Exporting Contacts (CSV)

April 23, 2026

Exporting Contacts (CSV) #

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 #

  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 contacts): Instant – Medium lists (1,000–10,000): 10–30 seconds – Large lists (> 10,000): 1–2 minutes

Export Options #

Export All Contacts

Exports all contacts in your CRM, including all standard fields and optionally custom fields, with no filtering applied.

When to use: Complete database backup, full migration to another system, comprehensive data analysis.

  1. Select the 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
Selected Lists: Newsletter, VIP Customers
Result: All contacts in Newsletter OR 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
Selected Tags: Hot Lead, Enterprise
Result: All contacts tagged Hot Lead OR 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” and “To” dates
  4. Only contacts created in this range will be exported
From: 2026-01-01
To: 2026-01-31
Result: All contacts created in January 2026

Combine Filters — multiple filters can be combined:

Lists: Newsletter
Tags: VIP
Date: 2026-01-01 to 2026-01-31
Result: Contacts in Newsletter AND tagged VIP AND created in January

Include Custom Fields

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 are 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 Name, Last Name, Phone, City, State, Country, Postal Code, Lists, Tags

With custom fields:

ID, Email, First Name, Last Name, 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
123,[email protected],John,Doe,+1-555-0123,New York,NY,United States,10001,"Newsletter, Customers","VIP, Enterprise",Acme Inc,CEO
124,[email protected],Jane,Smith,+1-555-0124,Los Angeles,CA,United States,90001,Newsletter,"Hot Lead, Tech",Tech Corp,CTO
125,[email protected],Bob,Johnson,+1-555-0125,Chicago,IL,United States,60601,"Newsletter, Leads",Startup,Startup LLC,Founder

Field Formatting

  • Lists and Tags: Comma-separated within quotes — e.g. "Newsletter, Customers, VIP"
  • Dates: YYYY-MM-DD — e.g. 2026-02-03
  • DateTime: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS — e.g. 2026-02-03 14:30:00
  • Multi-Select Custom Fields: Comma-separated within quotes — e.g. "Option 1, Option 2, Option 3"
  • Empty Values: Shown as blank cells (not “null” or “N/A”)

File Encoding

UTF-8 with BOM ensures proper display in Excel, supports international characters, and is compatible with most spreadsheet applications. Special characters are fully supported: accented letters (José, François), non-Latin scripts (田中, محمد), and 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: Double-click the CSV file to open it directly — you 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 and select the CSV file
  3. In the import dialog, set: Character set: UTF-8, Separator: Comma, Text delimiter: "
  4. Click OK

Editing and Re-Importing

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

Advanced Export Scenarios #

Exporting for Backup

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

Backup Checklist:

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

Exporting for Migration

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

Field Mapping Example:

PloverCRM → Target CRM
Email → Email Address
First Name → Given Name
Last Name → Family Name
Company (custom) → Company Name

Exporting for Analysis

  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

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

Popular Integrations: Mailchimp, Constant Contact, SendGrid, Campaign Monitor

Troubleshooting #

Export Button Not Working

Problem: Clicking “Export CSV” does nothing.

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

Export Times Out

Problem: Export fails with a timeout error for large datasets.

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

File Won’t Open in Excel

Problem: Excel shows garbled characters or import errors.

  1. Use Data → From Text/CSV instead of double-clicking
  2. Ensure UTF-8 encoding is selected
  3. Check that the 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.

  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 the file has no data rows.

  1. Check if filters are too restrictive
  2. Verify contacts exist matching the criteria
  3. Try the “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.

  1. Ensure the file is UTF-8 encoded
  2. Use the proper import method in Excel (Data → From Text/CSV)
  3. Check if your 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, plugin updates, or data migrations
  3. Retention Policy: Keep the last 4 weekly backups, 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 the server indefinitely; clear your downloads folder regularly

File Management

  1. Naming Convention:
contacts-export-YYYY-MM-DD.csv
contacts-newsletter-2026-02-03.csv
contacts-backup-weekly-2026-W05.csv
  1. Documentation: Note the export date and filters used, document the purpose of the export, track what was done with the data
  2. Version Control: Keep the original export, save edited versions separately, document changes made

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 a different browser
  5. Contact support with error details

Last updated: February 3, 2026

Updated on April 23, 2026

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