How do I Send SMS from a File?

Upload an Excel or CSV file and message every number in it, without saving the numbers to your contacts. Use your file's columns to personalize each message with details such as a name, balance or due date.

Prepare Your File

• Use an Excel (.xlsx or .xls) or CSV file, with column names in the first row.
• Name the column with the phone numbers mobile or phone.
• Add a column for every detail you want in the message, named without spaces, for example first_name, amount or due_date.

For example:

mobile	first_name	amount	due_date
2348031234567	Ada	25,000	30 September
08098765432	Tunde	12,500	2 October

Phone numbers need 10 to 15 digits; spaces and symbols are ignored. Local numbers get your country's code added, and rows with invalid numbers are skipped.

Send the Message

1. Open the Compose Screen

   • In DartPro, click Compose SMS and choose To File Contacts.

2. Upload the File

   • Drop your file on Drop Excel or CSV File here to upload., or click that box to choose it.
   • DartPro reads the file and reports how many unique contacts and duplicate numbers it found.

3. Choose the Message Type

   • Type Message: write your text in Message Content. Everyone gets the same message.
   • Use Template: pick a template in Select Template to personalize each message (see Personalize with File Columns).

4. Choose a Sender ID

   • Pick one in Sender ID.

5. Send Now or Later

   • Keep Send Immediately, or switch to Schedule for Later and choose a Broadcast Time.

6. Check the Cost and Send

   • Click Calculate Exact Cost to price a sample of the numbers in your file.
   • Click Send Message, or Schedule Message if you're scheduling.

DartPro shows Message Sent. Files with 3,000 or more contacts are processed in the background. You'll see Your message is being processed. You will receive a notification when it completes.

Personalize with File Columns

1. Create a Template

   • Write a template whose placeholders match your column names, for example Hi [first_name], your balance of [amount] is due on [due_date]. See How do I Create Message Templates?.

2. Use It on the Compose Screen

   • Switch to Use Template and pick the template in Select Template.

Each row gets its own message, for example Hi Ada, your balance of 25,000 is due on 30 September.

• Match column names exactly. Write each placeholder exactly as the column name appears in the first row. Send Message stays disabled until at least one placeholder matches a column.
• Unmatched placeholders are sent as typed. A placeholder with no matching column is sent with its brackets, for example [amount].
• One message per row. Personalized messages go out row by row, so a number that appears in two rows gets two messages.

Repeated Numbers

When you type the message instead of using a template, each number gets it once, even if it appears in several rows.

Charges

File messages are charged when you click Send Message or Schedule Message, including scheduled ones. Any unused amount is refunded when the broadcast finishes. See How is Message Cost Calculated?.

Troubleshooting

"Invalid file: No "mobile" or "phone" column found." Rename the column that holds the phone numbers to mobile or phone, then upload the file again.

"The selected Template contains unsupported code(s) which will not be mapped" Some placeholders don't match a column. Rename the placeholders or the columns so they match exactly.

I want to keep these numbers as contacts. Messaging from a file doesn't save anything to your contacts. To keep them, import the file into Contacts.