Mass Updating Contacts
Change thousands of existing contacts from a spreadsheet — including custom fields — with the one rule that decides whether it works.
On this page
1What mass updating is
Update (next to Import on any contact list) changes contacts that already exist, in bulk, from a spreadsheet. Anything you can store on a contact can be updated this way — standard fields and custom fields alike. It’s the tool for “we just renamed our lead sources” or “here are 4,000 corrected phone numbers”.
2Building the file
Download the sample spreadsheet from the Update window and work in it. Two rules make or break the file:
- Column A must be one of four identifiers:
client_id,external_id,emailorphone. Anything else and the update is rejected outright. - Every row must carry that identifier, and it must match exactly one contact in your account. Phone numbers are stored as 10 digits with no formatting — no brackets, dashes or dots.
The remaining columns are the fields to change. Use the same field names the import template and the API use — firstName, lastName, address, city, deal_size and so on. A column header that isn’t a reserved field name is treated as a custom field and written there, creating it if needed.
Test with five rows
Run a handful of rows first and open the contacts to check the result. An update that writes to the wrong field is far more work to unpick than a failed import, because the old values are gone.
3Running it
Click Update, choose the file, confirm. The job runs in the background and a notification tells you when it’s done. Rows whose identifier matched no contact are reported in that notification. Queue Status in the user menu lists the job with its status.
4When not to use it
For a handful of contacts, select them in the Contacts List and use Change — it sets action plan, sales cycle, lead source, assigned user, contact type and tags in place, with no spreadsheet involved.
5Troubleshooting
“First Column is not one that is used to search contact”
Column A isn’t client_id, external_id, email or phone. Fix the header and re-upload.
Some rows say the contact wasn’t found
The identifier doesn’t match — a formatted phone number, a changed email, a stale id. Export the list first and copy the identifier from it.
A new custom field appeared
A column header didn’t match a reserved field name, so it was treated as a custom field.
6Related pages
- Importing Contacts, Custom Fields.
- Contacts List — the Change action.