Google Contacts CSV over 3,000 contacts: split it first

Keep each import at 3,000 contacts or fewer

Google Contacts lists importing more than 3,000 contacts at a time as a common source of import problems. Use a row-count split with a small margin, such as 2,900 contacts per file, then import the files sequentially.

• More than 3,000 contacts: split by row count.
• The import completes but fields are missing: start from Google's CSV template and keep its header names.
• A contact appears more than once: remove duplicate email addresses or IDs before importing.

• Remove duplicate records before importing →Check duplicate IDs or email addresses before you create a second record.
• Check or convert the CSV character encoding →Use this when Japanese, Korean, or accented text is garbled after export.

Use Google's template as the source of truth

Google Contacts supports a Google CSV template with special fields such as Labels and custom fields. Do not replace the header with a simplified list of names and email addresses if you need those fields to map correctly.

• Keep the first header row in every part.
• Keep multi-value label separators exactly as exported by Google.
• Check that the account has room below the 25,000-contact total limit.

Split the Google CSV in LocaCSV

The browser-only workflow keeps names, email addresses, and labels in the local tab while reporting the count of every output file.

1. 1Export or save the Google CSV template and keep a backup copy.
2. 2Open the row-count split workspace and select the file.
3. 3Enter 2,900 data rows per file, or a lower number for a staged migration.
4. 4Download the parts in order and import one part at a time in Google Contacts.

Check contacts after each batch

• The batch has no more than 3,000 contact rows.
• The Google CSV header and label separators are unchanged.
• The total number of rows across all files equals the export count.
• A test batch shows the expected name, email, phone, and label fields.

• Remove duplicate records before importing →Check duplicate IDs or email addresses before you create a second record.
• Check or convert the CSV character encoding →Use this when Japanese, Korean, or accented text is garbled after export.

If Google reports an import problem

When the size is correct but fields are missing, stop splitting and compare the header to Google's template. If text is garbled, convert the encoding and then repeat the verification on a small sample.

• Check or convert the CSV character encoding →Use this when Japanese, Korean, or accented text is garbled after export.
• Find CSV rows with inconsistent column counts →Diagnose malformed rows before uploading them to a platform.

Complete the contact migration in batches

After each batch imports correctly, continue with the next numbered file and keep the completed count in your migration notes.