Pipedrive accepts XLS, XLSX and CSV files for import not VCF. Convert your VCF to CSV first, then import through account menu then Tools and Apps then Import Data then Import from Spreadsheet. Pipedrive calls contacts “People” and companies “Organisations” structure your CSV accordingly. Name is the only mandatory field for People. Files must be under 50 MB and 50,000 rows. If an import creates bad data, Pipedrive’s Revert import feature removes it cleanly within a time window.
Pipedrive Does Not Accept VCF Files
Pipedrive’s import wizard accepts XLS, XLSX and CSV files. VCF is not on that list. There is no option to upload a vCard file directly into Pipedrive on any plan.
The route from VCF to Pipedrive is always two steps: convert the VCF to CSV first, then import the CSV through Pipedrive’s Import from Spreadsheet tool. This is the same path as every other major CRM.
Pipedrive Contacts Are Called People and Organisations
This is the most important thing to understand before you touch the CSV.
Pipedrive uses different terminology from most CRMs. What other platforms call “Contacts” are split into two separate objects in Pipedrive:
People
Individual contacts a person’s name, email, phone number and job title. This is what most of your VCF contacts will become in Pipedrive. Mandatory field: Name (or First Name and Last Name).
Organisations
Companies and businesses. What other CRMs call “Accounts” or “Companies.” If your VCF contacts have company names in the ORG field, those become Organisations in Pipedrive. Mandatory field: Organisation Name.
Why this matters for your import: if your CSV has a column called “Company” and you map it to the wrong Pipedrive field, the company names either get lost or land in the wrong place. Map company names from the ORG field to the Organisation Name field in Pipedrive. Pipedrive then creates a Person record linked to an Organisation record automatically.
Before You Start
Create custom fields before importing. If your VCF contacts contain data that does not fit into Pipedrive’s standard People fields social media handles, custom tags, secondary phone types create those custom fields first. Go to account menu then Personal Preferences then Data Fields. Custom fields created after the import cannot be populated retroactively.
Deduplicate the VCF before converting. Pipedrive does not have a built-in duplicate merge on import it skips records that match on email or phone but does not merge data from both versions. Clean the source VCF first using Univik vCard Duplicate Remover so you bring one clean record per person into Pipedrive.
Check file size and row count. Pipedrive’s import wizard accepts files up to 50 MB and 50,000 rows per import. Right-click the VCF file and check its size in Properties. A typical text-only VCF file (no photos) stays well under these limits even with tens of thousands of contacts. If you have contact photos embedded, they are stripped during CSV conversion.
Step 1: Convert VCF to CSV
Use Univik VCF Converter to convert the VCF to CSV on Windows. Load the VCF file, select CSV as the output format and export. The converter maps each vCard property to a named CSV column First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Company, Title with header names that Pipedrive’s auto-mapping recognises.
Before converting, open the VCF in Univik VCF Viewer to check what is in the file. This takes 30 seconds and prevents the most common surprise: discovering that half your contacts have no email address or that company names are missing from the ORG field.
For a detailed walkthrough of exactly what happens to each VCF field during conversion see our VCF to CSV conversion guide.
VCF to Pipedrive Field Mapping
| VCF Property | CSV Column Name | Pipedrive Field | Object Type |
|---|---|---|---|
N / FN |
First Name / Last Name | Name (mandatory) | Person |
EMAIL |
Person | ||
TEL (work) |
Phone | Phone | Person |
TEL (mobile) |
Mobile | Phone (mobile label) | Person |
TITLE |
Job Title | Job Title | Person |
ORG |
Organisation Name | Organisation Name (mandatory for Org) | Organisation |
ADR |
Street, City, State, Zip, Country (separate) | Address fields (split required) | Person or Organisation |
NOTE |
Notes | Notes | Person |
URL |
Website | No standard field custom field needed | Person or Organisation |
BDAY |
Date of Birth | Custom field (Date type) | Person |
Phone number label mapping in Pipedrive
Pipedrive supports multiple phone numbers per Person with labels (Work, Home, Mobile, Other). In your CSV, use separate columns for each phone type Work Phone, Mobile Phone, Home Phone and map each to the Phone field in Pipedrive with the appropriate label during the mapping step. If you put all phone numbers in one column, Pipedrive creates multiple phone entries all labelled the same type.
Step 2: Prepare the CSV
Ensure every People row has a Name. Pipedrive requires at least one name field (Name or both First Name and Last Name) for every Person record. Rows missing all name fields are skipped during import.
Split address into separate columns. Pipedrive expects Street, City, State, Postal Code and Country as individual columns. A single Address column with everything in one string will not map correctly.
One tab only. Pipedrive’s importer supports one tab per spreadsheet. If your Excel file has multiple tabs, split it into separate files or export only the relevant tab as a single-sheet CSV.
Save as UTF-8 CSV. In Excel, choose Save As then CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited). Standard CSV from Excel can corrupt names with accented or non-Latin characters during import.
Remove formulas from any cells. Pipedrive reads literal values only. Spreadsheet formulas in cells produce unexpected results or errors. Before exporting to CSV, copy all formula cells and paste as values only.
Step 3: Import Into Pipedrive
Open the import tool. Click your account menu (top right) then Tools and Apps then Import Data then Import from Spreadsheet. Click Get started.
Select data types. Pipedrive asks what types of records your file contains. Select People if you are importing personal contacts. Select People and Organisations if your CSV also has company names in the ORG column. Pipedrive creates linked Person and Organisation records automatically when both are present in the same row.
Upload your CSV file. Click Upload Spreadsheet and select your file. Pipedrive automatically checks for common issues unsupported format, row limit exceeded, missing header row or empty columns and shows an error message with guidance if it finds any.
Map fields. Pipedrive auto-maps column headers that match known field names. Review the mapping carefully. Any unmapped column can be dragged to the correct field manually. Columns you do not want to import can be left unmapped.
Preview and finish. Pipedrive shows a preview of the first few rows with the mapping applied. Check that names, emails and company names are in the right columns. Click Next then Finish to start the import. Pipedrive processes the file and emails you a completion notification with a summary.
How to Revert an Import That Went Wrong
This is a Pipedrive feature that most CRMs do not have and it is worth knowing before you import.
If an import creates bad data wrong field mapping, duplicate records, contacts linked to wrong organisations you can revert the entire import cleanly. Pipedrive removes all records created by that specific import in one operation.
To revert: go to account menu then Tools and Apps then Import Data. Find the import in the history list. Click the three dots next to it and select Revert. Pipedrive asks for confirmation and then removes all records created by that import.
Revert has a time limit
The Revert option is available for a limited time after import typically within 48 hours. After this window closes, individual records need to be deleted manually. Always verify an import looks correct within a day of running it and use the Revert option if anything is wrong rather than trying to fix records individually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Pipedrive import VCF files directly?
No. Pipedrive accepts XLS, XLSX and CSV files only. VCF files must be converted to CSV before import. This applies to all Pipedrive plans Essential, Advanced, Professional, Power and Enterprise. There is no VCF upload option in any version of Pipedrive’s import tool.
What is the difference between People and Organisations in Pipedrive?
People are individual contacts persons with names, email addresses, phone numbers. Organisations are companies or businesses. When you import a VCF contact with a company name in the ORG field, Pipedrive creates both a Person record (the individual) and an Organisation record (the company) and links them. This mirrors how most VCF contacts are structured a person who works at a company.
What are the file size limits for Pipedrive imports?
Pipedrive accepts files up to 50 MB and up to 50,000 rows per import. These limits are generous compared to other CRMs a 50 MB CSV can hold hundreds of thousands of text-only contact records. The limit is only a concern if your VCF exported with embedded photos, which should be stripped during CSV conversion in any case.
What happens if my import creates duplicates in Pipedrive?
Pipedrive matches on email address or phone number to identify potential duplicates before importing. Records that match an existing contact can be configured to skip or update the existing record. If duplicates still appear after import, use the Revert import option within 48 hours to remove the entire import cleanly, fix the CSV and re-import.
Can I import contacts with deals into Pipedrive at the same time?
Yes. If your CSV contains deal information alongside contact data, include columns for Deal Title, Deal Value and Deal Stage. Pipedrive creates the Person, Organisation and Deal records from the same row and links them all together. Deals require a linked Person or Organisation they cannot exist in Pipedrive without at least one of these.
How do I import multiple phone numbers per contact into Pipedrive?
Use separate columns for each phone type Work Phone, Mobile Phone, Home Phone and map each to the Phone field in Pipedrive with the corresponding label during the mapping step. Pipedrive stores multiple phone numbers per Person with labels, so each column becomes a separate labelled phone entry on the contact record.
Conclusion
Importing VCF contacts into Pipedrive is a two-step process: convert to CSV first, then import through the spreadsheet importer. The Pipedrive-specific details that trip most imports up are the People and Organisations distinction (companies need their own object, not just a field on the contact), the phone number labelling and the address column split.
Run a small test import 10 to 20 contacts before the full batch. Check that People are linked to the right Organisations, phone numbers have the right labels and custom field data landed in the right places. If anything looks wrong, use Revert while it is still available. That single step saves hours of manual record correction.
Are your VCF contacts from a personal address book, a previous CRM export or a phone backup? The source changes which fields need the most attention before the CSV goes into Pipedrive.