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How to migrate Zoho CRM to Close

9 of the 15 columns in a Zoho CRM export, mapped into 6 Close fields under Close's own names.

Download the Excel templateUse this template free

Free · 18 KB · Excel 365 or Google Sheets

Check your Zoho CRM export first

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

One Zoho CRM row, through the templatecopied as it ischanged on the way1explained below
  • First Name, Last Name to Name1joinedKaren Wilson
  • Email to Emaillowercasedkaren.wilson@meridian.example.com
  • Phone to Phone+44 20 7946 0157
  • Title to TitleIT Director
  • Company to CompanyMeridian
  • Description, Lead Source, Tag to Description2joined, with labelsZoho description: Asked for a call in the new year. | Lead source: Trade Show | Tags: Legal, Priority
Not imported: Mobile, Mailing Street, Mailing City, Mailing State, Mailing Zip and Mailing Country. The template leaves these out; map any to a custom field in Operelio.

Where Zoho CRM and Close don’t line up

1

First Name and Last Name become one Name

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

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

Zoho CRMFirst Name Karen
Last Name Wilson
CloseKaren Wilson
2

Three columns kept in Description

This template gives Description, Lead Source and Tag no Close field of their own.

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

Zoho CRMDescription Asked for a call in the new year.
Lead Source Trade Show
Tag Legal, Priority
CloseZoho description: Asked for a call in the new year. | Lead source: Trade Show | Tags: Legal, Priority

Check your Zoho CRM export before you import it

Looks for the 9 columns this template reads, and what Close would skip.

Drop your Zoho CRM CSV here

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

Zoho CRM to Close in three steps

Step 1Export from Zoho CRM
  1. Go to Setup, then Data Administration, then Export.
  2. Click Start an Export and choose Contacts or Leads.
  3. Pick CSV or XLSX.
  4. Download the ZIP. The link lasts seven days.

You need the Export permission for the module. A CSV export takes up to 200,000 records, XLSX up to 50,000.

Zoho CRM: Export CRM data
Step 2Paste into the template
  1. Paste the export at A1 of Paste Zoho CRM export here.
  2. Start here checks all 9 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 Description, Lead Source and Tag go?

Into Description on each contact, labeled like "Zoho description: Asked for a call in the new year. | Lead source: Trade Show | Tags: Legal, Priority".

Does this create Leads or Contacts in Close?

Contacts, and Close keeps every contact inside a lead. When you import the file, Close asks for a column to group rows into leads, such as a company column if your file has one, and each contact lands on that lead. Contacts in the same group that share an email or phone are merged into one.

Duplicates and undoing an import: Close import questions.

How this page was checked

Try this template free

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

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