Import data

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.spread.so/docs/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

You can import your existing customer data into Spread by uploading a CSV or Excel file. Spread AI automatically detects the meaning of each column and maps the data to the appropriate fields. You do not need to manually map columns or create custom fields in advance.

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What you need to know before importing data

1. Import data types

Spread supports three data types for import.

• Organizations
• Contacts
• Lists : Lists are a series of deal closing processes and customer lists that you create using Organizations and Contacts.

2. Data Fields

Each data type has its own default fields.Some fields are required:

1. Contacts: Contact name or Email is required.
2. Organizations: Organization name is required.
3. Lists: Follow the requirement based on the selected list data type (Contacts or Organizations).

Below you’ll find a quick overview of default fields for each data type.

Contacts

• Contact name
• Email
• Title
• Phone number

Organizations

• Organization name (Required)
• Domain (Website): If not provided, the domain is automatically populated using the email domain of associated contacts.
• Description
• Manager

Lists

Lists do not have additional default fields beyond Organizations and Contacts fields.

3. Custom fields

Custom fields are fields created in addition to Spread’s default fields.During import, Spread AI analyzes each column in the file. If a column cannot be mapped to an existing field, a new custom field is automatically created and mapped.You do not need to create custom fields before importing.

Review and edit AI mapping resultsIf you need to adjust the AI-generated mappings, you can change a column to a different field or create a new field and map it directly.

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How to import your data

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Step 1. Upload your file

• Open the Spread app and select Workspace settings from the top-left menu.

• Select Import from the left sidebar, and click Import contacts in the top-right corner.
• Click Select file and upload a CSV or Excel file.

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Step 2. Select duplicate handling options

After uploading the file, select how to handle duplicate data.

• Overwrite with new values Even if existing Contacts/Organizations already have values, all fields are updated using the values from the imported file.
• Only fill empty fields Existing values are preserved, and only empty fields are filled.

Import data based on your purpose by selecting one of the cases below.

Case 1. Importing data into Spread for the first time

This applies if:

• You are using Spread for the first time
• There is little or no existing data, or existing data is not important

Recommended options
✅ Overwrite with new values
✅ Only fill empty fields

For an initial import, both options produce the same result.

Case 2. Updating existing data with the latest information

This applies if:

• Contacts/Organizations already exist in Spread
• You want to broadly update existing data using the latest CSV file or external data

Recommended option
✅ Overwrite with new values

When this option is selected, all fields are updated using values from the imported file, even if existing values are present.

Case 3. Keeping existing data and filling in missing information

This applies if:

• Existing data is highly reliable
• You only want to fill empty fields or supplement newly added information
• You want to add new data without modifying existing values

Recommended option
✅ Only fill empty fields

When this option is selected, existing values are preserved and only empty fields are filled using the imported data.

After selecting a duplicate handling option, click Next in the top-right corner to start AI mapping.

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Step 3. Review AI mapping results

On the next screen, Spread AI analyzes the meaning of each column and displays the automatically mapped results.

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Change column mapping

• When you click the field mapped to each column, a list of available fields is displayed. You can select a different field from the list to change the column mapping.
• If there is no suitable field to map, you can click Add a custom field in the top-right corner to create a new field and map it immediately.

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Step 4. Run the import

• After reviewing the mapping results, click the Import button in the top-right corner.
• When the import is complete, you are redirected to the result page.

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View import results

After the import is complete, the result page shows an overview of data that was created, updated, or failed.

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Contact import results

The left side of the top section shows a summary of Contact import results.

• Contacts found: Number of contacts detected during the import process
• created: Number of newly created contacts
• updated: Number of existing contacts that were updated
• failed: Number of contacts that failed to import

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Organization import results

The right side of the top section shows a summary of Organization import results.

• Organizations found: Number of organizations detected during the import process
• created: Number of newly created organizations

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Review failed records

If there are rows that failed to import, you can review the reason in the Failed Records section at the bottom of the result page. Each failed row displays the following information:

• Row: Row number in the original file
• Error: Reason the import failed
• Data: Original data for the row

Common failure reasons include: ⛔️ Invalid email format: The email format is invalid ⛔️ Duplicate email in import: The same email appears more than once in the import file ⛔️ Email or name is required: Both contact email and contact name are missing or invalid

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Reprocessing failed records

Click Download CSV on the right side of the Failed Records section to download a CSV file containing only failed rows. After fixing the errors in the file, run the import again to import the missing data.

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Import directly into Lists

If you want to upload contacts or organizations and import them directly into a specific list, you can start the import from that list. Step 1. Select or create a list Select an existing list, or create a new one. Each list has a single entry type (either Contact or Organization), so be sure to select one that matches the type of data you want to import. Step 2. Select CSV import From the list you want to import into, click + New contact or + New organization at the top. Select Import from CSV to move to the import screen. Step 3. Run the import The rest of the process follows the same import steps described earlier.
Once the import is complete, each row will be created as a single entry and added directly to the selected list.

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Important notes before importing

• Review AI mapping results: Before running the import or on the result page, verify that AI-mapped fields match your intended data.
• Start with a small test import: If this is your first time importing, run a test import with a small dataset before importing all data.
• Back up the original file: Before importing, back up your original CSV/Excel file. This is especially important when using the Overwrite option, as it allows you to restore data if needed.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Korean characters are broken when importing a CSV file. How can I fix this?

Open the file and save it as an XLSX file instead of CSV using the steps below.1. In Microsoft Excel, go to the Data tab and click Get Data (Power Query)2. Click Text/CSV and select the file with broken characters3. Select UTF-8 and click Load

What are the most common reasons for import failures, and how can I resolve them?

There are two main reasons import failures occur.

1. Duplicate unique fields
   In Spread, organization name, contact email, and domain must be unique.
   For example, if two different organizations, Spread (@example.so) and Pixelic (@example.so), share the same domain, the import fails due to duplication. Note that domains can be automatically generated from email addresses, even if not explicitly provided.

2. Invalid email addresses
   This includes email addresses with invalid formats or special characters other than @ (for example, test@ or abc.com).

Failed rows can be reviewed in the Failed Records section, and re-imported after fixing errors.

Why does the number of imported contacts differ from the number of contacts I attempted to import?

If the import completes successfully but the number of contacts you attempted to import does not match the number of contacts actually created, it is likely that one contact in your spreadsheet contains multiple email addresses.For example, consider the following spreadsheet:

Name	Email addresses
Hyunjun Kim	arthur@spread.so
Hyunjun Kim	arthur@gmail.com

If both rows are imported as a single contact representing the same person Hyunjun Kim, the number of attempted contacts and the number of created contacts may differ.Even if both a work email and a personal email are imported, Spread treats them as belonging to the same individual. As a result, multiple email addresses are consolidated into a single contact.What if you want to manage each email address separately?In this case, ensure that arthur@spread.so and arthur@gmail.com are imported and managed as separate contacts, rather than being merged into one.

How is the current import process different from the previous one?

With the previous import method, users had to manually create custom fields and map columns before importing.With the current import process, Spread AI automatically understands and maps column data, so no prior field setup is required.

Why were Organizations created when I only imported Contacts?

If organization or company information exists in the import file, Organizations are automatically created and linked to Contacts.