Importing Into Zoho CRM

Importing Into Zoho CRM

Do you have a list in Excel that you would like to import into Zoho CRM? If your administrator has not restricted your ability to import, the process is fairly easy to accomplish, but understanding the options can make everything go smoother.

First you may need to prepare the spreadsheet
  1. Remove any extra rows from the top of the spreadsheet, like titles or blank lines. Row 1 should be the column headers. Row 2 should be where the data starts.
  2. Make sure that there is a column for any required fields and that it is populated. For example, if you are importing into Leads or Contacts, the “Last Name” field is required. Depending on how you set up your Zoho, “Account Name” may also be a required field. You can tell which fields are required by looking at any record in edit mode. Fields with a red underscore on labels are required. Any records in your spreadsheet that are missing a required field value will be skipped on import.
  3. If there are any date fields in your spreadsheet, make sure that you  format all date fields with a 4-digit year (mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm). Dates not formatted in this manner will not be imported. 
  4. If you want to assign to a user other than yourself, create a Record Owner column and enter the email address of the Zoho user to assign record ownership .

Now you are ready to import your data into Zoho CRM

  1. Click the module you wish to import into (e.g Leads or Contacts or Accounts. You cannot import into Activities, Quotes, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, or Invoices).
  2. Click the  Import button at the top right of the module List view.
  3. Select the first option to  Import [module name]
  4. Click the  From File option (NOT "From other CRM’s")
  5. Click the  Browse button (or use the Drag and drop option) to search for and select the file to import. Click the  Open button
  6. Click the  Next button when the file has been uploaded successfully.
  7. If you have created multiple layouts for this module, use the drop-down to  Select layout to import to use for the import.
  8. Identify how to import the records from the spreadsheet file:
    • Add as new [module name] – Zoho will import the list as new records. If a record already exists in Zoho, it will be skipped.
    • Update existing [module name] only – Zoho will import the list and only update existing records based on the ‘Skip…’ field option you select. When you select this option, you many need to break up your import into multiple files with 5,000 or less records each.
    • Both – Zoho will import the entire list. If a duplicate record is found it will update the current record in Zoho. If the record is not found, a new record will be added.
  9. Then identify the matching field ( Find/Skip existing [module name] based on) by selecting an   option from the drop-down.
    • The first option will always be the  [module name] Id This is the system-generated ID that Zoho has defined for the record. You cannot see the ID in any view. You can only see this ID when you export the records. So, if you export the records in some way or do a bckup, and then update the field values in the spreadsheet, you can re-import the updated values into Zoho, matching on the module ID field.
    • Any other fields identified as ‘unique fields’ will be displayed. For example, the  Email  field might be listed for Leads or Contacts. The  Deal Name or  Product Name or  Account Name  fields will be unique identifiers offered for record matching in those modules (though you may want to be careful if you haven’t been strict about unique naming). If you created an Accounting ID for the Account records, you could import revenue values based on that field.  Unique fields are defined in Setup by selecting the field and editing the property to “Do not allow duplicate values”.
    • If you select  Update or  Both , you will see the option for  “Don’t update empty values for existing records ”. You will want to leave this one checked. For example, leaving it checked means that if the record has a Mobile Number and the file that you are importing has a Mobile Number column, but you don’t have anything in it for selected records, it won’t copy the blank field onto the field that has data. Sometimes you may want to wipe out old values, but usually you will want to keep it checked.
  10. Click  Next.
    • Column labels in the file will display in the left column. The fields defined for the module will be displayed in the second column.
    • Start by clicking the  Apply Auto Mapping hyperlink at the bottom left of the screen. Zoho will do it’s best to match what it thinks are the correct fields.
    • Review each of the selections in the second column for reasonableness. Use the drop-down to change any field links.
    • Click the  Unmapped button at the top of the screen to see any remaining file values that should be mapped. Use the drop-down to select the matching field.Map each of the  Fields in file to the  Fields in Zoho CRM .
    • Any required fields in the database will need to be matched before proceeding.
  11. Notes:
    • Whichever field you selected in step 9 above, you will be required to map that field.
    • If there are matching fields in the file, but you don’t want to use them to update any records in the CRM, don’t map them and those fields will remain untouched in Zoho.
    • When mapping the Owner field, if you followed the instructions a few pages back for ‘Assigning Record ownership’ to update that field with the email of the User, then you should select Owner – Email as well for the mapping.
  12. Once you have completed all the field mapping, click  Next .
  13. Click  Yes, Continue to confirm that you know that some fields may be left unmapped.
  14. Final Options
    • Assign Lead Source: This is only available in the Leads module. It allows you to select an option from the Lead Source picklist. Alternately, you could have created a column in your spreadsheet for Lead Source and filled in the values for all records prior to selecting the file for import.
    • Assign Owner : Select  Users option to select the desired user from the drop-down list. Select  Assignment Rule if you have created one. Assignment rules are good for assigning records based on conditions (State or Zip address fields, product interest fields, etc.). Or select  Field Mapping if you created a column in the spreadsheet and assigned ownership with the user’s email login.
    • Assign Tasks: You can select a Workflow Task to be launched against each record if you like. You can read more about creating Workflows in the Automation chapter. In the example above, a Task is created for each record in 3 days to follow up.
    • Add Tags : Add tag to each of the imported records.
    • Enable Manual Lead Approval option is only available when importing into the Leads module. If you check this option, an admin will need to manually assign users to each of the imported records.
  15. Click  Finish .
** For more great tips on preparing your spreadsheets   and getting your data ready for an import into Zoho, you can download a copy (below) of my 12-page guide that will help you get your data in shape.

Happy importing.

Susan Clark, Zoho CRM Certified Consultant, Authorized Zoho ONE Partner
Cornerstone Solutions www.zcrmhelp.com
susan@zcrmhelp.com


  

    • Recent Topics

    • How do I link my invoice to an estimate?

      There has been instances where I have created estimates, however, invoices for the same estimate were created independently. The status of these estimates hasn't converted to 'invoiced'. 

    • Impossible to import Journal from Freshbooks

      I have been trying to import journals from Freshbooks since August 30th. Every time I try to import, I get an error message. I have already made sure every row has a date. First it was saying the account and notes had unexpected input and that every debit/credit

    • Peppol: Accept Bill (Belgium)

      Hi, This topic might help you if you're facing the same in Belgium. We are facing an issue while accepting a supplier bill received by Peppol in Zoho Books. There is a popup with an error message: This bill acceptance could not be completed, so it was

    • Convert invoice from zoho to xml with all details

      How to convert an Invoice to XML format with all details

    • Prevent subform editing on a module's detail's page

      Hi everyone, We would like to prevent any editing of the subform data in the : Create page Edit page Details page (as subform editing is now allowed by the recent UX update) We are able to prevent editing by making the subform fields read only in the

    • Weekly Tips : Save Time with Saved Search

      Let's assume your work requires you to regularly check emails from important clients that have attachments and were sent within a specific time period. Instead of entering the same conditions every time—like sender, date range, and attachments included—you

    • Discontinuing Zoho ShowTime service on May 30, 2026

      Hello everyone, As a follow-up to our earlier announcement, we’d like to share an important update regarding Zoho ShowTime’s discontinuation timeline. Zoho ShowTime, our online training platform, reached its end of life on December 31, 2025, and its services

    • Ability to CC on a mass email

      Ability to CC someone on a mass email.

    • Bookings duration - days

      Hi team, Is there any way to setup services/bookings that span multiple days? I am using Zoho Bookings for meeting room bookings. Clients may wish to book a room for more than one day, for up to a month.  If not, is there a plan to allow services to be setup with durations of Days as well as hours and minutes? Many thanks, Anna.

    • Customer address in Zoho Bookings

      Hello,  Is it possible to add customer address information to the Zoho bookings appointment screen? Or have it pull that information automatically from the CRM? We are wanting to use this as a field management software but it is difficult to pull the address from multiple sources when it would be ideal to have a clickable address on the appointment screen that opens up the user's maps.  It would also be advantageous for the "list view" to show appointment times instead of just duration and booking

    • Feature Request - Allow Customers To Pick Meeting Duration

      Hi Bookings Team, It would be great if there was an option to allow customers to pick a duration based on a max and minimum amount of time defined by me and in increments defined by me. For example, I have some slots which are available for customers

    • New feature: Invite additional guests for your bookings

      Hello everyone, Greetings from Zoho Bookings! We are happy to announce the much-awaited feature Guest Invite, which enhances your booking experience like never before. This feature allows additional participants to be invited for the bookings to make

    • Changing the owner of a call

      Am I correct in my conclusion that I cannot change the owner of a call in Zoho? The field does not show up in the screen, nor can I make it show up as the systems does not give me that option. I cannot "mass update" it either. I tried it, but Zoho refuses to change the name of the owner. Please help out: how do I change the owner of a call.

    • Unified Notes View For Seamless Collaboration

      To facilitate better coordination among different departments and team members, the notes added to a record can now be accessed in all its associated records. With this, team members, from customer service representatives to field technicians, can easily

    • Remove Profiles from "Forecast" Module

      How can I remove Profiles from My forecast Module? Image Below The only revenue generators are the VP's, and the Estimation Managers, and the Estimators subordinate to the Est. Managers. How can I remove the unused Profiles? Its frustrating to see them

    • Restoring records from the recycle bin programatically

      Background I'm working on a piece of software to automate conversion of Leads into Deals based on order status from my company's website. The process is mostly complete, right now I'm just working on handling a few edge cases to ensure data integrity.

    • Does Zoho Learn integrate with Zoho Connect,People,Workdrive,Project,Desk?

      Can we propose Zoho LEarn as a centralised Knowledge Portal tool that can get synched with the other Zoho products and serve as a central Knowledge repository?

    • Create static subforms in Zoho CRM: streamline data entry with pre-defined values

      Last modified on (9 July, 2025): This feature was available in early access and is currently being rolled out to customers in phases. Currently available for users in the the AU, CA, and SA DCs. It will be enabled for the remaining DCs in the next couple

    • Invoices not arriving and mail server settings

      I am having an issue where some clients are not receiving invoices. I have configured Zoho Books to send on my behalf and configured the appropriate SPF, DKIM and DMARC settings on my mail server and tested these as working. I get the CC'd copies so I

    • SalesIQ Identity Update for Logged In Wordpress User

      Hey folks, SalesIQ does not automatically detect when a visitor logs in to WordPress and update their identity to match. For example, if a client of ours visits the site and logs in, SalesIQ will not track them correctly by default. The Solution The solution

    • Paragraph spacings in Zoho Notebook are double-spaced only. Is there a way to keep the original spacing format?

      Sorry I don't know the proper terminologies but the best way I can put it is all single-spaced paragraphs that I copy to Zoho Notebook become double-spaced paragraphs. It's very inconvenient and counterproductive when copying and pasting things from and

    • Changing line space in Notebook

      My lines are double spaced. How do i change to single space?

    • Plug Sample #14: Automate Invoice Queries with SalesIQ Chatbot

      Hi everyone! We're back with a powerful plug to make your Zobot smarter and your support faster. This time, we're solving a common friction point for finance teams by giving customers quick access to their invoices. We are going to be automating invoice

    • Workdrive on Android - Gallery Photo Backups

      Hello, Is there any way of backing up the photos on my android phone directly to a specific folder on Workdrive? Assuming i have the workdrive app installed on the phone in question. Emma

    • Is anyone experience missing functions in the new UI until hard refresh?

      The set of functions including search is almost always missing upon loading an app in the new UI. If you refresh, the functions return. (see second screenshot) Anyone else experiencing this?

    • Not receiving New Ticket Emails

      Hello! The company I work for uses the Zoho ticketing system, however, I've noticed I'm not receiving email notifications when new tickets are published. I have admin rights to see these tickets on Zoho Desk and respond to them, but am not receiving the

    • Can't update a field on a parent form from a child form's On Success workflow

      Title: Can't update a field on a parent form from a child form's On Success workflow Hi everyone, I'm building a simple Golf Lesson Tracker app and I'm stuck on what should be a basic operation — updating a number field on a parent form when a child form

    • Upload from Zoho Creator File Upload field to OpenAI Vector Store

      I’ve struggled for quite a while to get this working properly. For a long time we relied on Azure Functions as a workaround to handle file transfers between Zoho Creator and OpenAI Vector Stores. It worked, but added unnecessary infrastructure and complexity.

    • Calendar start time limit

      Hi all, Has anyone found a magical way to filter calendar reports to start from, let's say 8:00, and not 0:00? Or at least to auto scroll there like Google Calendar for example?

    • EU Problem

      Hi all, we've been facing issues with the Europe data center for two days. It's starting to disrupt our daily workflow. Any word on when this will be resolved?

    • How can I clone my website in order to try new templates?

      I want to try a new template for my existing Zoho website without the risk of changing the current site or accidentally publishing the wrong template. Therefore I thought a 'clone website'-option should be somewhere, but I can't find it. How do I try

    • Custom Module Missing from Roles & Permissions List

      Hi Zoho Community, I created a new Custom Module in Zoho Expense. The module is fully built and I can see it in the Module Builder (Settings > Customization > Modules). However, I am unable to deploy this to my users because the module does not appear

    • Need Customer Item Inward Module along with QC

      Need Customer Item Inward Module along with QC 1. Using Transfer Orders hit the item balance sheet 2. Items without inventory it becomes difficult for tracking purpose. 3. Custom Modules become tedious to capture multiple items, item subforms are not

    • Possible to Turn Off Automatic Notifications for Approvals?

      Hello, This is another question regarding the approval process. First a bit of background: Each of our accounts is assigned a rank based on potential sales. In Zoho, the account rank field is a drop-down with the 5 rank levels and is located on the account

    • Will be possible to create a merge mail template for products?

      Hi, we would need to create a mail merge template for products (native) module. Will be possibile? or do you have a smart solutions to merge products data with a mail merge? thanks Chris

    • Maximum incoming email (attachment size) limit

      I see that the maximum size of received emails can now be set to 20MB, however I'd still like to see it be larger. It's embarrassing when a client sends me an email with a large attachment and I can't receive it. 50, even 100 MB seems reasonable these

    • [Free Webinar] Learning Table Series - Multi-currency management in Zoho Creator

      Hello everyone, We’re excited to invite you to another edition of the Learning Table Series webinar. As you may already know, we've moved to a purpose-based approach in the Learning Table Series this year. Each session now focuses on how a Zoho Creator

    • LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE - code 2945

      Hi I'm trying to post a customer record to creator API and getting this error message. So cryptic. Can someone please help? Thanks Varun

    • Ranking by group in report

      Dears, I am new to Zoho Analytics and I would like to ask you guys help to creating a ranking column. Report type: Pivot Matter: I want to create a ranking column on the right of Percentage. This ranking is group by column Type, and ranking by Final Score/Percent.

    • How do I add a project template to a pre-existing project?

      Help....How do I add a project template to a pre-existing project? Right now I have to delete the old project, make a new one and add the project template at the time of creating the new project.

    • Next Page