A contact CSV is a mapping and account mutation plan. Validate the file, preserve a backup, test 100 contacts, and expand in traceable 3,000-row batches.
Google's current Contacts import guide accepts an existing CSV or vCard file. If the source is Excel, choose one sheet and export or convert it to comma CSV before upload. The private Google Contacts CSV validator performs that conversion locally.
For an account-to-account move, use Google's documented path: export the source contacts as Google CSV, sign in to the intended target account, then import that CSV. Do not confuse contacts stored in a personal account with a work or school Directory; directory access and selection can be controlled by an administrator.
State the path before mapping. A migration spreadsheet may use ordinary labels such as Work Email or Company, while a Google CSV export already contains numbered label/value fields. Both need the same target-account, quota, backup, and duplicate review.
Google's backup and export instructions say to select the contacts, choose Export, and select Google CSV for a backup. Save that file unchanged before adding a migration batch.
A backup is useful only when you know which account produced it and when. Keep the original export, the reviewed input, and every batch as separate files. Do not overwrite the backup with a normalized import file.
The validator records a local handoff acknowledgment but cannot see whether a backup exists. Verify the filename and target profile avatar in Google Contacts immediately before import.
Google documents name prefix, first/middle/surname, suffix, phonetic names, nickname, File as, repeated emails and phones, structured addresses, organisation fields, birthday, events, relations, websites, custom fields, Notes, and Labels. You may remove unused template columns.
Repeated values use numbered label/value pairs such as Email 1 - Label and Email 1 - Value. Add more pairs for multiple emails, phones, websites, events, relations, or custom fields. A label without its paired value creates ambiguous output and should be fixed before upload.
Unknown source columns should not vanish silently. The validator maps them to Custom field by default and uses the source header as the local custom-field label. Review that choice, or change the role to Ignore and accept the visible omitted-data review.
Google says a new contact is created for every row that has any entered data. It does not require an email address or phone number. A row containing only a note or organisation can therefore create a contact, but verify that an other-field-only result is intentional.
Use complete email addresses. Google allows a leading + for a phone country code and says spaces, dashes, and parentheses are optional. Preserve valid punctuation; a missing country code is a human review, not proof that the number is invalid.
Repeated email and phone values can signal duplicates, shared addresses, household phones, or deliberate aliases. The validator flags them but does not delete, merge, or guess which contact should survive.
Birthday and Event values use DD-MM-YYYY, for example 26-08-1918. When the year is unknown, Google documents DD-MM--. Validate real calendar dates so 30 February does not enter the batch.
The Labels field accepts multiple names separated by three colons: Work friends ::: Family ::: Project11. Keep every label name nonempty and do not substitute a single colon or double colon.
Notes can contain arbitrary text. Other fields have a documented 1,024-character ceiling. Keep quoted CSV intact when notes contain commas, quotes, or line breaks; do not repair a valid quoted cell with global find-and-replace.
Google's Contacts error guidance documents up to 25,000 contacts or 20 MB excluding photos. Each contact can store up to 128 KB, 500 fields, and 1,024 characters per field except Notes.
The local preflight can count mapped fields, characters, and UTF-8 contact text. It cannot calculate remaining account capacity because existing contacts and stored information are not available to the tab.
If the target is near its account ceiling, export and review existing contacts first. Deleting or merging existing contacts is a separate account action and should not be hidden inside file preparation.
Google documents 3,000 contacts as the maximum for one import. A 3,001-row source is not one valid import. Split it into multiple files and preserve source order so every result can be traced back to a bounded batch.
The validator constructs the reviewed Google headers once, then slices normalized rows into deterministic batches of at most 3,000. Select and download one batch at a time; each file repeats the same header row.
Batching does not increase the 25,000-contact account ceiling. It only stays within the per-import boundary and makes result inspection, duplicate review, and rollback decisions more manageable.
Resolve every local blocker, read the remaining account reviews, and download the first-100 test CSV. Use a smaller subset when the source contains especially sensitive or complex records.
In Google Contacts, choose Import, select the test CSV, and wait for the result. Inspect representative names, multiple emails, punctuated international phones, address parts, organisation fields, known and yearless dates, websites, custom fields, Notes, and multiple Labels.
Compare expected and imported counts. If a detail seems missing, Google's import guide recommends checking the contact's Notes section. Do not continue to the next batch until the mapping and result are understood.
Google's separate Merge duplicate contacts workflow appears under Merge and fix. Review each suggestion or choose Merge all only when the proposed combinations are correct.
Contacts stored in different Google Accounts cannot be merged by that workflow. Verify the destination account before import; moving the wrong batch into the wrong account creates a coordination problem the CSV cannot solve.
An exact duplicate source row is safer to remove before import. Repeated email or phone values need judgment because they may represent a duplicate, shared contact point, or legitimate separate people.
If an import fails, isolate the smallest reproducible batch. Check comma CSV format, UTF-8 text, unique source headers, paired repeated fields, real dates, exact label separators, field length, contact byte size, and the 3,000-row limit.
Do not force a source column into the wrong role merely to clear a finding. Preserve the original, change one understood rule, rebuild the first-100 test, and compare the result again.
A successful import is still not proof that every contact is correct. Inspect the final count, labels, duplicates, representative records, and target account before archiving the migration files.
Yes. This local preflight maps source columns into Google's current template, checks contact fields and documented limits, and creates a first-100 test plus maximum-3,000-contact batches. It cannot query your Google Account or guarantee acceptance.
No. Parsing, mapping, validation, masked evidence, batching, and downloads remain in the current browser tab. Contact values are not sent to Google or csvtodashboard.
Google's documented Contacts import accepts CSV or vCard. The validator can read one Excel sheet locally, map it, and download Google-format CSV without uploading the workbook.
Google documents a maximum of 3,000 contacts in one import. The validator preserves source order and creates selectable batches of at most 3,000 rows.
Use DD-MM-YYYY when the year is known or DD-MM-- when it is not. The validator checks that the day and month form a real date.
Use three colons between nonempty label names, such as Work friends ::: Family ::: Project11.
Do not assume it will. Google provides a separate Merge and fix workflow after import. The validator blocks exact duplicate rows and flags repeated email or phone values for review without predicting a merge.
No. The tool can enforce per-row field and byte limits, but the 25,000-contact and 20 MB account ceilings depend on existing account contents and require Google-side review.