May 26, 2026

How to Import Contacts into Gmail (CSV, vCard & Other Accounts, 2026)

Gmail Google Contacts Import Contacts How-to CSV Migration

Gmail’s contacts live in Google Contacts, and you can bulk-import them from a spreadsheet, another email account, or your phone in a couple of minutes. The two file formats that matter are CSV (from Outlook or a spreadsheet) and vCard / .vcf (from Apple Contacts and most phones). Here’s the full process, including how to format the file so the fields land in the right place. Migrating the other direction? See how to import contacts into Outlook.

1. Open Google Contacts

Contacts aren’t managed inside Gmail’s main view — they’re in Google Contacts.

Go directly to contacts.google.com, or
In Gmail, click the Google apps grid (nine dots) in the top-right and choose Contacts.

2. Import from a CSV or vCard File

In Google Contacts, click Import in the left sidebar.
In the dialog, click Select file.
Choose your .csv or .vcf file.
Click Import.

Google uploads and adds the contacts, tagging them with a label like “Imported on [today’s date]” so you can find the batch.

Which format do I have?

CSV — exported from Outlook, a spreadsheet (Excel/Google Sheets), or another webmail. Best for structured data with many fields.
vCard (.vcf) — exported from Apple Contacts, iPhone, or many Android phones. Can hold one or many contacts.

3. Get the CSV Format Right

Most failed imports come from a malformed CSV. To avoid problems:

Use a header row with field names in the first row (e.g., Name, Email Address, Phone).
Export in the right shape. The cleanest source is Google’s own template — in Google Contacts, export a single existing contact as Google CSV, open it, and match your data to those column headers before importing.
Save as CSV UTF-8 from Excel/Sheets so accented characters and non-Latin names don’t get mangled.
One email per column. If a contact has multiple emails, use the additional email columns rather than cramming them into one cell.

Tip: If you’re moving from Outlook, export there as a CSV first, then either import that CSV directly or paste your data into the Google CSV template for the most reliable field mapping.

4. Import from Another Email Account Directly

You can pull contacts (and mail) from another account without handling a file:

In Gmail, go to Settings (gear) > See all settings > Accounts and Import.
In Import mail and contacts, click Import mail and contacts.
Enter the other account’s address and follow the prompts to authorize.
Choose to import contacts (and optionally existing mail).

This works well for older webmail accounts and is the simplest path if you don’t want to export/import a file.

5. Merge Duplicates and Clean Up

After importing, you’ll often have duplicates.

In Google Contacts, click Merge & fix in the left sidebar.
Google lists likely duplicate pairs. Click Merge on each, or Merge all.
Open the imported contacts (filter by the “Imported on…” label) and check that names, emails, and phone numbers landed in the correct fields.

6. Troubleshooting

”The file format is not supported”

Google Contacts accepts CSV and vCard (.vcf) only. An Excel .xlsx file must be saved as CSV first. In Excel/Sheets: File > Save As / Download > CSV.

Names or characters look garbled

The CSV wasn’t saved as UTF-8. Re-export choosing CSV UTF-8 encoding.

Fields landed in the wrong place

Your column headers didn’t match what Google expects. Export one Google contact as a Google CSV, copy its header row, and paste your data under the matching columns.

Some contacts didn’t import

A row with a missing or malformed email can be skipped. Open the CSV in a spreadsheet, scan for blank/odd rows, fix them, and re-import.

Contacts Imported — Now Keep Them Working for You

Importing builds the address book. Acting on it is the work. Carly is an AI assistant you reach by email or text — give it its own name and email address, and tell it in plain English to do things like “schedule a call with this contact” or “follow up with everyone I emailed last week.” It works across Gmail, Outlook, your CRM, and 200+ other apps, so your contacts turn into scheduled meetings and sent replies instead of a static list.

More on Gmail: How to create a contact group in Gmail · How to create a distribution list in Gmail · How to export emails from Gmail · How to add another email account to Gmail · Best AI assistants for Gmail · Best AI CRM tools

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