How to Import Data to HubSpot from Excel

Moving your data from an Excel spreadsheet into HubSpot is one of the most fundamental tasks for unifying your sales and marketing efforts. Done right, it creates a single source of truth for all your customer interactions. This guide will walk you through preparing your file, importing it step-by-step, and troubleshooting any common errors you might encounter along the way.

Why Importing Your Data into HubSpot is a Game-Changer

Before jumping into the “how,” it’s worth understanding the “why.” Manually importing data isn’t just an administrative chore, it’s the foundation for unlocking HubSpot’s full potential. When your contact, company, and deal data lives inside HubSpot, you can:

• Create a Single View of the Customer: Stop jumping between spreadsheets and different systems. HubSpot consolidates every email, phone call, ticket, and deal associated with a contact into one timeline.
• Automate Marketing and Sales Outreach: Use imported data to power workflows. For example, you can automatically enroll contacts from a specific industry (a column in your spreadsheet) into a targeted email nurture sequence.
• Segment and Personalize Your Campaigns: Slice and dice your contact list based on any data point you import. This allows you to send highly relevant content, improving engagement and conversion rates.
• Generate Powerful Reports: When all your data is in one place, you can build dashboards that accurately reflect your business's health, from lead generation to final sales.

Before You Import: The Crucial Preparation Stage

The success of your HubSpot import depends almost entirely on the quality of your source file. Spending 15 minutes cleaning up your spreadsheet beforehand can save you hours of headaches trying to fix messy data inside your CRM. Think of this as organizing your ingredients before you start cooking - it makes the whole process smoother.

Step 1: Clean Your Spreadsheet Data

Garbage in, garbage out. A clean spreadsheet is the most important factor for a successful import. Go through your file and check for the following:

• Remove Duplicates: Having multiple records for the same contact creates confusion and skews your reporting. In Excel, you can easily remove duplicates by selecting your data, going to the Data tab, and clicking Remove Duplicates. Be sure to check this for emails, as they are unique identifiers in HubSpot.
• Standardize Formatting: Inconsistencies can cause import failures or lead to messy data.
• Split Combined Data: HubSpot uses separate properties for "First Name" and "Last Name." If your spreadsheet has a single "Full Name" column, you'll need to split it. You can do this in Excel using the Text to Columns feature found under the Data tab. Use the space as a delimiter to separate the names.
• Correct Typos: Give your data a quick scan for obvious spelling mistakes, especially in important fields like job titles or cities.

Step 2: Align Your Columns with HubSpot Properties

HubSpot organizes data using "properties." Think of these as the fields on a contact record (e.g., Email, Phone Number, City, Lead Status). For a smooth import, your Excel column headers should match the names of the HubSpot properties you want to populate.

Before importing, log into your HubSpot account and go to Settings (the gear icon) > Properties. Review the default contact and company properties available. If your spreadsheet contains a piece of data that doesn’t have a corresponding property in HubSpot (like "Subscription Tier" or "Product Interest"), you should create a custom property first. This ensures all your valuable data has a home.

A good rule of thumb is to name your column headers clearly and simply. For instance, use "First Name" instead of "F_Name."

Step 3: Make Sure You Have a Unique Identifier

HubSpot needs a unique identifier to differentiate between contacts and avoid creating duplicates. For contacts, the unique identifier is the Email address. For companies, it's the Company Domain Name (e.g., hubspot.com).

Every single row for a contact in your spreadsheet must have an email address in the email column. If you are updating existing records, HubSpot uses this identifier to find the right record to update. If it can't find an existing record with that email, it will create a new one.

Step 4: Save Your File Correctly

Your import file must contain only one sheet. If your Excel workbook has multiple tabs, copy the data you want to import into a new, separate file.

HubSpot accepts imports from .csv, .xlsx, and .xls files. For best results, saving your file as a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is often the most reliable option.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Importing Your Data into HubSpot

With your file prepped and cleaned, you're ready for the import process itself. HubSpot makes this very straightforward.

1. Start the Import Process

In your HubSpot account, navigate to the object you want to import (e.g., go to Contacts > Contacts). In the upper-right corner, click the Import button. Then, click Start an import.

2. Select Your File and Object Type

First, select File from computer and click Next. Then choose One file and click Next. Finally, you’ll choose One object if you are only importing contacts (or only companies). If your spreadsheet contains information for both contacts and their associated companies, you would choose "Multiple objects," but for most first-time imports, sticking with one object is simpler. After making your choice, click Next.

3. Choose Your Object and Upload

Select the object you're importing, such as Contacts or Companies. HubSpot will then prompt you to upload your file. You can drag and drop your prepared .csv or .xlsx file into the window or click choose a file to browse your computer.

4. Map Your Columns to HubSpot Properties

This is where your prep work pays off. HubSpot will display the columns from your spreadsheet and automatically try to match them with existing HubSpot properties. For headers that you named correctly (e.g., "First Name"), HubSpot will likely map it perfectly.

• Review all mappings to ensure they are correct.
• If HubSpot couldn't find a match for a column (often flagged as "Don't import column"), click the dropdown menu and select the correct HubSpot property yourself.
• If you have a column in your spreadsheet you don't want to import, you can leave it as "Don't import column."
• If you forgot to create a custom property in the preparation stage, you can click Create a new property directly from this screen.

Once you are happy with the mapping, click Next.

5. Finalize the Import

On the final screen, you’ll need to provide a name for your import (e.g., “November 2023 Trade Show Leads”). You will also need to attest that your contacts expect to hear from you and that your import list was not purchased. HubSpot is very strict about permission-based marketing.

After confirming, click Finish import. You're all set! HubSpot will process the file, and you’ll receive an email and an in-app notification once it’s complete.

Common HubSpot Import Errors and How to Fix Them

Even with careful preparation, you might occasionally run into an error. After an import, HubSpot will provide a list of any rows that failed. Here are some of the most common issues:

Required Property Missing

The problem: HubSpot will tell you that a required property is missing. This almost always means a contact in your file was missing an email address.

The fix: Open your original file, add the missing email address to the appropriate row, and re-import just the record(s) that failed.

Invalid Dropdown or Checkbox Value

The problem: You're trying to import a value for a property that is a dropdown menu (e.g., Lifecycle Stage), but the value in your spreadsheet doesn't exactly match one of the available options in HubSpot.

The fix: Go to Settings > Properties and find the property in question. Check the exact spelling and formatting of the available options. Either update your spreadsheet to match HubSpot, or add a new option to the property in HubSpot before re-importing.

Bad file format

The problem: You may see an error about the file format itself, often caused by having multiple sheets in your workbook or an unsupported file type.

The fix: Make sure your file is saved as a .csv, .xls, or .xlsx and that it contains only one tab. Copying and pasting your data into a brand new, single-sheet Excel file often solves this.

Final Thoughts

Importing data from Excel to HubSpot is a repeatable and powerful process. By focusing on proper data hygiene and preparation before you upload, you ensure the information in your CRM is clean, accurate, and ready to be used for your marketing, sales, and service efforts.

Once your HubSpot data is correctly imported, the next logical step is to analyze it alongside data from your other platforms, like Google Analytics, Shopify, or your ad accounts. Instead of exporting data back out into more spreadsheets, unifying that cross-platform reporting is where real insights emerge. We built Graphed to solve this very problem. You can connect your HubSpot account and other sources in seconds, then use plain English to ask questions like, “Show me how many MQLs from our spring ad campaign became customers” and instantly receive a live dashboard - all without writing a single formula.