# Creating and importing contacts

There are several ways to add people to **Contacts**:

* **New contact** — add someone manually with their details.
* **Import** — upload a CSV to add many contacts at once.
* **Automatically** — a contact is created whenever someone messages you on a connected channel.
* **From search** — when a search finds nobody, create the contact and open a conversation with them in one go ([guide](/conversations/starting-a-conversation-from-search)).

## Watch the walkthrough

{% embed url="https://youtu.be/HQtWc33iFig" %}

## Importing a CSV

After choosing your file, a **mapping step** shows your CSV's columns: match each one to a contact field (Name, Email, Phone number, Identifier, Company name, City) or mark it **Skip column**. Anything unmatched is saved as a **custom attribute**, so extra columns like "budget" or "branch" aren't lost.

Two things to check before importing:

* Map at least one of **Email**, **Phone number**, or **Identifier** — contacts without any of these can't be updated or de-duplicated later.
* Phone numbers must be in international format (e.g. +60123456789) — the mapping step warns you about rows that aren't.

You'll be notified by email when the import completes. Use **Message** to start a new conversation with a contact directly.

Tip: to message everyone in a spreadsheet right away, upload it directly in a blasting instead — see [Creating and scheduling a blasting](/campaigns/creating-and-scheduling-a-campaign).

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Source: https://help.mampuai.com/contacts/creating-and-importing-contacts