What is a CSV?
CSV stands for "Comma-Separated Values.” A CSV file is a text-based format used to store data in a table-like structure. As its name implies, data points in a CSV file are separated (a.k.a. delimited) by a comma.
Creating a CSV file
You can create a CSV file in a text editor, or save an existing spreadsheet as a CSV file in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
Using a text editor
If we have the information in the table below, we can create a CSV file using a text editor such as Notepad.
Name | Hometown | Pet | |
John Newman | Chicago | Turtle | |
Marie Robinson | San Francisco | Cat | |
Cali Williams | Seattle | Dog |
List each column header on the first line of your CSV file, separated by commas. Each row of your table will be a new line. Use a comma to separate data fields in each row. Below is an example of how the table above looks in CSV format:
Email,Name,Hometown,Pet
[email protected],John Newman,Chicago,Turtle
[email protected],Marie Robinson,San Francisco,Cat
[email protected],Cali Williams,Seattle,Dog
Using Microsoft Excel
To save your Excel spreadsheet as a CSV file, first click File, then Save As. In the Save As dialog box, click the Save As Type drop-down to change your file type to CSV (Comma Delimited).
For more on exporting a CSV from Excel, see Microsoft Office’s support article.
Using Google Sheets
To save your Google Sheets spreadsheet as a CSV, first click File, then hover your mouse over Download, and then select Comma Separated Values (.csv):
Uploading sequence recipients using CSV files
You can use CSV files to upload multiple recipients to a sequence! Here's how:
Go to the Sequences Dashboard and click the Add Recipients button under the sequence where you want to add recipients.
2. Click the CSV button under Import a list from to select your CSV list of recipients, or just drag and drop it into the area around the CSV button. You will see the recipients from the CSV file added to the recipient list on this page.
Best Practices
If you encounter any problems when importing a CSV, make sure your CSV meets the following guidelines:
Make sure your file is UTF-8 encoded — otherwise, special characters like apostrophes or quotes will look garbled in your sequence.
The email address column header must be "email" (no quotes; case-insensitive).
The "name" column header sets the user's name in the email's To field. It is not required.
Format email addresses correctly. Check for commas, spaces, or other errors.
If there are empty cells in the email column, your sequence will not use that row because there is no one to send it to.
Column headers: Do not include periods or special characters in your column headers. Underscores are fine.
Accented characters: If your accented characters appear garbled when you upload your CSV, export it as a UTF-8 encoded CSV.
Edit your data after you upload it: You can edit the text in each cell after you upload your CSV. You can also add new rows and columns.