Skip to main content
Moving from another email platform? Export your contacts there as a CSV file and bring them into Retainful with the import wizard.

​
Prepare your file

  • Format: CSV with a header row (the first row names each column).
  • Required column: email. Everything else — first name, last name, phone, custom fields — is optional.
  • One contact per row.
A minimal file looks like this:
contacts.csv
Only import people who gave you permission to email them. Purchased or scraped lists cause spam complaints, damage your sender reputation, and can violate anti-spam laws like CAN-SPAM and GDPR.

​
Run the import

1

Upload your file

Go to Audience → Imports and click Import contacts, then upload your CSV.
2

Map your columns

Match each column in your file to a Retainful contact field. Unrecognized columns can be mapped to custom fields so no data is lost.
3

Choose lists

Pick which list the imported contacts should join. Creating a dedicated list per import (like “Mailchimp import – June 2026”) makes cleanup easy later.
4

Set subscription status

Tell Retainful whether these contacts are subscribed. If they were confirmed subscribers in your previous tool, import them as Subscribed. If you’re unsure, import as non-subscribed and run a re-permission campaign.
The import runs in the background. Audience → Imports shows progress and a summary when it finishes — how many contacts were created, updated, or skipped.

​
How duplicates are handled

Contacts are matched by email address. If an imported email already exists in Retainful, the existing contact is updated with the new information rather than duplicated.

​
Common issues

Rows with missing or invalid email addresses are skipped. Check the import summary for the count, fix your file, and re-import — already-imported contacts are simply updated.
This is a column-mapping issue. Re-run the import and double-check the mapping step — the wizard previews your data so you can verify before confirming.
Import them too — but as Unsubscribed. That preserves their opt-out so they never accidentally receive marketing from you again.