Import records from a spreadsheet or map file

Admins can create many records at once from an Excel or CSV spreadsheet or a map file. Import is turned on per record type: if a list has no Import Spreadsheet or Import Geofile button at the top, ask us to turn it on for that list.

Before you start

• Only admins can import. Editors see the button, but it tells them Only an administrator can do this.
• Each spreadsheet row, or each shape in a map file, becomes a new record, except rows with nothing in the matched columns and rows your app's import rules leave out. Import adds records; it doesn't update the ones you already have.
• There is no built-in connection to KoboToolbox or ODK. Download your submissions from there as an Excel file and import that file. If you are comparing tools, see KoboToolbox alternatives and ODK alternatives.

The import window has three steps along the top: Upload, Match and Review.

1. Upload a spreadsheet

1. Open the list you want to add records to, for example Sites.
2. Click Import Spreadsheet.
3. Drop your file in the box, or click the box to choose it: an Excel file (.xlsx or .xls) or a .csv. The box lists only .xlsx and .xls, but a .csv works too. A .csv can garble accented letters such as á or ñ: if yours has them, open it in Excel or Google Sheets and save it as .xlsx first.
4. If the file has several sheets, choose one under Sheet.
5. Under Header rows, set the row (or rows) that hold the column names. Headers preview shows the names it found.
6. Click Process Spreadsheet.

1. Upload a map file

1. Open the list you want to add records to.
2. Click Import Geofile.
3. Drop your file in the box, or click the box to choose it: .zip, .shp, .geojson, .json, .kml or .kmz. For a Shapefile, use its .zip, or add the .shp together with its .dbf, .shx and .prj files.
4. Click Upload files. The shapes appear on a map in the window, so you can check them.
5. Click Continue.

2. Match the columns

The app matches the columns it recognises to its own fields. They show under Matched Records, each field with the column it takes its value from.

• Columns it didn't match sit under Unmatched Columns. Drag one onto a field that has no column yet.
• To undo a match, click the column's name next to the field.
• Point at a column or a field to see its first values under Preview:.

Click Done Matching when every field you need has its column.

3. Review and create

The last step says how many records will be created and shows them in a table. Compare the count with your file, and check a few rows.

Under Import mode:

• Append adds the new records to the ones you already have. Use this one in most cases.
• Replace deletes every existing record of this type in your app, including any your filters hide, then adds the file's records. Some apps don't allow it.

Click Create. Then check that the new records appear in the list. If they don't, message us.