How to import CMS items from a CSV file?

Adding CMS items one by one works for small collections, but when you have dozens or hundreds of entries, manual creation is impractical. Webflow supports CSV import so you can bulk-add items to any Collection — blog posts, team members, products, or anything else stored in the CMS.

Preparing your CSV file

Format requirements

• The file must be a standard CSV (comma-separated values) format.

• The first row must contain column headers that match your Collection's field names or field slugs.

• Use UTF-8 encoding to avoid character issues.

• Keep file size under 4 MB.

Matching columns to fields

Each column header should correspond to a field in your Collection. The header name must match either:

• The display name of the field (e.g., Name, Published Date)

• The field slug (e.g., name, published-date)

Required fields — typically Name and Slug — must be included. The slug values must be unique across the Collection.

Field-specific formatting

• Plain Text: Standard text. No special formatting needed.

• Rich Text: HTML markup is supported. Plain text also works but will have no formatting.

• Number: Numeric values only (no currency symbols or commas in numbers).

• Date: Use ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD) or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ for dates with times.

• Switch: Use true or false.

• Image: Provide a full URL to the image (e.g., https://example.com/image.jpg). Webflow downloads and hosts the image during import.

• Reference: Use the slug of the referenced item.

• Option: Use the exact option label as configured in the Collection.

Importing the CSV

1. Open your project in the Webflow Dashboard (not the Designer).
2. Go to the CMS tab.
3. Select the Collection you want to import into.
4. Click the import/export button (top right area) and choose Import.
5. Upload your CSV file or drag and drop it.
6. Webflow previews the import — review the column mapping to confirm each column is matched to the correct field.
7. Adjust any mismatched columns by selecting the correct target field from the dropdown.
8. Click Import to start the process.

Webflow processes the import and adds the items to your Collection. Large imports may take a few minutes.

After import

• Review imported items for accuracy, especially rich text content and image references.

• Images referenced by URL are downloaded and stored in your Webflow asset library. If any image URLs are broken, those fields will be empty — fix them manually.

• Imported items are saved as drafts by default. Publish them individually or use bulk select to publish all at once.

• If you need to update existing items, export the current collection, modify the CSV, and re-import — or use the Webflow API for programmatic updates.

Common issues

• "Slug already exists" — Each slug must be unique. Check for duplicates in your CSV.

• Images not loading — Ensure URLs are publicly accessible and point directly to image files (not HTML pages).

• Column not mapping — Double-check that the header name matches the field name or slug exactly, including spaces and capitalization.

• Special characters broken — Save the CSV with UTF-8 encoding.