Import & Export#

Nanabase makes it easy to bring your existing contacts in and take your data out. Admins and Owners can import and export contacts in bulk.

CSV Import#

Supported Formats#

• CSV files (.csv)
• UTF-8 encoding (recommended)
• ISO-8859-1 encoding (also supported)
• Max file size: 10MB
• Max rows: 10,000 per import

Import Flow#

Step 1: Upload     → Upload your CSV file
Step 2: Map        → Match columns to fields
Step 3: Preview    → Review first 10 rows
Step 4: Validate   → Check for errors
Step 5: Import     → Process contacts
Step 6: Complete   → Review results

Step-by-Step Guide#

1. Prepare Your File#

Your CSV should have a header row with column names:

First Name,Last Name,Email,Phone,Company,Job Title,Notes
Maria,Gonzalez,maria@example.com,+1-555-0100,Acme Corp,Translator,Excellent work
John,Smith,john@example.com,+1-555-0101,TechCo,Engineer,Met at conference

2. Start Import#

1. Go to Settings → Import
2. Click Upload CSV
3. Select your file
4. Wait for processing

3. Map Fields#

Match your CSV columns to Nanabase fields:

| Your Column | Nanabase Field | |-------------|----------------| | First Name | First Name | | Last Name | Last Name | | Email | Email | | Phone | Phone | | Company | Company | | Job Title | Job Title | | Notes | Notes | | Tags | Tags |

Auto-mapping: Common column names are automatically matched.

Skip columns: Set to "Don't import" for columns you don't need.

4. Preview#

Review the first 10 rows:

• See how data will be imported
• Spot any mapping issues
• Check for obvious errors

5. Choose Visibility#

Select where contacts should go:

• Private — Your personal vault only
• Shared — Company directory (visible to all)

6. Import#

Click Start Import to begin:

• Small files (<500 rows): Immediate
• Large files: Background processing

7. Review Results#

After completion:

Import Complete
├── Imported: 847 contacts
├── Skipped (duplicates): 12 contacts
├── Errors: 3 contacts
└── [Download Error Report]

Field Mapping Reference#

| Nanabase Field | Accepted Column Names | |----------------|----------------------| | First Name | first name, first, given name | | Last Name | last name, last, surname, family name | | Email | email, e-mail, email address | | Phone | phone, telephone, mobile, cell | | Company | company, organization, employer | | Job Title | title, job title, position | | Department | department, dept | | Notes | notes, comments | | Tags | tags (comma-separated) |

Handling Duplicates#

Duplicates are detected by email address:

| Option | Behavior | |--------|----------| | Skip | Don't import duplicates (default) | | Update | Update existing with new data | | Create | Import anyway (creates duplicate) |

Common Issues#

Encoding problems: If you see strange characters (é, ñ, etc.), your file may not be UTF-8. Re-save as UTF-8 from Excel or Google Sheets.

Missing data: Ensure "First Name" OR "Last Name" is present for each row. Both empty = error.

Phone format: Phone numbers can be any format. We normalize them automatically.

Tags: Separate multiple tags with commas: lawyer, nyc, trusted

Import from Other Sources#

Google Contacts#

1. Go to contacts.google.com
2. Click Export → Google CSV
3. Download the file
4. Import into Nanabase

Outlook/Microsoft 365#

1. Open Outlook
2. Go to File → Open & Export → Import/Export
3. Choose Export to a file → CSV
4. Import into Nanabase

LinkedIn#

1. Go to LinkedIn Settings → Data Privacy
2. Click Get a copy of your data
3. Select Connections
4. Download and import the CSV

Apple Contacts#

1. Open Contacts app
2. Select contacts to export
3. File → Export → Export vCard
4. Convert vCard to CSV using an online tool
5. Import into Nanabase

CSV Export#

What You Can Export#

Company Directory: All shared contacts visible to you

My Contacts: All your private contacts

How to Export#

1. Go to Settings → Export
2. Choose what to export:
   • All company contacts
   • Filtered selection
   • My private contacts
3. Click Export CSV
4. Download the file

Export Fields#

Exports include:

First Name,Last Name,Email,Phone,Company,Job Title,Department,Notes,Tags,Added By,Added At

Filtered Exports#

Export a subset:

1. Apply filters in the Directory (tags, date, etc.)
2. Click Export Filtered Results
3. Only visible contacts are exported

Data Portability#

Your Right to Export#

You can always export:

• Your private contacts (you own these)
• Company data (if you're Admin/Owner)

We believe in data portability—no lock-in.

What's Included#

Exports include all contact data:

• Names, emails, phones
• Company and job info
• Notes and tags
• Metadata (who added, when)

What's Not Included#

• Encrypted data in raw form (exported decrypted)
• System IDs
• Audit logs (separate export)

Best Practices#

Before Importing#

1. Clean your data — Remove obvious duplicates, fix formatting
2. Check encoding — Use UTF-8 for best results
3. Test small — Try 10 contacts before importing thousands
4. Back up existing — Export current contacts first

Import Strategy#

Starting fresh? Import all contacts as shared (company directory).

Migrating from another system? Import as private first, then selectively share.

Adding to existing data? Use duplicate detection to avoid duplicates.

Regular Exports#

• Export monthly as backup
• Export before major changes
• Keep exports in a secure location

Permissions#

| Action | Owner | Admin | Member | Viewer | |--------|:-----:|:-----:|:------:|:------:| | Import contacts | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | | Export company | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | | Export private | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |

Frequently Asked Questions#

How long does import take? Small files (<500 rows): Instant. Large files: A few minutes. You'll get a notification when complete.

Can I undo an import? Not automatically. You'd need to manually delete imported contacts or restore from a previous export.

What if my import fails? Download the error report to see which rows failed and why. Fix and re-import just those rows.

Is there an API for bulk imports? Yes, for enterprise plans. Contact us for API documentation.

Can I schedule regular imports? Not currently. We may add this for enterprise plans.

What happens to existing contacts during import? Depends on your duplicate handling choice: skip, update, or create new.

Related#