Import contacts from a CSV file

How to import a list of contacts from a CSV file?

1. Preparing the CSV file

To create a CSV file using Google Sheet, open a new file and fill in the contacts informations. The structure of the file must be as follows:

  • user_name: contact’s name
  • phone_number: contact’s phone number
  • phone_number_2: contact’s second phone number, if they have one
  • user_email: contact’s email address
  • notes: adds a personalized note for this contact, visible on the device and on the administration console
  • group_name: the name of the group to which the contact belongs. This group name can be used to link several shared contacts on the administration console, but does not appear on the devices.

Each line must contain six cells, with one line corresponding to one contact. If you don’t want to fill in all the fields, leave the cell empty. Example: if you don’t want to enter a second phone number for a contact, leave cell 1C empty and go to cell 1D to enter the contact’s email address.

Once the file is complete, click on File > Download > Comma-separated values (.csv) .

2. Importing the CSV file into TinyMDM

To import your CSV file into the TinyMDM administration console:

  • Log in to your TinyMDM account
  • Go to the Shared Contacts tab, then click on Import contacts.
  • On the pop-up window that appears, click on Browse files, choose your CSV file and click on Ok to validate the import:
    • If the import is successful, the contacts appear and can be added to managed devices via the policy. Take a look at this tutorial if needed.
    • If the import is unsuccessful, an error message appears to indicate the precise error encountered, as shown below:

In this example, the imported CSV file encounters an error because the two lines in the file have the wrong number of cells. You need to ensure that each line has six cells.