Gravity Forms: How to Import Users

Instead of spending hours manually migrating your users, automate the process with Import Entries. The Import Entries plugin by GravityView allows you to import users from a CSV file into Gravity Forms. Simply install the plugin, follow the import guide and you’re done!

In this post, we’ll look at the Gravity Forms User Registration Add-On and how you can use it to register new users on your site. Then, we’ll show you how to import users from a CSV using Import Entries.

Gravity Forms User Registration Add-On

The Gravity Forms User Registration add-on makes it easy to register new users on your website, create custom login forms, and set custom user meta. The add-on comes as part of the Gravity Forms Elite license.

Installing the User Registration Add-On

First, log in to your WordPress website, hover over Forms in the admin sidebar and click Add-Ons. Next, scroll down the User Registration Add-On, and click install. After installation is complete, activate the add-on by clicking Activate.

Alternatively, you can download the add-on from your Gravity Forms account page.

Creating a User Registration Form

To get started with the User Registration add-on, start by creating a user registration form in Gravity Forms. The only required fields you need to include in your form are the Username and Email Address fields.

However, for an optimal registration form, it’s best to include the following fields (along with any other information you want to capture):

• Name
• Email
• Username
• Password

To create your new form, hover over Forms and click New Form. Next, give your form a name and use the drag and drop interface to add the necessary fields. You’ll find the Name, Username, Password, and Email fields under the Advanced Fields tab.

After setting up your registration form, you need to create a new user registration feed. To do this, go to your form settings, click on the User Registration tab on the left and click Add New. 

Then select an Action (either Create a User or Update an existing user) and configure the rest of the feed settings.

That’s it! Now you’re able to register new users on your website through Gravity Forms! Now let’s look at how to import users into Gravity Forms using the Import Entries add-on.

Import Entries for Gravity Forms

Import Entries is an add-on for Gravity Forms that allows you to import form entries into Gravity Forms from a CSV file. You can also mass import WordPress users and there’s no limit on the number of rows you can import!

The plugin allows you to import users in 5 simple steps:

1. Upload a CSV file containing user data
2. Select your form in Gravity Forms
3. Map your fields
4. Configure the import options
5. Watch as your users are imported at lightning speed

Start by exporting your user data as a CSV file.

Exporting Your Data as a CSV File

Are you moving users from another website? Simply export them directly from Gravity Forms. First, hover over Forms, select Import/Export and click the Export Entries tab on the left.

Next, choose your form from the dropdown, select your fields, and hit Export!

If you store data on Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Number, or another spreadsheet program, check out our documentation for guides on how to export your data as a CSV file.

When you’re done, hover over Forms, click Import/Export and then select Import Entries. Next, drag and drop your CSV file to upload it.

After uploading your CSV file, the plugin will give you the option to import users into an existing form or create a new form.

Import to an Existing Form vs Creating a New Form

If you decide to import entries to an existing form in Gravity Forms, you will need to select that form from the list. If you opt to create a new form, the plugin will do this for you automatically.

The next step is to map your fields. Here we’ve selected an existing form called “User Registration”. To change the field mapping, simply click on the dropdown menu under where it says “Import To…” and select the correct field.

If you want to exclude a field from your import, click the “X” icon on the right-hand side of the dropdown menu.

Import Entries also allows you to add new fields to your form. For example, let’s say you have a “Password” column in your CSV file but your form is lacking a Password field. You can create one by clicking on the dropdown menu and selecting the Add Form Field option.

When you’re done, click Continue With Import.

Configuring the Import Options

The final step is to configure the import options. Here are the different options:

• Ignore Required Form Fields
  If you enable this, entries without required fields will still be imported.

• Continue Processing if Errors Occur
  Enable this option to allow the import process to continue even if errors are found

• Conditional Import
  This allows you to import users based on conditions that you set. This is helpful if you want to filter the users that you import.

• Email Notifications
  Enabling this option sends you an email notification for every entry successfully imported

• Skip Field Validation
  Gravity Forms validates all entries to check that email addresses are in the correct format etc. If you want to bypass this process, enable this option.

When you’re done, click Continue With Import and let the importer work its magic!

Bulk Updating Existing Users

Using Import Entries you can also bulk update existing users. For example, let’s say you had a bunch of users registered on your website and you wanted to update information for each one.

You could export your users to a CSV from Gravity Forms, make the necessary changes, and then re-import the same CSV using Import Entries. As long as your CSV has an Entry ID column, you’ll be able to overwrite existing users.

This can save you a lot of precious time! Especially if you’re running a membership website with hundreds (or thousands) of users!

Conclusion

The Gravity Forms User registration add-on allows you to register users on your WordPress website using Gravity Forms and update user meta. Using the Import Entries plugin by GravityView, you can import users into your site or bulk update existing users.

Import Entries is a fast and efficient way to import data into Gravity Forms. Furthermore, the plugin gives you full control over your import by allowing you to filter entries based on conditional logic, create new form fields, and more!

Read next: How to Import WooCommerce Products to Gravity Forms.