Easy Tech TutsHow to Import an Email Subscriber List to Brevo Easily 2026
By Impran M NLast checked against official docs
Most failed Brevo imports fail before the upload starts. The file is an old .xls, it has two sheets, the encoding scrambles accented names, or a notes column full of line breaks shifts half the data into the wrong rows.
Brevo's importer is forgiving about many things, just not those. This guide covers preparing the file so it goes through first time, the mapping and list steps, and the final settings screen.
Read that screen slowly. A couple of its toggles overwrite existing data or blocklist the people you just imported, and Brevo warns that some of those changes can't be undone.
01Prepare the file
Put one contact per row and one field per column, with a single header row at the top. Brevo needs at least one identifier per contact: an email address, or a phone number (SMS, WhatsApp or landline) or an external ID.
For an email list, that means an email column with nothing else in the cell. Then save it to match Brevo's file rules: - Format: .csv, .xlsx or .txt.
The older Excel .xls format is not accepted, and neither is .vcf. - One sheet only. Brevo reads the first sheet and ignores the rest. - Encoding: UTF-8 or Windows-1252. - Separator: comma, semicolon or tab. - Size: up to 250MB.
There's no cap on the number of contacts, so split anything bigger into several files. Remove line breaks and wrapped text inside cells.
In a CSV each line break starts a new row, which pushes values onto the wrong contact. If you're adding brand-new contacts, leave out any CONTACT_ID column, since Brevo generates that value itself.
02Open the importer
Go to CRM → Contacts and click Import contacts. Brevo's current help pages then show a card choice (keep Contacts selected and click Continue) followed by two options: Upload a file and Copy/Paste.
The recording shows a slightly older version of this screen, titled "Import contacts for bulk creation or updating", with three tiles: Import from a file, Copy-paste, and Import from another tool. The file and paste routes are the same thing under different names. Copy/Paste suits a short list: one contact per line, values separated by commas or tabs.
03Upload and check the preview
Choose Upload a file, then pick your file or drag it into the outlined area. Brevo shows a preview of the contacts and their data.
Look at the columns: if everything has landed in one column, the separator wasn't recognised. There's an optional AI suggestion for mapping, which Brevo says can take extra processing time. Click Confirm your file when the preview looks right.
04Map each column to an attribute
For every column, open the Contact attribute dropdown and pick where the data goes: EMAIL, FIRSTNAME, LASTNAME and so on. If the field doesn't exist yet, choose Add a new attribute, name it and click Create.
For a column you don't want in Brevo, select Do not import. Phone numbers need a country code chosen here, and Brevo applies it to every number in the file that doesn't already start with + and a code.
If your list mixes countries, add the full international format to each number before uploading. Click Confirm mapping when you're done.
05Pick a list and go through the final settings
On Select a list, tick one or more existing lists, or switch to Create a list, name it and choose a folder. Click Confirm your list.
The finalize screen has the toggles that matter most: - Update the attributes of the existing contacts: on, and your file overwrites data for people already in Brevo. Off, and they stay as they are. - Import empty fields to erase existing attribute data: on, and a blank cell wipes whatever was stored.
Leave it off unless that's the intent. - Blocklist the imported Email / SMS / WhatsApp contacts: for importing people you want to exclude from campaigns, such as a list of spam complainers. Switch these on by mistake and your new subscribers won't receive anything.
Last comes the opt-in agreement. Brevo expects you to send only to people who explicitly agreed to hear from you, and you must tick "I confirm that my new import adheres to these conditions" to continue.
06Confirm and read the import report
Click Confirm your import. Brevo sends you back to the Contacts page while it processes, and large files take longer.
When it finishes, a banner appears and you get an email. Click See import report (or use the bell icon) to see new, updated and unchanged counts, which lists the contacts joined, and any errors. The error table can be downloaded, so you can fix the rows and import just those again.
When it doesn't work
Brevo won't accept the file
Why: It's saved as .xls, .vcf or another unsupported type, or it has no recognisable separator.
Fix: Re-save as .csv, .xlsx or .txt with comma, semicolon or tab separators.
"The imported file's encoding is not supported"
Why: The file was saved in an encoding other than UTF-8 or Windows-1252.
Fix: In your spreadsheet app, export again as CSV UTF-8.
Fewer contacts imported than there are rows
Why: Brevo skips duplicates within the file and doesn't recreate contacts it already has. It also reads only the first sheet, and rejects email addresses in the wrong format.
Fix: Check the import report's new/updated/unchanged counts and the error table. Merge extra sheets into the first one before importing.
Imported contacts show an Email (Declined) tag
Why: Brevo checked a sample of the new contacts and suspects not all of them are legitimate opt-ins.
Fix: Import only contacts who consented to hear from you. Brevo's help centre covers cleaning the database after a suspension.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import an Excel .xls file into Brevo?
No. Brevo accepts .csv, .xlsx and .txt. Open the .xls in Excel or Google Sheets and save it as .xlsx or CSV first.
Is there a limit on how many contacts I can import at once?
Not on the number of contacts. The limit is file size: 250MB per file. Split larger lists into several files and import them one after another.
Will importing the same person twice create a duplicate?
No. Brevo removes duplicates within a file and recognises contacts already in your account. Whether it updates their details depends on the "Update the attributes of the existing contacts" toggle.
Can I use an import to update contacts I already have?
Yes. Turn on "Update the attributes of the existing contacts" at the finalize step. Keep "Import empty fields to erase existing attribute data" off unless you mean to clear fields.
Do I need consent to import a list?
Yes. Brevo requires you to tick an opt-in agreement confirming your contacts explicitly agreed to receive your messages, and bought or scraped lists breach its Terms of Use.
Sources and last check
The spreadsheet and import screen come from the original screen recording. File formats, the 250MB limit, encoding and separator rules, the mapping, list and finalize steps, and the import report were re-checked against Brevo's official Help Center articles in September 2026. Brevo's current docs name the options Upload a file and Copy/Paste and add a Contacts card step that the recorded screen doesn't show; both versions are described above.
About the author
Impran M N
I've been hooked on technology for as long as I can remember — especially the new tools and AI apps that seem to land every other week. Easy Tech Tuts is where I write up whatever I've just worked out: I do the task in the real product, record the screen, and turn it into the guide I wish I'd found first.
