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Exporting Contacts (CSV)

8 min read

Export your contacts to CSV format for backup, analysis, migration, or integration with other systems. PloverCRM’s export feature is flexible, allowing you to export all contacts or filter by specific criteria.

Overview #

CSV export is useful for:

  • Creating backups of your contact database
  • Analyzing contact data in spreadsheets
  • Migrating to another CRM system
  • Sharing contact lists with team members
  • Importing into email marketing tools
  • Generating reports and analytics
  • Bulk editing contacts offline

Quick Export #

Basic Export Steps #

  1. Navigate to PloverCRM → Contacts → Import/Export
  2. Click the Export tab
  3. Configure export options (or use defaults)
  4. Click Export CSV
  5. Download the generated file

Export Time:

  • Small lists (< 1,000): Instant
  • Medium lists (1,000-10,000): 10-30 seconds
  • Large lists (> 10,000): 1-2 minutes

Export Options #

Export All Contacts #

Default Behavior:

  • Exports all contacts in your CRM
  • Includes all standard fields
  • Optionally includes custom fields
  • No filtering applied

When to Use:

  • Complete database backup
  • Full migration to another system
  • Comprehensive data analysis

Steps:

  1. Select Export tab
  2. Check “Export all contacts”
  3. Check “Include custom fields” (recommended)
  4. Click Export CSV

Export Filtered Contacts #

Filter by Lists:

Export only contacts in specific lists:

  1. Uncheck “Export all contacts”
  2. Select “Filter by lists”
  3. Choose one or more lists
  4. Contacts in ANY selected list will be exported

Example:

Selected Lists: Newsletter, VIP Customers
Result: <span class="hljs-keyword">All</span> contacts <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> Newsletter <span class="hljs-keyword">OR</span> VIP Customers

Filter by Tags:

Export only contacts with specific tags:

  1. Uncheck “Export all contacts”
  2. Select “Filter by tags”
  3. Choose one or more tags
  4. Contacts with ANY selected tag will be exported

Example:

Selected Tags: Hot Lead, Enterprise
Result: <span class="hljs-keyword">All</span> contacts <span class="hljs-keyword">tagged</span> Hot Lead <span class="hljs-keyword">OR</span> Enterprise

Filter by Date Range:

Export contacts created within a date range:

  1. Uncheck “Export all contacts”
  2. Select “Filter by date”
  3. Set “From” date
  4. Set “To” date
  5. Only contacts created in this range will be exported

Example:

<span class="hljs-symbol">From:</span> <span class="hljs-number">2026</span><span class="hljs-number">-01</span><span class="hljs-number">-01</span>
<span class="hljs-symbol">To:</span> <span class="hljs-number">2026</span><span class="hljs-number">-01</span><span class="hljs-number">-31</span>
<span class="hljs-symbol">Result:</span> All contacts created <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> January <span class="hljs-number">2026</span>

Combine Filters:

You can combine multiple filters:

Lists: Newsletter
<span class="hljs-keyword">Tags:</span> VIP
Date: 2026<span class="hljs-string">-01</span><span class="hljs-string">-01</span> to 2026<span class="hljs-string">-01</span><span class="hljs-string">-31</span>
Result: Contacts in Newsletter list AND tagged VIP AND created in January

Include Custom Fields #

Option: “Include custom fields in export”

When Checked:

  • All custom field values are included
  • Each custom field becomes a column
  • Empty values show as blank cells

When Unchecked:

  • Only standard fields exported
  • Smaller file size
  • Faster export

Recommendation: Always include custom fields for complete backups.

Export File Format #

CSV Structure #

Standard Columns (Always Included):

ID,Email,First <span class="hljs-keyword">Name</span>,Last <span class="hljs-keyword">Name</span>,Phone,City,State,Country,Postal Code,Lists,Tags

With Custom Fields:

ID,Email,First <span class="hljs-keyword">Name</span>,Last <span class="hljs-keyword">Name</span>,Phone,City,State,Country,Postal Code,Lists,Tags,Company,Job Title,Lead Source,Birthday

Sample Export #

ID,Email,First Name,Last Name,Phone,City,State,Country,Postal Code,Lists,Tags,Company,Job Title
<span class="hljs-number">123</span>,[email protected],John,Doe,+<span class="hljs-number">1</span><span class="hljs-number">-555</span><span class="hljs-number">-0123</span>,New York,NY,United States,<span class="hljs-number">10001</span>,<span class="hljs-string">"Newsletter, Customers"</span>,<span class="hljs-string">"VIP, Enterprise"</span>,Acme Inc,CEO
<span class="hljs-number">124</span>,[email protected],Jane,Smith,+<span class="hljs-number">1</span><span class="hljs-number">-555</span><span class="hljs-number">-0124</span>,Los Angeles,CA,United States,<span class="hljs-number">90001</span>,Newsletter,<span class="hljs-string">"Hot Lead, Tech"</span>,Tech Corp,CTO
<span class="hljs-number">125</span>,[email protected],Bob,Johnson,+<span class="hljs-number">1</span><span class="hljs-number">-555</span><span class="hljs-number">-0125</span>,Chicago,IL,United States,<span class="hljs-number">60601</span>,<span class="hljs-string">"Newsletter, Leads"</span>,Startup,Startup LLC,Founder

Field Formatting #

Lists and Tags:

  • Comma-separated within quotes
  • Example: “Newsletter, Customers, VIP”

Dates:

  • Format: YYYY-MM-DD
  • Example: 2026-02-03

DateTime:

  • Format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
  • Example: 2026-02-03 14:30:00

Multi-Select Custom Fields:

  • Comma-separated within quotes
  • Example: “Option 1, Option 2, Option 3”

Empty Values:

  • Shown as empty cells
  • Not “null” or “N/A”

File Encoding #

UTF-8 with BOM:

  • Ensures proper display in Excel
  • Supports international characters
  • Compatible with most spreadsheet applications

Special Characters:

  • Accented letters: José, François
  • Non-Latin scripts: 田中, محمد
  • Symbols: €, £, ¥

Using Exported Data #

Opening in Excel #

  1. Download the CSV file
  2. Open Microsoft Excel
  3. Go to Data → From Text/CSV
  4. Select the downloaded file
  5. Excel auto-detects UTF-8 encoding
  6. Click Load

Alternative (Direct Open):

  • Double-click the CSV file
  • Excel opens it automatically
  • May need to adjust column widths

Opening in Google Sheets #

  1. Go to Google Sheets
  2. Click File → Import
  3. Upload the CSV file
  4. Select “Replace spreadsheet” or “Insert new sheet”
  5. Click Import data

Opening in LibreOffice Calc #

  1. Open LibreOffice Calc
  2. Go to File → Open
  3. Select the CSV file
  4. In import dialog:
    • Character set: UTF-8
    • Separator: Comma
    • Text delimiter: “
  5. Click OK

Editing and Re-Importing #

Workflow:

  1. Export contacts to CSV
  2. Open in spreadsheet application
  3. Make bulk edits
  4. Save as CSV (UTF-8)
  5. Re-import with “Update Existing” option

Common Edits:

  • Update phone numbers
  • Correct email addresses
  • Add custom field data
  • Update company information
  • Assign new lists/tags

Important: Don’t modify the ID column – it’s used to match existing contacts.

Advanced Export Scenarios #

Exporting for Backup #

Best Practice Backup:

  1. Export all contacts
  2. Include custom fields
  3. Save with date in filename: contacts-backup-2026-02-03.csv
  4. Store in secure location
  5. Schedule regular backups (weekly/monthly)

Backup Checklist:

  • ✓ All contacts exported
  • ✓ Custom fields included
  • ✓ File saved securely
  • ✓ Backup tested (can re-import)
  • ✓ Multiple backup copies

Exporting for Migration #

Migrating to Another CRM:

  1. Export all contacts with custom fields
  2. Review target CRM’s import requirements
  3. Map PloverCRM fields to target fields
  4. Adjust CSV column headers if needed
  5. Test import with small sample
  6. Import full dataset

Field Mapping Example:

PloverCRM        →  <span class="hljs-keyword">Target</span> CRM
Email            →  Email Address
First <span class="hljs-keyword">Name</span>       →  Given <span class="hljs-keyword">Name</span>
Last <span class="hljs-keyword">Name</span>        →  Family <span class="hljs-keyword">Name</span>
Company (custom) →  Company <span class="hljs-keyword">Name</span>

Exporting for Analysis #

Data Analysis Workflow:

  1. Export filtered contacts (e.g., by date range)
  2. Open in Excel or Google Sheets
  3. Create pivot tables
  4. Generate charts and graphs
  5. Analyze trends and patterns

Analysis Examples:

  • Contacts by city/state
  • Growth over time
  • List/tag distribution
  • Custom field statistics
  • Lead source effectiveness

Exporting for Email Marketing #

Preparing for Email Tools:

  1. Export contacts from specific list
  2. Ensure email column is present
  3. Include relevant custom fields
  4. Remove contacts without email
  5. Import into email marketing tool

Popular Integrations:

  • Mailchimp
  • Constant Contact
  • SendGrid
  • Campaign Monitor

Troubleshooting #

Export Button Not Working #

Problem: Clicking “Export CSV” does nothing.

Solutions:

  1. Check browser console for JavaScript errors
  2. Disable browser extensions temporarily
  3. Try different browser
  4. Clear browser cache
  5. Check if you have export permissions

Export Times Out #

Problem: Export fails with timeout error for large datasets.

Solutions:

  1. Export in smaller batches using filters
  2. Increase PHP max_execution_time
  3. Contact hosting provider about limits
  4. Use WP-CLI for very large exports
  5. Schedule export during off-peak hours

File Won’t Open in Excel #

Problem: Excel shows garbled characters or import errors.

Solutions:

  1. Use Data → From Text/CSV instead of double-clicking
  2. Ensure UTF-8 encoding is selected
  3. Check if file downloaded completely
  4. Try opening in Google Sheets first
  5. Re-export and download again

Missing Custom Fields #

Problem: Custom fields not appearing in export.

Solutions:

  1. Ensure “Include custom fields” is checked
  2. Verify custom fields exist and have data
  3. Check if custom fields are visible to your role
  4. Try exporting a single contact with custom fields
  5. Review custom field permissions

Empty Export File #

Problem: Export completes but file has no data rows.

Solutions:

  1. Check if filters are too restrictive
  2. Verify contacts exist matching criteria
  3. Try “Export all contacts” option
  4. Check if you have permission to view contacts
  5. Review ownership filters (if applicable)

Special Characters Display Incorrectly #

Problem: Accented characters or symbols show as �� or boxes.

Solutions:

  1. Ensure file is UTF-8 encoded
  2. Use proper import method in Excel (Data → From Text/CSV)
  3. Check if spreadsheet application supports UTF-8
  4. Try opening in Google Sheets (better UTF-8 support)
  5. Re-export and ensure UTF-8 BOM is included

Best Practices #

Regular Backups #

  1. Schedule Weekly Exports:
    • Export all contacts every week
    • Include custom fields
    • Store in multiple locations
  2. Before Major Changes:
    • Export before bulk operations
    • Export before plugin updates
    • Export before data migrations
  3. Retention Policy:
    • Keep last 4 weekly backups
    • Keep monthly backups for 1 year
    • Archive annually

Data Security #

  1. Secure Storage:
    • Don’t store exports in public directories
    • Use encrypted storage
    • Limit access to authorized users
  2. Transmission:
    • Use HTTPS for downloads
    • Encrypt before emailing
    • Use secure file sharing services
  3. Cleanup:
    • Delete old exports after backup
    • Don’t leave exports on server indefinitely
    • Clear downloads folder regularly

File Management #

  1. Naming Convention: contacts-export-YYYY-MM-DD.csv contacts-newsletter<span class="hljs-number">-2026</span><span class="hljs-number">-02</span><span class="hljs-number">-03.</span>csv contacts-backup-weekly<span class="hljs-number">-2026</span>-W05.csv
  2. Documentation:
    • Note export date and filters used
    • Document purpose of export
    • Track what was done with data
  3. Version Control:
    • Keep original export
    • Save edited versions separately
    • Document changes made

Related Documentation #

Need Help? #

If you’re experiencing export issues:

  1. Try exporting a small filtered set first
  2. Check browser console for errors
  3. Verify you have export permissions
  4. Test with different browser
  5. Contact support with error details

Last updated: February 3, 2026

Updated on February 5, 2026

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