Importing subscribers

Import contacts from CSV or XLSX with the required columns.

Bulk import saves time when migrating from another tool. Only import people who opted in to hear from you. Purchased, rented, or scraped lists are not allowed and will get the account suspended.

Prepare your file

Include these columns:

Column	Required	Notes
`email`	Yes	Must be valid and unique per list
`first_name`	No
`last_name`	No
`tags`	No	One or more tag names; separate with `;`, `,`, or `

File size: CSV, TXT, and XLSX imports are limited to 4 MB per file (configurable via MAILIVATE_SUBSCRIBER_IMPORT_MAX_KB).

Plan segments before you import

Segments are built from conditions (usually tags), not from a column in your file. If you will target groups like “VIP”, “trial”, or “West region” after import:

Decide which tags each row should have.
Add a tags column to your spreadsheet (e.g. customer;vip).
After import, create Segments with tag conditions that match those labels.

See Segments for examples and step-by-step setup.

Import steps

Open the list → Import subscribers
Upload CSV or XLSX
Map columns if prompted
Choose whether to update existing subscribers or skip duplicates
Run the import and review the summary

Large imports run in the background. Failed rows are reported with reasons (invalid email, duplicate, etc.).

Best practices

Remove unsubscribed or bounced addresses before importing
Use consistent tag naming (customer, not Customer and customer) so segment conditions match after import
Send a welcome campaign only after import completes