How to Import LinkedIn Contacts to Salesforce (2026)
Salesforce doesn’t pull in your LinkedIn connections. There’s no sync button, no built-in import. To import LinkedIn contacts to Salesforce, you export a CSV from LinkedIn and upload it through Salesforce’s Data Import Wizard. The hands-on work takes about 15 minutes.
The catch: LinkedIn hides email addresses by default. Most of your exported connections won’t have one. Salesforce can still import them, but without an email, duplicate matching fails and your sales team can’t email them. This guide covers the full process, including how to deal with the gaps.
Export Your LinkedIn Connections
LinkedIn lets you download all your first-degree connections as a CSV file.
- Click your profile picture in the navigation bar, then Settings & Privacy in the dropdown.
- Go to Data privacy in the left sidebar.
- Click Get a copy of your data.
- Select the first option: Download larger data archive. There’s no option to download just connections.
- Click Request archive.
LinkedIn sends the archive in two parts. The first part includes Connections.csv and generally doesn’t take 24 hours despite what the page says. The download is a ZIP file. Inside, look for Connections.csv.
For more detail on this step, including what to do with other export options, see our full guide to exporting LinkedIn contacts.
What’s in the LinkedIn CSV
The exported file has seven columns:
| LinkedIn Column | Example |
|---|---|
| First Name | Sarah |
| Last Name | Chen |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahchen |
| Email Address | (often blank) |
| Company | Acme Corp |
| Position | VP of Sales |
| Connected On | 15 Jan 2026 |
The CSV file starts with a few lines of notes before the actual headers. Delete those top lines so the headers are on row 1 before importing.
Two things to know about this file:
Most rows won’t have an email address. LinkedIn only includes emails for connections who have turned on “Allow connections to export my email.” This setting is off by default. In practice, expect 10% to 20% of your connections to have an email in the export.
The column headers don’t match Salesforce. LinkedIn uses “Email Address” where Salesforce expects “Email.” It uses “Position” where Salesforce expects “Title.” And Salesforce Leads require a “Company” field, which thankfully matches. But you’ll need to rename the other columns before importing, or use the BoothIQ CSV Formatter to remap them for Salesforce automatically. No account needed.
Here’s the mapping:
| LinkedIn Column | Salesforce Lead Field |
|---|---|
| First Name | First Name |
| Last Name | Last Name |
| URL | (no standard field; skip or create custom) |
| Email Address | |
| Company | Company |
| Position | Title |
| Connected On | (no standard field; skip or create custom) |
Add a Lead Source Column
Before importing, add a column called Lead Source to your CSV. Set the value to “LinkedIn” for every row. This lets your team filter and report on LinkedIn-sourced leads later. Without it, these contacts blend into your CRM with no way to trace where they came from.
Import the CSV into Salesforce
Once your headers match Salesforce’s Lead fields, open Salesforce’s Data Import Wizard.
- Click the gear icon in the upper right and select Setup.
- Search for Data Import Wizard and click the result.
- Click Launch Wizard.
- Select Leads as your object type.
- Choose Add new and update existing records as the operation. This creates new Leads and updates any that already exist.
- Set the matching rule to Email. This tells Salesforce how to find duplicates.
- Upload your CSV file.
- Map each column to the right Salesforce field. Check that Email maps to “Email,” First Name to “First Name,” Last Name to “Last Name,” Company to “Company,” Title to “Title,” and Lead Source to “Lead Source.”
- Click Next, review the summary, then click Start Import.
Data Import Wizard processes the import in the background. For a few hundred records, this takes under five minutes. You’ll receive an email when it completes.
For a full walkthrough of each step with more detail, including how to handle Contacts vs Leads and common import errors, see our complete Salesforce import guide.
Fix the Missing Email Problem
The biggest issue with importing LinkedIn contacts to Salesforce is missing email addresses. Without an email, Salesforce can’t deduplicate reliably, your sales team can’t email the lead, and sequences won’t work.
You have a few options:
Look them up manually. For a small list, you can check each contact’s LinkedIn profile or company website. This works for 10 or 20 contacts. It doesn’t scale to hundreds.
Use enrichment tools. Contact enrichment services find email addresses from a name and company. BoothIQ’s enrichment does this for contacts you capture, using name and company to find verified email addresses.
Only import contacts who have emails. Filter your CSV before importing. Remove rows where the Email Address column is blank. This gives you a smaller but more actionable list.
Import without emails and enrich later. Salesforce will accept Leads without an email address (Last Name and Company are the only required fields). You can import now and use a data enrichment tool to fill in emails afterward.
Salesforce’s Native LinkedIn Integration
Salesforce has a native LinkedIn integration, but it doesn’t import contacts.
The integration connects Salesforce to LinkedIn Sales Navigator. It shows LinkedIn profile data on Salesforce records and syncs Sales Navigator activity to the CRM. Reps can send InMails without leaving Salesforce. None of these features create new Lead or Contact records.
To use the native integration, you need:
- A LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced Plus subscription
- Salesforce Enterprise Edition or higher
That’s a steep buy-in for an integration that can’t create records. To get LinkedIn contacts into Salesforce, you need the CSV method described above or a tool like BoothIQ that syncs contacts directly.
What About LinkedIn Contacts from Events?
If you met someone at a conference and want to add them to Salesforce, the CSV export path is slow. You’d have to connect with them on LinkedIn first, wait for them to accept, request a new data export, find them in the CSV, rename the headers, and then import just that one row.
For event contacts, a faster path is to scan their badge or business card and let it sync directly to your CRM. BoothIQ captures contacts at events by scanning badges and business cards. Contacts sync to Salesforce as Leads with field mapping and Lead Source already set. No CSV, no Data Import Wizard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import LinkedIn contacts to Salesforce for free?
Yes. Export your connections from LinkedIn (free), rename the CSV column headers to match Salesforce’s Lead fields, and use Salesforce’s Data Import Wizard (available on all editions). The BoothIQ CSV Formatter can handle the header remapping at no cost. The only limitation is that most LinkedIn exports won’t include email addresses.
Should I import LinkedIn contacts as Leads or Contacts?
Import as Leads. Salesforce Leads are designed for unqualified prospects. Your sales team can review, qualify, and convert them into Contacts and Accounts through Salesforce’s standard lead conversion process. Importing directly as Contacts requires associating each record with an Account, which adds complexity you don’t need for a LinkedIn connection list.
Why are email addresses missing from my LinkedIn export?
LinkedIn only includes emails for connections who have enabled “Allow connections to export my email” in their privacy settings. This setting is off by default for every LinkedIn account. There’s no way to override it from your side.
How does Salesforce handle duplicates when I import from LinkedIn?
Salesforce Data Import Wizard checks for duplicates based on the matching rule you select. If you choose Email matching and a LinkedIn connection already exists in Salesforce with the same email, it updates the existing record. If the LinkedIn export has no email for that contact, Salesforce can’t match them and will create a new Lead. This is another reason to fill in email addresses before importing.
Can I sync LinkedIn Sales Navigator with Salesforce?
Yes, but it doesn’t create new records. The Sales Navigator integration shows LinkedIn data on existing Salesforce records, syncs InMail activity, and lets reps research prospects without leaving Salesforce. To actually create new Leads from LinkedIn data, you need to use the CSV import method or a third-party tool.
How often should I reimport my LinkedIn contacts?
LinkedIn doesn’t offer incremental exports. Every export includes your full connection list. If you reimport regularly, Salesforce will update existing records (matched by email) and create new ones for recent connections. Quarterly reimports work well for most teams.
Importing LinkedIn Contacts into Other CRMs
This guide covers Salesforce. If your team uses a different CRM, we have a step-by-step guide for that too:
References
- Downloading Your Data from LinkedIn — LinkedIn Help Center
- Export Connections from LinkedIn — LinkedIn Help Center
- Data Import Wizard — Salesforce Help
- Lead Fields — Salesforce Help
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Salesforce Integration — LinkedIn Business
Skip the CSV Step
If you’re capturing contacts at trade shows and conferences, formatting and importing CSVs after every event gets old fast. BoothIQ scans badges and business cards, then syncs contacts to Salesforce with field mapping and Lead Source already set. No CSV required.