Zoho CRM import templates
Import leads and contacts
into Zoho CRM
In Zoho CRM, an empty cell in your file can wipe a field that already has a value. Here are Zoho’s import screens, the setting that stops it, and the others worth checking before you click Finish.
Each template page checks your export first, in your browser, for what Zoho CRM would skip. Nothing is uploaded.
Starting from scratch? Zoho leads CSVZoho contacts CSV
FreeNo accountLeads and Contacts modules
A blank cell in Zoho CRM
can empty a field
HubSpot’s importer and Salesforce’s Data Import Wizard leave a field alone when the cell is empty. Zoho CRM writes the empty value over it, unless one checkbox on the Actions screen is checked.
What the three numbers hide
212of the 640 updated contacts lost their phone number. The expo file had none for them, and Skip updating empty values in the records was left unchecked.
640updates can’t be taken back. Undo Import removes the 1,380 contacts it added, within 30 days, and leaves every change to the 640 in place.
0welcome workflows ran on the new contacts. Zoho’s workflows skip imported records unless Trigger automation and process management is checked.
A made-up import. What happens to it is from Zoho CRM’s help pages on importing, import history and workflows.
Zoho’s import screens,
one setting at a time
Upload, Actions, Field Mapping and Assign, then Import History, where the result and the undo live.
CSV, XLS, XLSX or VCF, up to 25 MB
| Columns In File | Fields In Zoho CRM | Sample Data From File |
|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Last Name | Okafor |
| ada.okafor@ridgewayhq.io | ||
| Phone | PhoneReplace Empty Values | |
| Rep | Contact Owner | Sam Patel |
| Company | Account Name⚙ | Ridgeway Labs |
| Met on | Date of Meeting⚙ | 03/05/2026 |
| Interests | Interests⚙ | Pricing;Demo |
| Source | Lead Source | Expo 2026 |
| Booth notes | Select Field | Wants pricing in April |
Setup › Data Administration › Import
Click a skipped count to see why each row was skipped.
A drawing of Zoho CRM’s import screens as its help pages show them. The points are from the same pages.
One empty phone cell,
two different results
Ada Okafor is already a contact with a phone number. The expo file has her email but no phone. What Zoho does with the gap depends on one checkbox.
+44 161 555 0144In the file: ada.okafor@ridgewayhq.io · Phone empty| How the import is set up | Her phone after | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Both, matched on Email, the box left unchecked | emptyvalue removed | The empty cell is written to the field. Zoho’s help says the value is overwritten and the field left empty. |
| Skip updating empty values in the records, checked | +44 161 555 0144kept | Empty cells are passed over for existing records, so the number she had stays. |
For any update, check Skip updating empty values in the records. Another setting, Replace Empty Values on the mapping screen, fills empty cells with a value you choose, such as Not given. Zoho’s help doesn’t say how it behaves on updates, so try it on one record first.
Who ends up owning the contact
The Contact Owner column decides it. Zoho’s help covers what each kind of value does.
sam.patel@yourco.exampleSam PatelThe email of an active user is matched to that user.
Sam PatelYouA name instead of an email or user ID, so the record goes to the person importing.
leah.hart@yourco.exampleYouLeah’s user is inactive. Zoho ignores inactive users, so she can’t be given the record.
(empty)YouNo owner given, so the person importing owns it, unless an assignment rule is picked on the Assign screen.
A Zoho CRM row
that imports cleanly
Auto Map pairs a column with a field when their names are alike, so headers named after Zoho’s fields map without picking each one. The values then have to fit the field.
Interests is a custom multi-select field, there to show the format. For leads, add a Company column too: Zoho makes Company mandatory on leads.
Zoho makes both mandatory. Any other field your layout makes mandatory needs a value too.
Email is the unique field for leads and contacts. With Add as new and Email as the duplicate check, a row whose email is already in Zoho is skipped. Update and Both use it to find the record.
It’s a lookup. Zoho asks which account field identifies the record: its ID, name or another unique field.
An active user’s email, or their user ID. A name, or an inactive user, leaves the record with the person importing.
Zoho’s import FAQ lists a value missing from the dropdown as a reason an import fails. Add new options in Zoho first.
Pricing;Demo. On the mapping screen you choose whether the values replace the ones a record has or are added to them.
Zoho’s other import rules
- Header row
- A file with no column headers can’t be imported
- Columns
- Up to 500 per file
- Empty rows
- Zoho says more than ten in a row end the file; its FAQ says one can. Remove them.
- Dates
- Pick the file’s date format on the mapping screen, field by field
- Encoding
- Auto-Detect usually works. If accents come out garbled, save as UTF-8.
- Hidden duplicates
- Leads waiting in Approve Leads don’t show in search, but still count as duplicates
Zoho CRM API names our templates use
21 fields across our 24 leads and contacts templates, the most common first. Zoho’s own list is under Setup, Developer Space, CRM API, then the API Names tab. The Mailing fields and Account Name are Contacts fields; Company, Street and the other address fields are Leads fields.
EmailFirst_NameLast_NameDescriptionPhoneTitleAccount_NameCompanyCountryMailing_CityMailing_CountryMailing_StateCityStateLead_StatusMobileLead_SourceMailing_StreetMailing_ZipStreetZip_CodeImporting leads into Zoho CRM
Zoho’s import tool adds records, updates them, or does both.
- Open the Leads tab, click the down arrow next to the Create button and choose Import.
- Drop in or browse to your CSV, XLS or XLSX file, set the character encoding if needed and click Next.
- Choose Add as new, Update existing only or Both, and the field that identifies an existing record.
- Map each column to a Zoho CRM field; for a lookup, choose the field that identifies the linked record.
- Set the assignment, approval and automation options, accept the anti-spam policy and submit.
- What every lead needsLast Name and Company. Zoho marks both mandatory on leads, and a row missing a mandatory field isn’t imported. A contact needs only a Last Name, and imports from the Contacts tab.
- Who can importThe Import Records permission in your profile. Without it the Import option doesn’t show, and a CRM admin has to turn it on.
- Leads already in ZohoZoho’s import FAQ names Email as the field that finds an existing lead or contact. You choose to add new records, update existing ones or both.
Before the full file, download Zoho’s sample file from the Import screen, in CSV or XLSX. Zoho also advises importing a small subset first and fixing what comes up. From Zoho CRM Help: Import data into a CRM module, Standard fields in Leads, Standard fields in Contacts and the Import FAQs, read October 13, 2026.
Importing leads from Excel into Zoho CRM
Zoho’s importer reads Excel files directly: XLS and XLSX, as well as CSV and VCF. Zoho’s import FAQ says an Excel file takes up to 5,000 records at a time, while its import help gives higher limits by edition. For a file over 5,000 rows, save it as a CSV.
- Size and rows25 MB per file. How many rows a file can hold depends on your edition; the figures are under How many rows Zoho takes.
- What to take outZoho says combo filters and embedded images in an XLS or XLSX file can cause errors, and a file can’t hold attachments. Column names go in the first row.
- One tab per importZoho’s help doesn’t say which tab of a workbook with several it reads. Keep the leads on one tab and import that file.
Columns for Auto Number, Formula and other read-only fields, and for system fields such as Created Time and Modified Time, can’t be imported. Values for a multi-select field are separated by semicolons, and tags by commas. From Zoho CRM Help: Import data into a CRM module and the Import FAQs, read October 13, 2026.
Moving leads from another CRM
Zoho has a separate data migration tool. It recommends it for moving a whole CRM into several modules, and for attachments, images and system fields such as Created Time. The import tool is for simpler, module-by-module files like a lead list.
From Zoho CRM Help: Import data into a CRM module, read October 13, 2026. For the move itself, see CRM migration: a step-by-step checklist.
How many rows Zoho takes
depends on your edition
Every file is capped at 25 MB. The row limit for one file goes up with the edition, from Zoho CRM’s import help page.
Rows per file. Zoho One Standard and Enterprise share those limits; CRM Plus has Ultimate’s.
- Undo for 30 daysUndo Import removes the records an import added. Updates stay.
- Skipped rows for 7 daysThe list of skipped rows can be fetched for imports in the last week.
- Automation under 10,000 rowsAt 10,000 rows or more, the automation option doesn’t appear. Split the file first.
What Operelio does for Zoho CRM
Operelio prepares the file and Zoho imports it. The CRM Formatter maps your export to Zoho’s lead or contact fields and splits full names into first and last, on every plan. You download the CSV and run Zoho’s own importer, using the steps above.
Operelio doesn’t push into Zoho CRM. Its push goes to HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive.
Zoho CRM templates,
one per export
24 templates for Zoho’s Leads and Contacts modules, across these exports. Each Excel workbook takes the export as it comes and gives back Zoho’s columns.
Apollo.io
ZoomInfo
Cognism
Lusha User DataLusha Prospecting
LinkedIn Sales NavigatorLinkedIn Connections
Mailchimp
ActiveCampaign
Google Contacts
Outlook / Microsoft 365
Shopify
Stripe
WooCommerce
HubSpot
Salesforce (Leads)Salesforce (Contacts)
PipedriveAn expo list each quarter, a prospecting export each week
Zoho’s screens set how a file goes in. These get the file itself right, every time it arrives.
More help with Zoho imports
Fix the file before Zoho sees it, or pick a tool that does it for you.
Zoho CRM import questions
Will empty cells clear data in Zoho CRM?
They can. When an import updates a record and a cell is empty, Zoho writes the empty value over the field. Check Skip updating empty values in the records on the Actions screen to keep what’s there.
Can I undo a Zoho CRM import?
Partly. From Import History you can undo an import within 30 days, which deletes the records it added. Records it updated aren’t changed back, so export them before you run an update. Undoing a contacts import also deletes the accounts it created with them.
Why were some rows skipped?
Click the number under Skipped in Import History to see each row and why. Common causes are a missing mandatory field, such as Last Name, and an email already in Zoho when you chose Add as new with Email as the duplicate check. The list can be fetched for imports in the last 7 days.
Why didn’t my workflow run on imported records?
Zoho only triggers workflows on imported records when Trigger automation and process management is checked on the Assign screen. Date-based workflows are the exception and can still fire. The option only appears for files under 10,000 rows, so split larger ones.
Why are all the records assigned to me?
The owner column had names rather than emails or user IDs, the users were inactive, or there was no owner column. In each case the records go to the person importing.
Why does Zoho say a duplicate exists when I can’t find it?
Leads waiting for approval sit under Approve Leads and don’t show in search, but Zoho still checks against them. Look there for the matching email.
Which fields are required to import leads or contacts into Zoho CRM?
Last Name on leads and contacts, and Company on leads.
Will importing create duplicate leads or contacts in Zoho CRM?
If you import the file yourself, Zoho CRM matches existing records on a unique field you pick, such as Email, and you choose to add new records, update existing ones or both.
Give Zoho a file it takes the first time.
The CRM Formatter maps any export to Zoho CRM’s fields, on every plan, and gives you a CSV for Zoho’s importer, with full names split into first and last.