Can I upload the Excel file directly?

Not yet. Save it as CSV UTF-8 first; that takes one step in Excel or Google Sheets and avoids formatting surprises.

What happens to guests who are already on the list?

They are skipped based on their email address. Existing guests are not changed, so importing an updated sheet will not overwrite tags or notes you added in GuestlistOnline.

Why is Import CSV greyed out?

CSV import is part of the paid features: available on events with the per event upgrade and on Pro. On the free plan you can add guests one by one.

Can I import companions?

Add a Companions column with a number and it becomes the guest's companion count. Named companions with their own tickets are best added afterwards with Add companion on the guest row.

How do I import guests from Excel or a CSV file?

Short answer

Save your spreadsheet as CSV, open the Guests page and click "Import CSV". Match your columns to Name and Email (required) and the optional fields, then import. Guests already on the list with the same email are skipped, so you can import the same file twice without duplicates. CSV import is available on paid events and Pro.

Prepare the file

In Excel or Google Sheets, keep one row per guest with at least a Name and an Email column. Optional columns: phone, tags, notes, language, greeting name.
Choose File, Save as (Excel) or File, Download (Google Sheets) and pick CSV UTF-8. UTF-8 keeps accents and umlauts intact; the plain "CSV" option in old Excel versions can turn "Müller" into "M?ller".
One email per row. A cell with two addresses is treated as invalid and skipped.

Import

Open your event, go to Guests and click Import CSV.
Upload the file. We read the first row as headers and suggest a match for each column; correct any that are wrong. Name and Email must be mapped, everything else is optional.
Pick what should happen with tags: your Tags column can carry several tags separated by commas, and you can add one tag to everyone in this import, for example "Import September".
Click import. The guests appear on the list with status Pending and no invitation sent yet. Nothing is emailed until you select guests and send.

Duplicates and errors

Rows whose email already exists in this event are skipped, and the summary tells you how many.
Rows with an invalid email are listed after the import so you can fix them in the sheet and import that part again.
Guests without an email cannot receive invitations or QR tickets, but you can add them by hand as list-only guests and check them in by name.

Names that change during export

If Excel changes names or phone numbers when saving to CSV (leading zeros dropped, dates where you had text), format those columns as Text before saving, or export from Google Sheets, which does not alter values.

Questions about this

Can I upload the Excel file directly?: Not yet. Save it as CSV UTF-8 first; that takes one step in Excel or Google Sheets and avoids formatting surprises.
What happens to guests who are already on the list?: They are skipped based on their email address. Existing guests are not changed, so importing an updated sheet will not overwrite tags or notes you added in GuestlistOnline.
Why is Import CSV greyed out?: CSV import is part of the paid features: available on events with the per event upgrade and on Pro. On the free plan you can add guests one by one.
Can I import companions?: Add a Companions column with a number and it becomes the guest's companion count. Named companions with their own tickets are best added afterwards with Add companion on the guest row.