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How to import Cognism into Close

13 of the 75 columns in a Cognism export, mapped into 6 Close fields under Close's own names.

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Free · 18 KB · Excel 365 or Google Sheets

Check your Cognism export first

Built on Cognism’s export columnsChecked against Close’s import rulesUpdated October 3, 2026

One Cognism row, through the templatecopied as it ischanged on the way1explained below
  • First Name, Last Name to Name1joinedPriya Nair
  • Email to Emaillowercasedpriya.nair@halston.example.com
  • Mobile, Direct, Office, HQ to Phone2first with a value+44 7700 900678
  • Job Title to TitleHead of Customer Success
  • Company Name to CompanyHalston Freight
  • Personal Linkedin URL, List Name, Seniority, Department to Description3joined, with labelsLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/priya-nair-example | Cognism list: UK RevOps Q4 | Seniority: Head | Department: Customer Success
Not imported: Profile ID, sId, Email Quality, Lead Source, Education, Diamond Record and 56 more. The template leaves these out; map any to a custom field in Operelio.

Where Cognism and Close don’t line up

1

First Name and Last Name become one Name

Cognism keeps First Name and Last Name apart, and Close has one Name field.

The template joins them, leaving out any that are empty.

CognismFirst Name Priya
Last Name Nair
ClosePriya Nair
2

Four phone columns, one phone field

Cognism splits numbers across Mobile, Direct, Office and HQ.

The template Phone takes the first of Mobile, Direct, Office and HQ that has a value.

CognismMobile +44 7700 900678
Direct empty
Office +44 20 7946 0876
HQ +44 20 7946 0555
Close+44 7700 900678
3

Four columns kept in Description

This template gives Personal Linkedin URL, List Name, Seniority and Department no Close field of their own.

The template writes them into Description, each with its label, and leaves empty ones out.

CognismPersonal Linkedin URL linkedin.com/in/priya-nair-example
List Name UK RevOps Q4
Seniority Head
CloseLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/priya-nair-example | Cognism list: UK RevOps Q4 | Seniority: Head | Department: Customer Success

Check your Cognism export before you import it

Looks for the 13 columns this template reads, and what Close would skip.

Drop your Cognism CSV here

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and results are counts only.

Cognism to Close in three steps

Step 1Export from Cognism
  1. Run a Contact Search in Cognism, or open Lists and pick All Contacts, My Contacts or one of your lists.
  2. Use the checkboxes to choose Select Page, Select All or Custom Selection.
  3. Click the option to export the contacts as a CSV file in the toolbar at the top of the page.

You can export up to 10,000 contacts at once from Search, and up to 1,000 per action from All Contacts or My Contacts.

Exporting reveals any contact not yet revealed in the current contract period, and credits are used only for newly revealed contacts.

Cognism: Manage search resultsCognism: Lists
Step 2Paste into the template
  1. Paste the export at A1 of Paste Cognism export here.
  2. Start here checks all 13 columns were found.
  3. Save Close Contacts import as a CSV.

Works in Excel for Microsoft 365 and Google Sheets. Excel 2019 and older, Apple Numbers and LibreOffice can't run the formulas this file uses.

Just the 6 headers as a CSV

Step 3Import into Close
  1. Click your name at the top right and choose Import data.
  2. Upload a CSV or Excel file, or paste straight from a spreadsheet.
  3. Choose where each column goes, or check Skip to leave it out, and click Next.
  4. Choose a column to group rows into leads, such as Company.
  5. Set the duplicate matching and choose to add missing information, replace the lead or skip it, then start the import.
Close's importer, screen by screen

Operelio, with the same template

Fixes the capitals in names, formats phone numbers, removes duplicate and blank rows, which the Excel file leaves to you. On every plan. Email verification from Starter.

Use this template in Operelio

Questions

Where do Personal Linkedin URL, List Name and the other columns go?

Into Description on each contact, labeled like "LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/priya-nair-example | Cognism list: UK RevOps Q4 | Seniority: Head | Department: Customer Success".

Why do First Name and Last Name become one Name field in Close?

Close uses a single name field on the contact record, not separate first and last name fields. The template combines the two Cognism columns with a space so the contact records look right in Close.

Duplicates and undoing an import: Close import questions.

How this page was checked

Try this template free

Upload your Cognism export and download a file Close can import. No credit card needed.

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