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Adding, importing and exporting contacts ​

People who message your number are added as contacts automatically. To message people who haven't written to you yet, for example your existing customers, add them yourself or import a list.

Only add people who agreed to hear from you

WhatsApp requires opt-in before you send anyone a template. Don't add or import numbers from bought lists or people who haven't agreed. See WhatsApp's rules.

How do I add one contact? ​

  1. Go to Contacts and click Add contact.
  2. Type the Phone number with the country code and no +, for example 919876543210 for an Indian mobile.
  3. Optionally type a Name.
  4. Optionally add Tags, separated by commas, like vip, newsletter.
  5. Click Add contact.

Then click Chat on their row to open the conversation and send them a template.

It says "Enter the full number with country code"

The number is too short. Add the country code in front: 91 for India. So 98765 43210 becomes 919876543210. Spaces, dashes and brackets are removed for you.

It says "A contact with this number already exists"

That number is already in your contacts. Search for it instead.

How do I import contacts from Excel or Google Sheets? ​

You need to be an admin.

1. Prepare the file

Make a sheet with a column headed phone. You can also add:

  • name: the person's name;
  • tags: one or more tags, separated by semicolons, like vip;diwali;
  • any other columns, like city or order_id. These are saved as contact details.
phonenametagscity
919876543210Priya Ramanvip;sareeChennai
919812345678Arjun KumarnewsletterMadurai

Save it as a CSV file. In Excel, use File → Save As → CSV UTF-8. In Google Sheets, use File → Download → Comma-separated values (.csv).

2. Import it

  1. Go to Contacts and click Import CSV.
  2. Click Choose a CSV file and pick your file.
  3. Click Import.

When it's done, KiliChat says how many were added, how many updated, and how many were skipped for an invalid number. Click Done.

Phone numbers in Excel

Excel sometimes turns long numbers into 9.19876E+11. Before saving, select the phone column and set its format to Text or Number with no decimals. Always include the country code.

What happens if a contact is already in KiliChat? ​

They're updated, not duplicated. KiliChat matches people by phone number:

  • If your file has a name, it replaces the old name. An empty name cell keeps the old one.
  • New details (like city) are added, and existing details with the same column name are replaced.
  • Tags in the file are added. Existing tags aren't removed.

This is also the easiest way to correct names or details for many contacts at once.

How big can the file be? ​

Up to about 10 MB, which is tens of thousands of contacts. For very large lists, split the file and import it in parts. Ask the KiliChat team if you need help: importing your contacts is free on every plan.

Why were some rows skipped? ​

Rows are skipped when the phone number is missing or too short (fewer than 8 digits after removing spaces and symbols). Check those rows have the full number with country code.

It says 'The CSV needs a "phone" column'

The first row of your file must be the column headings, and one of them must be exactly phone. Rename that column and save the file again.

Do imported contacts get a message? ​

No. Importing never sends anything. To message them, send a broadcast or open a chat and send a template.

How do I export my contacts? ​

You need to be an admin.

  1. Go to Contacts.
  2. Optionally search or filter to export only some contacts.
  3. Click Export and choose Contacts (CSV) (or Contacts matching the filter (CSV)).

The file has columns for name, phone, tags, opted_out, added, last_message, source, and one column for each contact detail. It opens in Excel or Google Sheets.

How do I export chat history? ​

You need to be an admin.

  1. Go to Contacts, click Export and choose Chat history (CSV)….
  2. Under Messages from, choose The last 7 days, The last 30 days, The last 90 days, The last year or All time.
  3. Click Download CSV.

The file has one row per message: the time, contact, phone, who sent it (the customer, a team member, the chatbot, a broadcast or a note), the type, the message text, its status and any error.

Exports are recorded

Every export is written to the activity log, so admins can see who downloaded customer data and when. Keep exported files safe: they contain your customers' personal data.

Can contacts be added from my website or another system? ​

Yes, through KiliChat's API or a chatbot flow. See API & webhooks and Automation.