Format a CSV for Salesforce Contact Import

Salesforce's Data Import Wizard maps by column name. If your CSV has "First Name" (with a space) instead of "FirstName" (no space), Salesforce will not map it automatically — you will need to manually match each column at import time, every time. Fix the column names before you upload and the import becomes a one-click process.

The CSV Column Mapper lets you rename your existing CSV columns to exact Salesforce field names without opening a spreadsheet or writing code. Upload, rename, download — then import through the Data Import Wizard or Data Loader.

Salesforce Contact Field Name Reference

Salesforce uses API field names for CSV import matching. These are the standard Contact object fields most commonly used in imports:

Salesforce Field Name	Label in Salesforce UI
FirstName	First Name
LastName	Last Name
Email	Email
Phone	Business Phone
MobilePhone	Mobile
Title	Title
Department	Department
AccountName	Account Name
MailingStreet	Mailing Street
MailingCity	Mailing City
MailingState	Mailing State/Province
MailingPostalCode	Mailing Zip/Postal Code
MailingCountry	Mailing Country
LeadSource	Lead Source
Description	Contact Description

Field names are case-sensitive in Data Loader. The Data Import Wizard is more forgiving but still maps more reliably when names match exactly.

Common Mismatches From Other Systems

If you are migrating contacts from another CRM, marketing tool, or spreadsheet, the column names will not match Salesforce's API names. Common mappings you will need to make:

• "First Name" (with space) → FirstName
• "Last Name" → LastName
• "Job Title" or "Position" → Title
• "Company" or "Organization" → AccountName
• "Mobile" or "Cell Phone" → MobilePhone
• "Address" or "Street Address" → MailingStreet
• "City" → MailingCity
• "State" or "Province" → MailingState
• "Zip" or "Postal Code" → MailingPostalCode
• "Country" → MailingCountry
• "Source" or "Campaign Source" → LeadSource

Use the CSV Column Mapper to rename each column to its Salesforce equivalent in one pass. No spreadsheet formulas, no manual header editing.

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Data Import Wizard vs Data Loader

Salesforce has two built-in import tools:

• Data Import Wizard (browser-based, no install): Good for up to 50,000 records. Accessible from Setup > Data Import Wizard. Better for non-technical users.
• Data Loader (desktop app): Handles millions of records. Required for custom objects and bulk operations. More control, steeper learning curve.

For contact imports under 50,000 records, the Data Import Wizard is the faster path. It lets you manually match columns that do not auto-map — but if your column names already match the Salesforce field names, the wizard maps everything automatically and you skip the manual step entirely.

Splitting Full Names Before Import

Salesforce stores FirstName and LastName as separate fields. If your source data has a single "Full Name" or "Contact Name" column, you need to split it before import.

Use the split feature in the CSV Column Mapper: select the Full Name column, split on a space delimiter, name the outputs "FirstName" and "Last Name" — then rename the last name output to "LastName" (no space). The result maps directly to Salesforce's required field names.

See the full guide: How to Split a Full Name Column Into First and Last Name.

Required Fields and Duplicate Handling

Salesforce requires at minimum LastName for Contact records. Email is not technically required but is strongly recommended — it is the default field Salesforce uses for duplicate detection.

Before importing, consider whether duplicates might already exist in Salesforce. The Data Import Wizard has a "Match by" option that checks Email or Name against existing records. If a match is found, Salesforce will update the existing record rather than creating a duplicate.

If you are importing a list that may have duplicates within itself (same contact appearing more than once in the CSV), deduplicate the CSV first with the CSV Deduplicator — matching on the Email column — before running the Salesforce import.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Salesforce CSV import need a specific file encoding?

Salesforce imports require UTF-8 encoding. If your CSV contains special characters (accented letters, non-Latin names) and was exported from Excel, it may be in Windows-1252 encoding. Re-save as UTF-8 before importing to avoid character corruption.

Can I import to Leads instead of Contacts using the same column names?

Lead field names differ slightly. For Leads, use "Company" instead of "AccountName," and "Status" instead of nothing (Leads have a required Status field). Most name and contact fields like FirstName, LastName, Email, and Phone are the same.