Can I validate an ActiveCampaign contact CSV before importing it?+
Yes. This local preflight checks file shape, email and phone identity, duplicates, field formats, import outcome, and required reviews before a small test. It cannot query your account or guarantee acceptance.
Does the validator upload or save contact data?+
No. Parsing, mapping, findings, masked evidence, acknowledgments, normalization, and downloads remain in the current browser tab. Contact values are not sent to ActiveCampaign or csvtodashboard.
Does ActiveCampaign accept Excel contact files?+
The manual importer accepts CSV only. Active Intelligence accepts CSV, XLS, and XLSX. The validator can inspect a selected Excel sheet locally and always offers a reviewed CSV handoff.
What identifier does each contact need?+
Every contact needs a unique email address or phone number. Phone-only identifiers require the permanent phone-only contacts feature, and consistent E.164 formatting is the safest exact-match contract.
How do I format ActiveCampaign dates and multiple values?+
Date fields use YYYY-MM-DD. Checkbox and list-box values use double pipes between options, while multiple tags use commas.
What happens to duplicate email addresses or phone numbers?+
ActiveCampaign imports the first instance and skips later contacts that share the identifier. This preflight blocks duplicates so file order does not silently choose the surviving source row.
Can a contact import trigger automations?+
Yes. Lists, tags, and field changes can qualify contacts for active automations. Review Trigger Automations, webhooks, and every Advanced Setting before import.
Does a clean preflight prove consent or account readiness?+
No. Consent, permissions, lists, fields, field options, exclusions, existing contacts, automation state, webhooks, recommendations, and final acceptance must be reviewed in ActiveCampaign.