# Import customers and suppliers

> Bring customers and suppliers in from an Excel file: the columns, the required ones, and what stops an import.

*Section: Selling · Updated: 2026-10-19*

Moving to ArmPOS with a list of customers or suppliers? Bring them in from a spreadsheet instead of typing each one. By the end you will have imported both.

## Customers

1. **Open [People › Import Customers](/app/People/Customers_import)**, or **Import Customers** on the customers list.
2. **Click Download example.** It is an Excel file with the right columns. Fill it, one row per customer.
3. **Drop your file on the box,** or click it to choose the file. **XLSX** and **XLS** files of up to 20 MB are taken. **Remove** takes it away again.
4. **Click Import now.** You land on the customers list, with the new customers in it.

![Import Customers: the drop box for the Excel file, the Example format table with Username, firstname, lastname, code, email, phone, tax\_number, country, city, Address and opening\_balance, and the Import now, Download example and Reset buttons.](https://armpos.online/storage/help/0e41748af8-import-customers-and-suppliers-1-customers-page.webp)
*The page shows the columns it reads. Download example gives you the same file to fill.*

The columns:

| Column | Required | What goes in it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **username** (or name) | yes | the name shown on sales and receipts |
| **code** | yes | a whole number, unique for each customer, such as 2001 |
| firstname, lastname | no |  |
| email | no | a valid address; no two customers may share one |
| phone | no | with the country code, such as +256 |
| country, city, adresse (or address) | no |  |
| tax\_number | no |  |
| opening\_balance | no | a number: what the customer already owed you |

> **Warning:** If any row has a problem, nothing is imported. The page lists each problem by row: a missing name, a code that isn't a whole number, a code or email used twice in the file, or a code or email that is already in your shop. Fix them and import the file again.

## Suppliers

The same, from [People › Import Suppliers](/app/People/Suppliers_import): **name** and **code** are required, then email, phone, tax\_number, country, city and adresse.

![Import Suppliers: the drop box, the Example format table with name, code, email, phone, tax\_number, country, city and Address, and the Import now button.](https://armpos.online/storage/help/872381d088-import-customers-and-suppliers-2-suppliers-page.webp)
*Suppliers take the same file shape, without first and last names or an opening balance.*

## What's next

[Customers](/app/help/customers).