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Import phone contacts or a VCF file into Leadnote

Use the Leadnote mobile app to turn phone contacts or a .vcf (vCard) file into leads, choosing the contacts and the list, with duplicates flagged.

Last updated 5 min read

On this page
  1. Two ways in
  2. Import from your phone contacts
  3. Import from a VCF file
  4. What the labels mean
  5. The 500 contact limit
  6. After you tap Import
  7. What the new leads contain
  8. Prefer a spreadsheet?
  9. What the app does not do

You import contacts in the Leadnote mobile app, from either your phone book or a .vcf (vCard) file. You see the contacts, tick the ones you want, pick the list they should go into and import. Each chosen contact becomes a lead. These imports are not available on the web, where you import a CSV file instead.

Two ways in

Option Where Permission
Import contacts Quick actions menu in the app The phone's Contacts permission, asked on the import screen
Import VCF file Quick actions menu in the app None. You pick one file and only that file is read.

Both options need permission to create leads. If your role cannot add leads, they do not appear.

Import from your phone contacts

  1. Tap the add button and choose Import contacts.
  2. Read the explanation: Leadnote reads your contacts only now, on this screen, and only the contacts you pick are added to your account.
  3. Tap Allow contacts and accept the phone's prompt.
  4. The Select contacts screen lists everyone. The header says how many contacts you have and how many are Already in your leads.
  5. Use the search box to find people by name, email, company or phone number.
  6. Tick contacts one by one, or use Select all and Clear.
  7. Choose the List the new leads belong to.
  8. Tap Import N contacts (the button shows the count).

If you decline the permission, the screen says "Contacts access is off" and lets you try again. If you chose "don't ask again" the phone blocks the prompt, so tap the settings button and allow Contacts for Leadnote there.

Import from a VCF file

A .vcf file is a standard address-book export that many phones, email tools and other CRMs can produce.

  1. Tap the add button and choose Import VCF file.
  2. Read "Import contacts from a .vcf file". You will see every contact before anything is added, and numbers already in your leads are skipped.
  3. Tap Choose .vcf file and pick a file from your phone, a download or a message.
  4. The contacts in the file appear under From (file name) with the same search, selection and list controls as above.
  5. Tick the contacts, pick a list and import.

Limits and messages for VCF files:

  • The file can be up to 10 MB. Larger files show "This file is too large".
  • A file with no contact cards shows "No contacts were found in this file."
  • A damaged file shows "This file could not be read."
  • If your phone cannot open a file chooser, you see "This phone cannot open a file chooser".

What the labels mean

Label on a contact Meaning
Already a lead The email or mobile number already belongs to a lead in your account
No valid number or email The contact has no usable phone number and no usable email, so it cannot be selected
Repeated in this list The same person appears twice in what you are importing

Select all only ticks contacts that are ready to import. Contacts marked Already a lead stay unticked, so you can look at them individually.

The 500 contact limit

You can import up to 500 contacts at a time. If you reach it, the app says "You can import up to 500 contacts at a time". Import this batch, then tap Import more to continue with the remaining contacts.

After you tap Import

A progress line shows "Queuing 12 of 40". Then the Contacts queued summary shows:

  • how many leads were queued,
  • how many were skipped because they were already leads,
  • how many were skipped for having no valid number or email,
  • how many could not be queued.

If you are online it says the leads are being sent to your account now. Offline it says "You are offline. The leads are saved on this phone and are sent when you reconnect." Either way the new leads are in the phone straight away. See offline mode and how sync works.

What the new leads contain

Each lead takes the contact's first and last name, company, job title (as the lead's designation), first phone number as the mobile and email. A second phone number is saved as the Office Phone and a third as the Direct Phone. Anything else on the contact card, such as an address or website, is not imported. A contact with no name takes the company, the first part of the email or the number as its first name. The lead is created in the list you chose and follows that list's assignment rule. You can then add stages, tags and follow-ups as usual.

Prefer a spreadsheet?

If your contacts are in Excel or Google Sheets, save them as CSV and use the web import. See import leads from a CSV file.

What the app does not do

The app does not add leads from call logs, WhatsApp chats or QR codes, because those need access that Google Play restricts. Importing contacts, VCF files and scanning business cards cover the same need. See scan business cards.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import a VCF file on the web?

No. VCF and phone contact imports are done in the mobile app. On the web, import a spreadsheet saved as CSV instead.

How many contacts can I import at once?

Up to 500 selected contacts per import. If you hit the limit, import that batch, then tap Import more for the rest.

Does Leadnote read all my contacts?

It reads the phone book once, on the import screen, and only the contacts you tick are added to your account. A VCF import needs no contacts permission at all, because you choose one file yourself.

What happens to contacts that are already leads?

They are labelled 'Already a lead' and left out of Select all. The result screen also counts any that were skipped as duplicates.