How to Import or Export a Contact List

Whether you are moving from another email tool or backing up your CRM, systeme.io lets you import and export contacts as CSV files from the CRM tab. This guide covers Excel conversion, delimiter choice, column mapping, optional tags and campaigns, export by email, and consent rules—based on How to import or export a contact list.

Requirements: a systeme.io account and a contact list in CSV format (for imports).

If your list is in Excel:

1. Open the workbook in Excel
2. Click File → Save As
3. Choose format CSV (Comma delimited) or your region’s CSV type
4. Pick the separator you will declare in systeme.io (often comma)
5. Click Save

Your file must include at least an email column. Add first name, last name, tags, or custom fields as needed. For large migrations, read Migration of your contact list to systeme.io: what you need to know before getting started (advanced tips) and Essential steps to import contacts successfully.

Import only contacts who agreed to receive your emails. Bought or scraped lists are forbidden and hurt deliverability ( How to improve your email deliverability).

After switching ESP, warm up sending volume ( How to migrate without hurting your email deliverability?).

1. Go to CRM → Contacts
2. Click Import contacts
3. Under Select CSV delimiter, choose comma, semicolon, or pipe—must match your file
4. Click the upload area and select your CSV
5. Optionally choose a tag to assign every contact in this batch ( How to create a tag)
6. Optionally subscribe contacts to a campaign from the dropdown—see How to subscribe contacts to a campaign when importing a contact list (only for consented contacts; campaign resume requires extra column mapping)
7. Click Next and complete the wizard

A popup lets you match each CSV column to systeme.io fields:

• Map one column to Email (required)
• Map First name, Last name, phone, language, custom fields, etc.
• Skip or ignore columns you do not need

If you subscribe to a campaign mid-import, you may also map last sent email number and last sent email date columns to resume sequences at the correct step ( How to subscribe contacts to a campaign when importing a contact list).

Confirm mapping, finish import, then filter contacts by your import tag to verify counts.

• Filter by tag to review the new batch
• Fix duplicates or bad rows manually or via How to delete multiple contacts
• Add more tags with How to automatically and manually add tags to your contacts
• Single contact? Use How to add a contact manually

Respect your plan contact limit ( pricing).

1. Open CRM → Contacts
2. Select contacts (checkboxes) or select all on the current view
3. Click More actions
4. Choose Export

systeme.io generates a CSV and sends a download link to the email address on your systeme.io account.

Security: for privacy, the export file is available for only 3 days—download and store it promptly (password-protected backup recommended).

Use exports before major list changes, when leaving the platform, or to audit tags and fields in Excel.

• Create an import-YYYY-MM-DD tag before each bulk import
• Match delimiter to how Excel saved the file (EU files often use semicolon)
• Do not subscribe cold imports to live campaigns on day one
• Export quarterly for disaster recovery
• Programmatic sync? See How to use systeme.io's public API

Excel without converting?

No—save as CSV first.

Where does export go?

To your account email; link expires in 3 days.

Import unsubscribed contacts?

Possible with correct status—they will not receive mail. See Essential steps to import contacts successfully.

Wrong mapping?

Delete the bad batch (by import tag) and re-import with corrected mapping.

• How to import or export a contact list
• How to subscribe contacts to a campaign when importing a contact list
• Migration of your contact list to systeme.io: what you need to know before getting started (advanced tips)
• How to create a tag

Manage your audience on systeme.io —import with clean CSVs, export for backup, segment with tags.