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Importing entries to Gravity Forms: A complete guide

Whether you’re migrating from another form plugin, uploading data from a spreadsheet, or moving your Gravity Forms site to a new host, importing entries is one of the most common tasks you’ll face. This guide covers every method for getting data into Gravity Forms from external files, plugins, or apps.

Table of contents

Getting started with GravityImport

The fastest way to import entries is with GravityImport, a Gravity Forms Certified plugin that lets you upload a CSV file, map your columns to form fields, and import everything in minutes, with no row limits.

GravityImport is a WordPress plugin built specifically for importing entries into Gravity Forms. It’s Gravity Forms Certified, which means it meets the Gravity Forms team’s standards for code quality and reliability. There are no limits on the number of rows you can import, and the plugin handles field mapping, data type detection, and validation automatically.

The import process works in three steps: upload your CSV file, map your columns to form fields, and run the import. GravityImport walks you through each step with a visual interface directly inside the Gravity Forms admin area.

Learn more: Browse all GravityImport documentation

How to import CSV data into Gravity Forms

CSV is the most common format for importing entries. Most spreadsheet applications (Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice) can export data as CSV, and GravityImport is designed to handle these files natively. Upload your file, and GravityImport will parse the columns and let you map each one to a corresponding Gravity Forms field.

If your data includes dates, phone numbers, or other structured fields, GravityImport will attempt to detect the correct field type automatically. You can always override the detection by manually selecting a field type.

Go deeper: How to import Gravity Forms entries from a CSV file 

How to import Excel files into Gravity Forms

If your data lives in an Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx), you can still import it into Gravity Forms. The simplest approach is to export your Excel file as a CSV before uploading it to GravityImport. This ensures clean, consistent formatting and avoids issues with Excel-specific features like formulas or merged cells.

Go deeper: How to import Gravity Forms entries from an Excel file 

Importing into an existing form vs. creating a new form

When you upload a CSV file, GravityImport gives you two options: import entries into an existing form or create a brand new form from your data.

Importing into an existing form is the right choice when you already have a form set up and want to add entries to it. You’ll map each CSV column to an existing field in your form. This is common when migrating entries from another site or uploading historical data.

Creating a new form makes sense when you don’t have a matching form yet. GravityImport will automatically create form fields based on your CSV columns and attempt to detect the correct field type for each one. You can rename fields, change field types, or remove columns you don’t need before running the import.

Advanced import features

GravityImport goes beyond basic CSV uploads. Here are some of the more powerful features available for managing complex imports.

Using conditional logic to filter imported rows

You don’t have to import every row in your CSV. GravityImport supports conditional logic, which lets you set rules to filter which rows get imported. For example, you could import only entries where the “Status” column equals “Active” or where the “Date” field falls within a specific range.

Go deeper: Import entries from a CSV using conditional logic

Pre-import validation and error handling

The GravityImport plugin validates your data before committing the import. This catches issues like mismatched field types, missing required values, and formatting problems before they create incomplete or broken entries in your forms.

Go deeper: Announcing GravityImport 2.8.0

Preparing your CSV file for import

A little preparation goes a long way toward a smooth import. Here are some best practices:

  • Use UTF-8 encoding to avoid character corruption, especially with accented or special characters.
  • Format dates consistently across all rows (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD).
  • Use a header row with clear column names that match your form field labels where possible.
  • Remove merged cells, formulas, and formatting if exporting from Excel.
  • Check for empty rows at the end of your file, which can cause unexpected blank entries.

Migrating from other form plugins to Gravity Forms

Switching from another WordPress form plugin? The general workflow is the same: export your entries from the old plugin as a CSV file, then import them into Gravity Forms using GravityImport. We have dedicated migration guides for the most popular form plugins:

If you’re migrating from a SaaS form tool like Google Forms or Jotform, the process is similar. Export your responses as a CSV from the SaaS platform and then import them into Gravity Forms using GravityImport. The migration guides above can serve as a general reference for the workflow.

Migrating Gravity Forms data between websites

Sometimes the challenge isn’t importing from another plugin—it’s moving your Gravity Forms data from one WordPress site to another. Whether you’re changing hosts, setting up a staging environment, or consolidating multiple sites, there are a few different approaches depending on what you need to move.

For a full migration that includes forms, entries, settings, and add-on configurations, GravityMigrate handles everything in one step. See the Getting started with GravityMigrate guide for a complete walkthrough. If you only need to move specific pieces, these guides cover the individual workflows:

After the import: managing your entries

Once your data is in Gravity Forms, you’ll likely need to review, correct, or work with it further. GravityKit offers several tools for post-import entry management.

Free vs. paid import methods

Gravity Forms includes some built-in import and export features, but they’re limited in scope. Here’s how the native options compare to GravityImport:

Gravity Forms (built-in)GravityImport
Import form structures (JSON)YesNo (entries only)
Export entries to CSVYesNo (see GravityExport)
Import entries from CSVNoYes
Automatic field mappingN/AYes
Data type detectionN/AYes
Conditional logic filteringN/AYes
Pre-import validationN/AYes
Row limitsN/ANone
Create new form from CSVNoYes
Auto run feeds upon importN/AYes

If you only need to move form structures between sites, the native JSON import/export may be sufficient. But if you need to import entry data (like from spreadsheets, other plugins, or external systems), GravityImport is the tool for the job.

Importing WordPress users and WooCommerce products

GravityImport isn’t limited to traditional form entries. You can also use it to bring in other types of WordPress data.

Importing form templates (JSON)

Gravity Forms natively supports importing form structures (not entries) using JSON files. This is useful when you want to replicate a form from another site or start with a pre-built template. You can find downloadable templates in the Gravity Forms template library and import them directly from the Import/Export page in your WordPress admin.

Keep in mind that importing a JSON form template only imports the form structure, it does not include any entries. To import entries, you’ll need to use GravityImport separately.

This guide is part of a series covering key Gravity Forms workflows. Explore the other guides in this set:

Frequently asked questions

How many entries can I import into Gravity Forms at once?

There is no row limit when using GravityImport. The plugin is designed to handle large datasets, though very large files (tens of thousands of rows) may be affected by your server’s PHP memory and execution time limits. If you run into timeout issues, consider splitting your CSV into smaller batches.

Can I update existing entries by re-importing a CSV?

GravityImport creates new entries with each import — it does not update existing entries by default, but there is an option to update existing entries by matching on the entry ID. If you need to correct data in entries that have already been imported, you can use GravityEdit for inline editing or GravityActions to change field values across multiple entries at once.

What file formats does GravityImport support?

GravityImport accepts CSV files. If your data is in Excel (.xlsx), Google Sheets, or another spreadsheet format, you’ll need to export or save it as a CSV before importing. Most spreadsheet applications make this straightforward with a “Save As” or “Export” option.

Does importing entries trigger Gravity Forms notifications and add-on feeds?

By default, GravityImport does not trigger email notifications or add-on feeds (such as Zapier, Mailchimp, or payment integrations) during import. However, you can enable feeds and notifications in the import settings if you want them to fire for each imported entry.

What is the difference between importing entries and importing forms?

Importing entries means bringing data (individual submissions) into an existing or new form. Importing forms means recreating the form structure itself (fields, settings, confirmations) from a JSON file. These are two separate processes. Importing a form does not include its entries, and importing entries requires a form to already exist or be created during the import.