Import and export

Your list is yours: it comes in from a file or from another plugin, and it goes out to a file whenever you like.

Import from a CSV file

Under Subscribers → Import CSV choose the file and the lists the people should join. The file needs an email column; first name and last name are optional. A header row is recognised by name (email, first_name, last_name and common variants, plus tags and a column per custom field, headed by its key or its name); without one, the columns are taken in the order email, first name, last name. Commas and semicolons both work, as does a file saved from Excel or Numbers.

• Addresses already on the list are skipped, and people who had unsubscribed stay unsubscribed.
• Addresses that belong to users of your site are skipped too: users are recipients already.
• Imported people are marked as confirmed. Only import people who agreed to hear from you.
• Tags typed in the dialog go on everyone in the file; tags in a tags column (comma or semicolon separated) go on that row. Someone already on the list still picks up the tags and the field values from their row.

The result says how many were added, skipped and invalid, and the activity log keeps one line for the import.

Import from MailPoet

If MailPoet is installed on the same site, Settings → Import from MailPoet brings its people over in one go, in batches of 200, with a progress bar. The dashboard offers the same step until it is done.

• Names and emails, and the original sign-up dates.
• Status: subscribed stays subscribed, unconfirmed stays waiting, unsubscribed stays unsubscribed. Bounced addresses count as unsubscribed; inactive ones as subscribed, since those people never opted out.
• Lists: MailPoet's ordinary lists become Postalion lists with the same names; you tick which ones. People on none of the chosen lists join your default list, unless they had unsubscribed.
• Users of your site are recipients already; for them only an unsubscribe in MailPoet carries over. People in MailPoet's trash stay behind.

Nothing in MailPoet is changed or deleted. Running the import again adds only people who are not here yet, so you can keep both plugins side by side until you are sure, then deactivate MailPoet. The switching guide covers what else to set up again.

Import from Newsletter

If Newsletter (The Newsletter Plugin) is installed on the same site, Settings → Import from Newsletter works the same way as the MailPoet import: in batches, with a progress bar, nothing changed on the other side.

• Names, emails and sign-up dates.
• Status: confirmed stays subscribed, not confirmed stays waiting, unsubscribed stays unsubscribed; bounced and complained count as unsubscribed. Newsletter's test subscribers stay behind.
• Lists: Newsletter's numbered lists become Postalion lists with the same names; you tick which ones. People on none of the chosen lists join your default list, unless they had unsubscribed.
• Custom fields: Newsletter's profile fields become custom fields with the same names (text, or a choice with the same options), and every subscriber's values come with them. For people already in Postalion, a value you typed here is kept.
• Users of your site are recipients already; for them only an unsubscribe carries over.

Export

Subscribers → Export downloads a CSV file with the columns email, first_name, last_name, type (subscriber or user), status, lists, tags, date and one column per custom field (named by its key), for the people shown by the current filter. The file opens in any spreadsheet and imports into any other tool.

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