> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.autocampaign.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Contacts

> Create, edit, filter, and manage the people you message in Autocampaign AI.

## Overview

[Contacts](/getting-started/glossary#contact) are the people you reach through
campaigns, conversations, and automations. The **Contacts** page (**Contacts** in
the sidebar, at `/contacts`) lists everyone in your workspace with their tags,
source, pipeline stage, and opt-in status.

<Info>
  **Time to complete:** \~2 minutes to add a contact  ·  **Difficulty:** Beginner
</Info>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Import from CSV" icon="file-import" href="/contacts/import-csv">
    Add many contacts at once from a spreadsheet.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build a segment" icon="filter" href="/contacts/segments">
    Group contacts for targeted campaigns.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## The contacts list

The table shows these columns (you can show or hide most from the **Columns** menu):

| Column         | Description                                   |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**       | Avatar + first and last name                  |
| **Phone**      | With country flag; click to copy              |
| **Email**      | Contact email                                 |
| **Tags**       | Up to two tag chips, then a "+N" for the rest |
| **Source**     | How the contact entered your list             |
| **Stage**      | Pipeline stage badge                          |
| **Opted-out**  | "Opted in" / "Opted out" badge                |
| **Created At** | When the contact was added                    |

Any active [custom fields](/contacts/custom-fields) appear as extra columns.

## Add a contact

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click Add Contact">
    On the Contacts page, click **Add Contact**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in the details">
    **First Name** and **Phone** are required. Optional: Last Name, Email, and an
    **Address** section (street, line 2, city, state, postal code, country). You can
    also add **Tags** and toggle **Opted out**.

    Any [custom fields](/contacts/custom-fields) you've defined appear below the
    standard fields.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click save. The contact appears in the list immediately.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  **Stage** and **status** aren't set from the create form. New contacts start at
  the **New Lead** stage; you change the stage later from the contact's detail page.
</Note>

## Edit, delete, and bulk actions

* **Edit** — click the pencil icon on a row, or open the contact and edit.
* **Delete** — click the trash icon and confirm. Deleted contacts are hidden, not
  permanently erased, so they can be recovered.
* **Bulk delete** — select rows with the checkboxes, then **Delete** in the bulk bar.
* **Change stage** — open a contact and pick a new **Stage** in place.
* **Toggle opt-in** — open a contact and use the marketing opt-in switch.

## Filter and search

Use the **search** box to find by name, phone, or email. Click **Filters** to
narrow the list by:

* **Status** — Active, Invalid, Archived
* **Source** — CSV Import, Manual, Web Form, Text Link, Inbound SMS, Google Ads, Meta Ads
* **Stage** — New Lead, Engaged, Qualified, Appointment Booked, Customer, Lost, Archived
* **Opted Out** — show only opted-out contacts
* **Custom fields** — filter on any filterable custom field

## The contact detail page

Open a contact to see:

* **Contact information** — email, phone, source, editable **stage**, created date.
* **Tags** — add or remove tags in place.
* **Communication preferences** — marketing opt-in toggle.
* **Address** — full mailing address.
* **Where this contact came from** — which ad brought them in (platform, campaign,
  lead form), shown when the contact came from [Google or Meta Ads](/channels/advertising).
* **Activity** — a live timeline of everything that happened: created/updated,
  tag changes, stage moves, conversation assignments, and ad-lead events.

## What statuses, stages, and sources mean

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Status">
    * **Active** — a normal contact you can message.
    * **Invalid** — the number/email couldn't be used.
    * **Archived** — set aside, left out of active workflows.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Stage">
    New Lead → Engaged → Qualified → Appointment Booked → Customer, plus **Lost**
    and **Archived**. Stages are a simple pipeline you can filter and segment on.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Source">
    CSV Import, Manual, Web Form, Text Link, Inbound SMS, Google Ads, Meta Ads.
    Recorded automatically based on how the contact was created.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is deleting a contact permanent?">
    No. A deleted contact is hidden rather than destroyed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I export contacts to CSV?">
    Exporting isn't available in the app today. You can filter and segment
    in the app, and import via CSV.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do opted-out contacts behave?">
    They're left out of campaign audiences automatically. See
    [Opt-out management](/compliance/opt-out).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where do custom fields come from?">
    You define them in **Settings → Module Setup**. See
    [Custom fields](/contacts/custom-fields).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why won't a phone number save?">
    Phone numbers accept digits, spaces, hyphens, parentheses, and an optional
    leading `+`, up to 20 characters. Remove any other characters.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can't I find a contact I imported?">
    Check the **Source = CSV Import** filter, and confirm the import finished
    successfully in [Import history](/contacts/import-csv#import-history).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>