it does not duplicate the rows that already went in.
If something goes wrong
- The whole file was rejected. Usually the header row was edited, or the file was
saved in a format other than
.xlsx/.csv. Start from a fresh copy of the template. - Numbers imported with digits missing. Excel treated the column as a number and dropped the leading zero or applied scientific notation. Format the column as Text, re-paste, and import again.
- Contacts imported but are in no group. The group column was empty or unmatched. You can assign them in bulk from Contacts.
- Everything imported but nothing receives a broadcast. Check their opt-in status — see Who you're allowed to message.