Importing an Address Book from a CSV File

This guide explains how to import an address book from a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file into ShipBoss. This allows you to quickly add multiple contacts at once, rather than entering them individually.

1. Accessing the Address Book

First, navigate to the "Address Book" page within the ShipBoss. You will see a list of existing addresses (if any).

![Address Book Page Screenshot]()

2. Starting the Import

Click the IMPORT button, located in the row of buttons at the top of the address book.

![Import Button Screenshot]()

3. Specifying Recipient Type

A pop-up will ask you to specify who the addresses are for.

![Choose Recipient Type]()

Select one of the following options from the dropdown menu:

User: Imports addresses for individual user accounts.
Company: Imports addresses for company-level contacts.
My CSV contains the information: Use this option if your CSV file already includes a column specifying whether each contact is a "User" or "Company" contact.

4. Selecting Your CSV File

The "Import Address Book" dialog will appear. You have two methods for providing your CSV file:

Drag and Drop: Drag your CSV file from your file explorer (Finder on macOS, File Explorer on Windows) and drop it directly onto the designated area within the dialog. The area is marked with the text "Drag and drop CSV file here, or click to select in folder."

Click to Select: Click within the designated area. This will open your system's file browser. Navigate to the location of your CSV file, select it, and click "Open" (or the equivalent button in your operating system).

![Import Address Book Dialog Screenshot]()

5. Previewing and Mapping Columns (Automatic Mapping!)

Once your CSV file is selected, the system will automatically attempt to map the columns in your CSV file to the corresponding fields in the system's address book. This means it tries to match headers like "Name" in your CSV to the "Name" field in the system, "Email" to "Email", and so on.

You will see:
The file name.
A preview of data.

![CSV Preview Screenshot]()

Important Note: The system is designed to automatically recognize common column headers.* In many cases, you won't need to manually adjust anything. The next step is primarily for troubleshooting or handling unusual CSV formats.

6. Reviewing and Adjusting Column Mappings (If Needed)

Click on "Choose columns"

![Choose columns]()

You'll see a screen where each column in your CSV is represented by a box. Above these boxes are the system's field names (e.g., "name*", "contact_name", "phone*", "email").

Scroll left to right, if necessary.

![Scroll left/right]()

The system will automatically attempt to match column data.

![Automatic Matching]()

If a mapping is incorrect:

If, for example, your CSV file used "Customer Name" instead of "contact_name," the automatic mapping might be incorrect.

Solution: Click, hold, and drag the box representing the correct column from your CSV (e.g., the box containing "Customer Name") and drop it onto the target system field (e.g., "contact_name"). This will override the automatic mapping.

![Drag and Drop Mapping Screenshot]()
Reload button

If you'd like to return the columns to their original position before dragging and dropping, click the reload button.

![Reload]()

Required Fields: Pay close attention to the fields marked with an asterisk ( *). These are required* fields. Your CSV must contain data for these fields, and they must be correctly mapped. If a required field is not mapped, the import will fail for that row. Common required fields include:

name*

address_1*

zip*

country*

NOTE: If a box does not have any data in it, it will be highlighted in red.

![Required fields]()

7. Starting the Import

Once you are satisfied that all columns are correctly mapped (especially the required fields), click the blue Import button at the bottom-right of the dialog.

8. Import Progress and Completion

The system will process your CSV file. A progress bar will show the status of the import.

![Progress Bar]()

When the import is complete, you'll see a "Success" message.

![Success message]()

9. Handling Import Errors and Invalid Addresses

Even with careful mapping, some addresses in your CSV might have errors that prevent them from being imported. This is where the "Hidden Addresses" feature comes in.

A message will appear on the bottom right.

![Success with errors]()

9.1 Accessing Hidden Addresses

Click the Hidden Addresses tab, located to the right of the main "Address Book" tab.

![Hidden addresses tab]()

9.2 Fixing Invalid Addresses

The "Hidden Addresses" tab will list any addresses that failed to import. Each entry will show:

The data from your CSV file.

A brief description of the error (e.g., "Zip code is invalid US").

![Error example]()

For each invalid address:

Click the Fix Address button.

A "Create Address" form will open, pre-populated with the data from your CSV. The field(s) containing errors will be highlighted in red.

Correct the information in the highlighted fields.

Click Save.

![Fix address form]()

Address Suggestions: The system may provide a Suggested Address* based on its internal validation checks.

The suggested address will appear in green.

![Save button]()

If the suggested address is correct, click Save Suggested Address.
If the suggested address is not* correct, modify the fields in the "Your Address" section to be accurate, and then click Save My Address.

NOTE: After clicking Save, a success message will appear.

![success]()

9.3 Returning to the Address Book

After fixing and saving an address, click the "Address Book" tab to return to the main address list.
The corrected address will now be included in the main address book, marked with a green New tag.

![New tag]()

10. Viewing Imported Addresses

Go back to the main Address book page by clicking on it.
Addresses that are new will have a New tag in green.

11. Additional Features

Validate: The "Validate" button, available for existing addresses, performs a check to ensure the address data is complete and correctly formatted. If issues are found, it offers a similar "Suggested Address" correction mechanism as the "Fix Address" feature.

![Validate]()

Delete: The "Delete" button removes an address from the address book.
Edit: Use the "Edit" button to update information for an existing address.
Ship to this address: Click the "Ship to this address" button.
Export: Click "Export" to export all addresses in your address books to a CSV file.
Download Sample: Download a sample CSV file that is structured in the correct format.
Delete All Addresses: Deletes all addresses in the address books.

This guide assumes your CSV file is generally well-formed. If you have significant data quality issues in your CSV (e.g., missing commas, inconsistent column usage), you may need to clean up the CSV file itself before attempting the import. Common spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice Calc can be used to edit and clean CSV files.

Updated on: 11/02/2025