> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://flapjax.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://flapjax.gitbook.io/docs/your-data/people/importing-and-exporting.md).

# Importing & Exporting People

### Importing People

Click **Import / Export** in the top-right corner of the People page and select **Import CSV**. A full-screen wizard walks you through four steps.

#### Step 1: Upload

Drag a `.csv` file onto the upload area, or click **Choose a .CSV file** to browse your computer.

A summary card then shows the file name, its size, the number of columns found and the number of rows found. Problems with the file raise validation errors under that summary.

**Limits:**

* **100,000 rows** per file
* **100 columns** per file

#### Step 2: Map Columns

Each column from your CSV appears beside a dropdown for the Flapjax field it maps to. Flapjax matches columns by fuzzy header detection, so a column named "Email Address" maps itself to the **Email** field.

You can:

* **Change the mapping** by picking a different field from the dropdown
* **Skip a column** by leaving it unmapped, which keeps it out of the import
* **Review auto-matches** and confirm they are right before moving on

Two CSV columns mapped to the same field raise a duplicate-mapping warning.

#### Step 3: Review Values

Preview how your data lands after import. This step shows a sample of mapped values, so you can confirm Flapjax reads them correctly. Fix problems here.

#### Step 4: Preview & Start

A final summary before the import begins. Check the total record count and the field mappings once more, then click **Start import**.

#### Imports run in the background

Starting the import hands it to background processing. The wizard closes and you carry on working.

A progress toast tracks the run and tells you how it settled. The full outcome, including live progress and **row-level errors** with row number, field and message, lives in **Import history**. Open it from **Import / Export → Import history**, or org-wide in [Settings → Import History](/docs/troubleshooting/import-history.md).

Two things to know:

* **Imports create new people and never update existing ones.** A row whose `external_id` exists already, or repeats inside the file, fails on its own and the rest of the file carries on. Fix those rows and re-import them.
* **One people import runs at a time.** Flapjax refuses a second one until the first finishes.

***

### Exporting People

Three routes export contacts as CSV.

1. **Export all.** Click **Import / Export > Export CSV** to download every person matching your current filters and segment selections.
2. **Export selected.** Tick specific people with the row checkboxes, then click **Import / Export > Export selected as CSV**.
3. **Batch export.** Select people and choose **Export** from the batch action bar at the bottom of the screen.

A loading indicator runs as Flapjax prepares the file. The CSV downloads on its own when ready.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Who can export:** exporting needs the **modify** permission for People, not read alone. That is a deliberate access-control choice. Viewing contacts and downloading a copy of them count as different levels of access.
{% endhint %}

**If an export does not finish cleanly:** Flapjax streams the file as it generates it. A failure partway through can end the download early, and the last line of the CSV then holds a short JSON error message rather than a normal row. A CSV ending that way is a failed export. Re-run it rather than trusting the partial file.

***

### CSV Import and Export Is a Backoffice Feature

CSV import and export belong to the Flapjax backoffice, this dashboard, alone. The public Listener REST API carries neither. API integrators create and update people through the `batch-*` create and update endpoints instead.