# Import paid records from Excel

> Bring sales you took outside BCL into a payment form, or participants into an event, from an Excel or CSV file, and choose what BCL sends.
>
> Source: https://docs.bcl.my/import-records/

You can add sales you took outside BCL, for example by bank transfer or at a booth, to a payment form from an Excel or CSV file. Each row becomes one paid record on that form. Event forms have their own import for participants and tickets.

## What you can import

Two things can be imported from a file:

| Import | Where | Creates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Import Records** | On a payment form, under **Payments** → **Forms** | One paid record on that form for each row |
| **Import Participants** | **Events** → **Participants**, under **More Actions** | Paid tickets for an event, grouped by buyer |

Lead form submissions, customers, products and transactions of other forms cannot be imported. **Import JSON** on lead forms, events and automations copies a form's or automation's settings between accounts, not records.

## Import records into a payment form

Prepare a file in .xlsx, .xls or .csv format, up to 10 MB, with one row per record. Then:

1. Go to **Payments** → **Forms**, click **Edit** on the form, then click **Transactions** at the top of the page.
2. Click **Import Records**.

   *(Screenshot: A payment form's Transactions page with the Import Records button highlighted)*

3. Open **File Format Guide** to see the columns this form accepts, and click **Download sample CSV** for a file to start from.

   *(Screenshot: The Import Records page at the Upload File step, with the File Format Guide open and Download sample CSV highlighted)*

4. Under **Select File**, choose your file and click **Next: Preview & Map Columns**.
5. On **Preview & Map**, match each column in your file to a BCL field, or choose **Skip this column**. BCL guesses the usual ones for you. Click **Next: Confirm Import**.

   *(Screenshot: The Preview & Map step with the name, email and phone columns matched to Name, Email and Phone, and two sample rows)*

6. On **Confirm & Import**, check the **Import Summary**, choose the options (see below) and click **Start Import**, then **Confirm & Import**. The import runs in the background, and BCL tells you when it is complete.

   *(Screenshot: The Confirm & Import step with the Import Summary, the options, and the Start Import button highlighted)*

Each imported row shows in **Transactions** as **Successful**, with **Manual Payment** as the payment channel.

The columns depend on the form:

| Column | Required | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `name` | Yes | The buyer's name. |
| `email` | Yes | Creates the customer and gives them access. |
| `phone` | No | Format the column as text to keep a leading +. |
| `amount` | Only on a form where the customer types the amount | Otherwise optional: it replaces the form's price for that row, and 0 makes the record free. |
| `product_id`, `variation_option_id`, `quantity` | On forms with several items or variations | The **File Format Guide** of the form lists the IDs to use. |

One row is one record: a buyer who took two products needs two rows. Extra columns are ignored.

## Choose what the import sends

On the last step you decide what happens for each imported row. Only the first option is on at the start:

| Option | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Skip emails that already have a record here** | Stops the same list being imported twice. Untick it for repeat buyers. |
| **Email everyone their payment confirmation** | Sends the receipt email a buyer gets after paying. |
| **Email your team about each new order** | Sends the new order email to you and your team for each row. |
| **Run webhooks and automations** | Each row fires your [webhooks](/webhook-payment-form/) and automations as a real payment would. |
| **Create an e-invoice draft per record** | Only works when e-invoicing is already set up. |

With the options off, the records are added quietly: no emails, webhooks, automations or e-invoice drafts.

> **Caution**
> An import has no undo button. Try a file of two or three rows first, and check the records under **Transactions** before you import the full list. To remove imported records, tick them in **Transactions** and use **Delete selected**, which asks you to type DELETE.

## Import event participants

For an event, go to **Events** → **Participants**, open **More Actions** and choose **Import Participants**. The steps are the same: upload a .xlsx, .xls or .csv file, match the columns and confirm. The **Excel Format Guide** on the page has a sample file.

Each row needs the event ID, the ticket ID, the buyer's name, email and phone, and the quantity. Rows with the same buyer email for the same event become one order. Turn on **Send ticket emails to participants after import** if the participants should get their tickets by email.

## Common issues

### How do I import customers who already paid from Excel?

Open the payment form under Payments → Forms, click Import Records, upload your .xlsx, .xls or .csv file with at least a name and email column, match the columns and confirm. Each row becomes one paid record on that form.

### Will the imported customers get an email?

Only if you tick Email everyone their payment confirmation on the last step. It is off by default, so an import contacts nobody unless you choose to.

### Can I import lead form submissions or my customer list?

No. Only payment form records and event participants can be imported from a file. The Import JSON buttons on lead forms, events and automations copy a form's settings, not records.