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Brevo won't import your contacts file?

Fix the errors Brevo shows when importing a contacts CSV, then import clean every week.

Errors Brevo shows

An email address has the wrong format

If you import an email address in the wrong format, the error message Email doesn't have the right format will appear in your import report, and the contacts won't be imported.
Brevo help centre

An attribute contains non-printable characters

The error message "[Attribute] contains non-printable characters" or an impossibility to process the request may indicate corrupt data in your file, such as hex values, scripts, or excessive spacing between columns that are not directly visible in your spreadsheet.
Brevo help centre

The imported file's encoding is not supported

If you choose the Upload a file method and the error message The imported file's encoding is not supported. We mainly support UTF-8 as a file encoding format appears, make sure that the file you are uploading is saved with UTF-8 or Windows-1252 encoding.
Brevo help centre

The contact ID doesn't exist

If you import a contact ID that doesn't exist, the error message Contact ID doesn't exist will appear in your import report, and the contacts won't be imported.
Brevo help centre

What Brevo’s importer checks

  • Each contact has one email address, with no special characters, and it is unique to that contact.

    Brevo help centre

  • A date must be written in the format chosen in your account settings, DD-MM-YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY.

    DocTransform fixes this: type

    Write BIRTHDATE as DD-MM-YYYY

    Or by hand

    open the BIRTHDATE column’s ⋯ menu → Format dates… → output DD-MM-YYYY (31-12-2024) → Save Rule

    Brevo help centre

  • A phone number must include the + sign and the country code, with no special characters between the digits.

    DocTransform fixes this: open Health → Phone formats → Convert 3 (the button shows how many numbers it writes); each readable number is written as +[country code][number], a number that names no country is read in your language’s region, and one it cannot read stays as written

    Brevo help centre

  • A file must be saved with UTF-8 or Windows-1252 encoding.

    DocTransform fixes this: in Export, pick the CSV format and click Download; the file is written in UTF-8

    Brevo help centre

  • A file holds one sheet and is no larger than 250 MB.

    Brevo help centre

Before and after

6,300 contacts

brevo_contacts.csv
EMAILBIRTHDATEFIRSTNAMESMS
marta.vega@lumen.example1988-03-311Marta+34611223344
henrik.dahl@fjord.example1992-07-152Henrik+4745123456
sofia.rinaldi@brio.example1985-11-22Sofia+393312345678
paulo.costa@porto.example1990-05-09Paulo+351931234567
rose&@example31979-02-28Rose+13374569342
clara.dupont@lyon.example1995-09-14Clara+33687654321
nora.weiss@kern.example1983-01-30Nora+4915123456789

    Before

    Fix it in DocTransform

    By hand: 6 stepsDocTransform: 1 sentence

    1. 1. Upload brevo_contacts.csv into DocTransform.
    2. 2. Type

      Write BIRTHDATE as DD-MM-YYYY

      and press Send. Check the steps it adds; Undo takes them all back.
      Or by hand

      Apply the fixes: open the BIRTHDATE column’s ⋯ menu → Format dates… → output DD-MM-YYYY → Save Rule. For a phone number with no country code, open Health → Phone formats → Convert 3. Correct an email address with a special character, and split a file over 250 MB, yourself: DocTransform saves no step for them.

    3. 3. Download the cleaned file as CSV with Download, ready for Brevo’s importer.
    “Write BIRTHDATE as DD-MM-YYYY” typed into DocTransform; one step applied, seven BIRTHDATE dates rewritten; Undo shown
    1. Type the change in one sentence, in your own words.
    2. Wait about 5 seconds while the steps are written. Stop cancels.
    3. Check each step and how many cells or rows it changes.
    4. The file is clean. Not what you meant? One Undo takes it all back.

    Save this fix once, then rerun it on next week’s export with one click.

    Fix it by hand in Excel or Sheets

    1. Select the BIRTHDATE column, press Ctrl+1, choose Custom, type dd-mm-yyyy and click OK, so Excel shows the dates the way your Brevo account reads them.
    2. If Excel left a date as text, such as 1988-03-31, retype it as 31-03-1988.
    3. Check each EMAIL cell for a special character or a missing domain suffix, as in row 5 here (rose&@example), and retype it as a valid address.
    4. Check each phone number starts with + and its country code; to add one, right-click the column D header, choose Format Cells → Text and click OK so Excel keeps the +, then retype the number, e.g. 600 123 456 as +34600123456 for Spain.
    5. Make sure the workbook holds only one sheet, and if the file is larger than 250 MB, split it by hand into smaller files and import them one at a time.
    6. Choose File → Save As, pick CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv) and click Save.

    Questions

    Will DocTransform correct an email address that Brevo rejects?
    No — DocTransform saves no step for an invalid address, so it stays as written. Find those cells and correct them by hand before you import.
    Will DocTransform guess a country code that is missing from a phone number?
    Only from your language’s region: a number that names no country is read in that region, and a number DocTransform cannot read stays as written. Check those cells before you import.
    Can I reuse this fix next time I export my contacts?
    Yes — save it once in DocTransform and rerun it on next week’s export.

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    Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, Pipedrive, WooCommerce, Klaviyo, Google Contacts, ActiveCampaign, Brevo, Zendesk, Square, Zoho CRM, and Xero are trademarks of their owners. DocTransform is not affiliated with them.