When you import a spreadsheet of contacts into Raise More, it is normal for most rows to import successfully while a few are flagged as errors and left out. This article explains what a failed row is, the common reasons rows fail, how to find the specific rows and reasons, and how to fix and re-import them.
What "failed rows" means
An import reads your file one row at a time. Each row is one contact. Before a row becomes a contact in your database, it has to pass the column mapping and validation checks in the import tool. If a row passes, it imports. If a row does not pass, it is skipped and recorded as an error.
The important thing to know is that a failed row does not stop the rest of the import. Valid rows still import normally even when some rows fail. You do not have to re-upload the whole file because a handful of rows had problems. You only need to deal with the rows that failed.
Common reasons rows fail
Most failures come from the data in a single cell not matching what the field expects. The usual causes are:
Invalid or garbled phone numbers. A phone field with letters, too few digits, extra symbols, or a number that cannot be read as a real phone number.
Invalid email addresses. A missing @, a typo, extra spaces, or text that is not a valid email format.
Missing required fields. A row that is blank in a field the import requires (for example, a name).
Bad formatting in a cell. Dates, amounts, or other values that are not in a format the field accepts.
Encoding issues. Files saved with unusual character encoding can turn names and addresses into unreadable characters, which then fail validation.
Values that fail a validation rule. Anything the import tool's rules reject for that column.
A single row can fail for more than one reason at once, for example a missing name and a bad phone number on the same line.
How to find and fix the failed rows
Raise More keeps a record of every import on the Import page. Each past import shows:
A Status of Success, In Progress, or Failed.
A Rows with Errors column. If an import had errors, this shows the number of errors and a downloadable Excel (.xlsx) file.
A Contacts count showing how many contacts the import actually created.
A link to download the Original File you uploaded.
To see which rows failed, find your import in the list and click the errors file in the Rows with Errors column. This downloads an Excel (.xlsx) file containing only the rows that did not import, along with the reason each one was rejected. Open it and review each row. The file is the record of what went wrong, so use it rather than guessing which rows in your original file were the problem.
Work through the failed rows and correct the data:
Fix phone numbers so they contain only a valid number.
Correct email addresses so they are properly formatted.
Fill in any required fields that were blank.
Reformat dates, amounts, and other values into a clean, consistent format.
If names or addresses look garbled, re-export or re-save your source file as a standard CSV with UTF-8 encoding, then copy the corrected values in.
Note that the original-file download, and the error detail for older imports, are only available for recent imports. The import tool discards this detail after about seven days, so download what you need soon after an import rather than waiting.
Re-importing the fixes
You do not re-import the whole original file. The valid rows already imported, and re-importing all of them would create duplicate work and risk duplicate contacts.
Instead, build a new file that contains only the corrected rows that previously failed. The errors file you downloaded is a good starting point, since it already holds just those rows. Fix the values in it, save it as a clean CSV, and run a new import with that file. Map the columns the same way you did the first time.
After the new import finishes, check its Status and Rows with Errors on the Import page again. If everything was fixed, it should show Success with no errors. If a few rows still failed, repeat the same loop: download the errors file, fix those rows, and re-import just those.
FAQ
Did the contacts that passed still import?
Yes. Failed rows are skipped individually. Every valid row in the same file imports normally.
Where do I see what was wrong with each row?
Download the errors (.xlsx) file from the Rows with Errors column on the Import page. It lists only the rows that failed.
The download link is gone. What happened?
The original file, and the error detail for older imports, are only kept for about seven days after the import. After that the import tool discards it and the link no longer works. Download these files soon after importing if you think you will need them.
Will fixing and re-importing create duplicates?
Re-importing only the previously failed rows should not create duplicates of contacts that already imported, because those rows were never added the first time. Avoid re-importing the entire original file, which would re-process rows that already succeeded.
Some rows show as errors but the data looks fine to me.
Check for hidden problems: trailing spaces, invisible characters, a phone number stored as text with stray symbols, or an email with a subtle typo. The errors file lists the rejected rows with the reason for each one, which usually points to the cause.
My whole import shows Failed, not just some rows.
That is different from individual row errors. If the entire import is marked Failed, reach out to support with the import details so we can look into it.