How Do You Import Contacts into Pipedrive?

Your spreadsheet is ready, but Pipedrive rejected the file or the import finished with rows missing. Both usually trace back to the same short list of rules.

To import contacts into Pipedrive, open the account menu, go to Tools and apps, then Import data, choose Import from spreadsheet and click Get started. Upload an XLS, XLSX or CSV file that has a header row, map each column to a Pipedrive field, check the preview, choose how to treat duplicates and click Start import. Everything below comes from Pipedrive’s own help center, opened October 21, 2026.

How do you import contacts into Pipedrive step by step?

Five screens, in this order, according to Pipedrive’s spreadsheet import article (updated October 19, 2026):

1. File info. Pick the data types in your file. Pipedrive highlights the mandatory fields and the structure it expects.
2. Upload file. Click Upload spreadsheet. Pipedrive checks for an unsupported format, too many rows, missing headers and empty or misaligned columns.
3. Map fields. Columns that match a Pipedrive field name map automatically. Drag any unmatched column to a field by hand.
4. Preview. Confirm the right fields, the right links between records and nothing missing. The article calls this the last chance to catch problems.
5. Finish. Choose what happens to duplicates, then click Start import.

Only users with the correct global permission can import. If the Import data option is missing from your Tools and apps menu, ask an admin to check your permission set before you troubleshoot the file.

If a column has no matching field, you can make a custom field first under account menu, Personal preferences, Data fields. The import fields article (updated October 19, 2026) adds that you can also create a missing custom field from the mapping screen without restarting the import.

What are the Pipedrive import limits?

A spreadsheet import takes up to 200,000 rows and a file under 50 MB, but the update-existing article on the same help center still says 50,000 rows. Here are the limits side by side:

Import route	Row or record limit	File size	File types
Import from spreadsheet (new records)	200,000 rows	Under 50 MB	XLS, XLSX, CSV
Update existing records with a spreadsheet	50,000 rows	50 MB	Spreadsheet with Pipedrive System ID column
Import from other software (Import2)	Free up to 1,000,000 records	Not applicable	Connects to the old CRM directly
Verdict	Split update files at 50,000 rows even though new-record imports allow 200,000

Source, checked Oct 21, 2026: Pipedrive help center, importing data with spreadsheets (updated Oct 19, 2026), updating data with a spreadsheet (updated Sep 3, 2026) and Import2 migration (updated Sep 3, 2026).

The articles carry different last-updated dates, and we have found no Pipedrive statement explaining the gap, so treat 50,000 as the safe ceiling for anything that touches existing records. If you are new to the tool, the Pipedrive guide maps the rest of the setup. Our CRM import limits research compares these caps against Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, monday CRM and others, and was last checked October 6.

What does each row need to import successfully?

People and organizations need a name, and deals and leads need a linked person or organization, or the row is not imported. This is the full list Pipedrive documents:

Record	Mandatory	Notes from Pipedrive
Person	A name, or first name plus last name	Add an email or phone number to reduce duplicates
Organization	A name	Import companies as organizations, not as people
Deal or lead	A linked person or organization	If the title is missing, Pipedrive builds one from the contact person or organization name
Project, activity, note, product	Not stated in the article	Check the preview step before starting

Source, checked Oct 21, 2026: Pipedrive help center, importing data with spreadsheets.

Fields that map in the common cases, per the import fields article, include name, phone, email, label and marketing status for people; name, address, website, industry and number of employees for organizations; and title, value, currency, expected close date, stage and probability for deals. Owner, creation date and Pipedrive System ID can be mapped on any item. The article says its table covers “the most common fields,” not every one, and that some system fields are set automatically or cannot be edited.

How do people, organizations and deals link in one import?

Every row is one set of linked records. If a row holds a person name, an organization name and a deal value, Pipedrive creates the person, the organization and the deal and links them. That is the main reason to keep one row per contact and repeat the organization name exactly as you want it stored.

Pipedrive’s article does not describe how it matches an organization name that appears on many rows, or how it matches existing people. It only says that a duplicate-handling choice appears in the last step and that you can merge detected duplicates instead of creating new records. Test with a ten row file that includes a repeated company name, then look at the result before loading thousands of rows. After a large load, our Pipedrive duplicate merging guide covers cleanup.

How do you import deals and leads into Pipedrive?

Use the same wizard and tick deals or leads in the first step. A deal or lead must have a linked person or organization, which in practice means each deal row also carries a contact name or organization name. Pipedrive lists title, value, currency, expected close date, label, stage and status as mappable deal fields.

Create the pipeline and its stages in Pipedrive before importing, so the stage column has something to match. Pipedrive’s article does not say what happens to a stage name it cannot match, so check that in the preview and in your ten row test. Our Pipedrive setup guide covers pipelines, stages and custom fields in the order we build them.

Is there a Pipedrive import template?

Pipedrive’s article links to a sample spreadsheet and to an Academy course called “Get started with the basics.” We did not open the sample file, so we cannot tell you its exact column names. What the documentation does confirm is that columns auto-map when their headers match Pipedrive field names, so a plain header row is enough:

Data type	Header row example	Why
People	Name, Email, Phone, Organization	Name is the mandatory field; email and phone help duplicate detection
Organizations	Name, Address, Website	Name is mandatory
Deals	Title, Value, Currency, Expected close date, Stage, Contact person	Needs a linked person or organization
Updates to existing rows	Pipedrive System ID plus only the columns you want to change	The ID is how Pipedrive finds the record

Source, checked Oct 21, 2026: Pipedrive help center, import fields. The header examples are our suggestions built from the field names Pipedrive lists, not an official template.

How do dates and currency need to look?

Pipedrive does not publish accepted date or currency formats in the articles we opened. The only date reference is that a row can be skipped for an “invalid date format.” The import fields article names currency and expected close date as mappable fields but gives no format rules.

So the practical step is to keep one date format down the whole column, put currency in its own column instead of inside the value, and run a ten row test first. If dates fail, the skip file will say so, and you can fix the column and re-import only those rows.

How do you update existing contacts without creating duplicates?

Export the records with their Pipedrive System ID, change only what needs changing and import the file with the ID column mapped. Pipedrive’s update article (updated September 3, 2026) works for deals, people, organizations, activities, products and notes, and only for admins and users with the right permissions.

1. In the list view, click the gear icon, choose Choose columns, add the ID field and save.
2. Filter the list to the records you want to change, then export it with the ID column and the fields you plan to edit, such as value, stage or owner.
3. Edit the spreadsheet. Leave the IDs alone.
4. Import the file and map the ID column plus the edited columns. Pipedrive matches by ID and updates those records.

Two cautions from the same article. Contacts with no deal will not show in the deals list, so pull their IDs from the contacts list. And any reference column you exported, such as a title, is overwritten if you changed it in the file. For fields that hold several options, the import fields article gives you Overwrite, which replaces the existing values, or Append, which keeps them and adds the new ones.

For a handful of changes, bulk edit in the list view is quicker than a file. If duplicates already exist, merge them instead of importing over them.

Why did my Pipedrive import fail or skip rows?

Most failures fall into the causes below, which come from Pipedrive’s own list. The article does not quote exact error text, only that Pipedrive shows a message “with guidance on what to fix,” so we have not copied any wording.

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
File rejected at upload	Unsupported format	Save as XLS, XLSX or CSV
File rejected at upload	More than 200,000 rows, over 50 MB, or several tabs	Split the file; keep one tab per import
Upload check fails	Missing header row, or empty or misaligned columns	Add headers and realign the columns
Rows missing after import	Missing name, or a deal with no linked person or organization	Add the mandatory data and re-import those rows
Rows skipped	Invalid date format or another row-level problem	Download the skip file, fix the dates, re-import
Fields left unmapped	Column name does not match a Pipedrive field	Create a custom field or drag the column to a field
Duplicate records appear	Duplicates not merged in the final step	Choose to merge duplicates before starting
No Import data option	Missing global permission	Ask an admin to grant it

Source, checked Oct 21, 2026: Pipedrive help center, importing data with spreadsheets troubleshooting section.

After any import, the import history tab shows how many records were added, updated, merged or skipped, with a View link for detail. A deal, lead or project with no title is not an error. Pipedrive fills one in from the contact or organization name.

Before you upload, our import file checker scans a CSV for the structural problems above, and the data cleaning guide covers duplicates and blanks.

Can you undo a Pipedrive import?

Yes, within 48 hours and only if you are a global admin. Open the import history tab and use the revert option there. After 48 hours, or if the button is missing, Pipedrive says to contact its support team. Because the window is short, run your ten row test first and revert a bad full import the same day.

How do you import contacts from another CRM into Pipedrive?

Use Import from other software, under Tools and apps, Import data. Pipedrive’s Import2 article (updated September 3, 2026) explains that Import2, a partner tool, connects to your old CRM with your login and moves the data across. It lists 36 sources, including Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, GoHighLevel, MS Dynamics CRM and Pipedrive company to company.

• Only global admins can run it, and it works on trial and paying accounts.
• Import2 offers a free migration of up to 1,000,000 records. Larger databases need a paid migration.
• Invite your users and build your pipelines first. Otherwise the user who starts the migration owns all the imported data.
• Allow about 24 hours, depending on data volume.
• You can change pipeline, stage and custom field creation afterwards in the Settings tab, and the article says changes can be undone or redone at no extra cost.

For a clean move from a specific platform, the Pipedrive to HubSpot migration guide and our general CRM migration guide cover sequencing. If you are still deciding which CRM to land in, the HubSpot vs Pipedrive comparison is the place to start.

Can you import phone contacts into Pipedrive?

Yes, from the mobile app. On iOS, go to More on the home screen, choose Import contacts and allow access. On Android, tap the three dots at the bottom right of the home screen, scroll down and choose Import contacts. Pick contacts individually or select all. Pipedrive’s mobile contacts article (updated September 3, 2026) lists iOS 18 and Android 11 as the minimum versions, and says ongoing sync with Google or Outlook contacts is turned on in the web app, not the mobile app.

What should you check before you import?

Run this list on the file, then on a ten row sample.

Check	Why it matters
One tab, a header row, XLS, XLSX or CSV	Upload fails otherwise
Under 200,000 rows and 50 MB (50,000 rows if updating)	Upload fails otherwise
Every person has a name; every organization has a name	Rows without them are not imported
Every deal has a person or organization	Deals without a link are not imported
Email or phone filled in where you have them	Helps Pipedrive detect duplicates
One date format per column	The docs name no format; invalid dates get rows skipped
Custom fields created, pipelines and stages built, users invited	Mapping and ownership depend on them
Ten row test checked in the preview and in the import history	Revert is possible for only 48 hours

Source, checked Oct 21, 2026: Pipedrive help center articles linked in this page. The date and test lines are our recommendations where Pipedrive is silent.

If the file is large, messy or comes from several systems, we can plan and run the load as part of a Pipedrive implementation, or you can contact us with a sample.

Founder’s note, Alpit Patel. Most failed Pipedrive imports come down to the header row and one date column. I’d test ten rows first and check them before loading the full file. I founded aibrevo in San Francisco in 2021, and through autoesta I have overseen 320+ GoHighLevel implementation projects across med spas, real estate, healthcare, dental, home services, SaaS and professional-services clients in the US, UK and UAE. About Alpit

Sources

• Pipedrive help center, Importing data into Pipedrive with spreadsheets, updated October 19, 2026; opened October 21, 2026.
• Pipedrive help center, Import fields, updated October 19, 2026.
• Pipedrive help center, Updating Pipedrive data with a spreadsheet, updated September 3, 2026.
• Pipedrive help center, Importing data from a previous CRM using Import2, updated September 3, 2026.
• Pipedrive help center, Syncing contacts between your phone and Pipedrive, updated September 3, 2026.
• Not verified and left out: accepted date and currency formats, exact error message text, and the column names in Pipedrive’s sample spreadsheet.