Import candidates into a form
Bulk-add candidates to a form you already have, from a CSV spreadsheet, with column mapping and upfront validation.
What it is
Upload a CSV to add many candidates at once to a form you already have - the quickest way to move a list out of a spreadsheet or another tool into a role you've already set up.
Steps
- Open the form's Responses page and, in the toolbar's ··· menu, click Import Candidates.
- Upload your CSV - drag it in or Click to upload. Make sure the first row of your spreadsheet is column headings, and that it has a Name column - Binary won't import a form's candidates without one. Files must be CSV, up to 10 MB. Don't have a file handy? Use Download a sample CSV to get a template with columns for the form's fields.
- Review fields - Binary shows your CSV's columns next to the form's fields so you can
check the mapping:
- Columns it recognized are matched automatically.
- For anything left over, choose Import as new field (or type a name to create a differently-named field) to add it to the form, or Do not import to skip that column.
- A summary line tells you how many fields are mapped, how many new fields will be created, and how many columns won't be imported.
- Click Continue. Binary validates the file upfront - checking for a mapped Name column, at least two mapped columns, and per-row problems like a missing name or an invalid email - before anything is imported, so you can fix issues in your spreadsheet before committing.
- Binary imports the rows while showing "Processing...". When it finishes you'll see "All done!" with a View candidates button, or, if some rows failed, "Import completed with errors" with a View errors button so you can see what didn't go through.
Notes & limits
- The form needs a Name field to import into - if it doesn't have one, Binary blocks the import ("This form has no Name field, so candidates can't be imported.").
- You can only import into a form that's not a Draft - publish the form first (see Form statuses).
- A handful of system columns - like created date, labels, AI review, comments, messages, feedback, and source - aren't things you can import into, so they're left out of the sample CSV.
- Rows with an empty name, a name over 50 characters, or an invalid email are flagged before the import runs rather than silently skipped.
- Anyone with access to the form can import candidates into it.