How CSV duplicates are merged

How an import decides a row is someone you already have, and what it changes on their record.

A row is a duplicate when its email or phone matches a contact you already have, or an earlier row in the same file, and the names agree. Duplicates merge into one contact instead of creating a second.

How a match is found

• Email first, ignoring capital letters, then phone number.
• The names must agree. A row with a different first or last name stays a separate contact, so a couple sharing an email or a home phone stays as two people. A blank name, or “Unknown”, agrees with any name.
• When several contacts could match, the oldest one is used.

What a merge changes

A merge never overwrites anything you already have:

• Blank fields are filled in from the row.
• New tags are added to the existing ones.
• A different imported note is added below the existing one.
• The lead type of an existing contact stays as it is.

The results

Import complete sums it up, for example “12 new contacts, 3 duplicates merged, 1 row skipped”. Below it:

• Merged into one contact lists each person a row merged into, and whether it matched on the same email or the same phone.
• Skipped lists rows with no name, email or phone.