Smart Importer is a quick and easy way to add users to your Thinkific account from another platform or database using a file!
About This Feature
Smart Importer modernizes how you onboard and manage users at scale. Instead of dealing with cumbersome data validation and error handling or manually creating users one-by-one, you can now upload your data, preview it, validate every record, and, optionally, enroll learners - all before committing anything to your site.
Smart Importer allows you to:
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Reduce Risk Before Importing
Preview and validate records before data is written, eliminating late-stage errors or surprises. -
Eliminate Manual Enrollment Steps
Create users and enroll them in the same workflow. -
Scale Without Operational Drag
Import up to 50,000 users without splitting files, re-uploading, or coordinating with support.
What bulk import method should I use?
There are several ways to import your users to your site, and each method is best suited for a different situation:
| Import tool | Best suited for | Benefits | Considerations |
| Create a User | One-off user creation | Allows you to automatically enrol a user you create in a product or a group and assign a role | Can only be done one user at a time |
| Smart Importer | Bulk user creation | Allows you to import up to 50,000 users, enroll them into a product, and validate any errors immediately. | Cannot assign roles, or assign to groups at the time of the upload. Can be done later |
| Bulk Student Import and Course Enrollment | One-time migration to Thinkific | Allows for import of additional enrollment information | Only 5,000 users can imported at a time; might take up to 5 business days; requires manual review and troubleshooting |
Smart Importer is the most flexible option that allows you to import users at scale without operational drag.
How it Works
This feature is undergoing maintenance and might require additional steps for access.
If you are unable to access this feature on the qualified plan, please contact our Support team for assistance.
Step 1: Prepare Your Data
Before importing users, you will need to prepare your file. You also have the option of manually entering your data directly during the import process. In either case, note the following:
- The following columns and information are required: Email, First name, Last name.
- If you are using custom fields, you must create them before the import. If any of your custom fields are set to required, you must include a column for those custom fields, as fill them out.
- Thinkific uses email as the learner ID:
- If an email is new: a new learner will be created
- If an email already exists on your site: the first name and last name of the learner will be updated
- Ensure that each email is unique and spelled correctly. In case of errors, you will have the option to address them during import.
- Ensure that your user import file includes up to 50,000 records.
- Supported file types: .csv, .tsv, .txt, .xls, .xlsx
- Give your file a unique name, as it will be recorded and can be used to create a User Filter.
- The template is available and can be downloaded by following the steps 1-5 below.
- During the import, you will have an option to select the header row (if your file includes headers) and match column names to user fields.
Step 2: Prepare Your Import
- From your Admin Dashboard, select Users
- Select All Users
- Select Import Users
- Click Prepare Import
- On the pop-up screen, select one of the following options:
- Choose a file - upload a file from your device to start the import process
- Manually enter your data - manually enter your data to start the import process
- Download the template - download the template file to your device
Click on each section to learn more about each option.
If you selected Choose a file option
- Upload the file from your device
- Select the row that contains the column names by clicking on the corresponding row, and click Confirm selection and continue. If there is no row with column names in your file, select The file has no column names. The row selected as containing column names will be used for field matching, but will not be imported.
- Match columns to corresponding fields in Thinkific by selecting the corresponding fields in the dropdown. We use AI to suggest matches where possible, but make sure to confirm suggested matches. Once matched, select Confirm marching and continue.
- Review the file import.
- If any errors are present, columns with errors will have a warning sign. Click on the sign or Show rows with errors to only show rows where errors are present. Hover over the highlighted field to see an error message. Edit any errors directly in the displayed table.
- If no errors are present, you will see a green No errors badge at the top of table.
- Once verified, select Finish.
- Confirm submission by clicking Yes.
If you selected Manually enter your data option
- Start manually entering data in the displayed table
- Review the file import.
- If any errors are present, columns with errors will have a warning sign. Click on the sign or Show rows with errors to only show rows where errors are present. Hover over the highlighted field to see an error message. Edit any errors directly in the displayed table.
- If no errors are present, you will see a green No errors badge at the top of the table.
- Once verified, select Finish.
- Confirm submission by clicking Yes.
Note that the data is not yet imported; you will need to complete Step 3 to finalize the process.
Step 3: Configure Additional Options and Import Users
- After your import is prepared, select any of the additional import options:
- Send site welcome emails: check if you want to send a site wlecome emails to the imported users. Note that the site welcome email must be enabled.
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Enroll learners: check if you would like to enroll users in a product immediately upon user creation. Select the product to enroll in, the access start date, and the enrollment expiry date. Learn more about these options here: Bulk Enroll and Unenroll Students. Important notes about the Enroll learners option:
- You can enroll only in one product at a time. If you want to enrol users in more products, follow the steps here: Bulk Enroll and Unenroll Students and use the Imported by the [file name] filter to select imported users.
- By default, the search bar displays 25 products only. If you do not see your product on the list, start typing the name of the product to find the one you want to enroll users.
- Users can be enrolled in draft products.
- If users already exist and are enrolled in the product, their expiry date might be affected. Learn more here: Bulk Enrollment and Enrollment Duration (Expiration Date).
- Enrolling via a smart importer does not change the course completion percentage.
- You can enroll only in one product at a time. If you want to enrol users in more products, follow the steps here: Bulk Enroll and Unenroll Students and use the Imported by the [file name] filter to select imported users.
- Once additional actions are selected, select Review and import.
- Click Import and Enroll
Your import will begin and will work in the background. You will receive an on-screen notification, as well as an email, once the import is processed.
After your users are imported, you can assign user roles: How to Assign a User Role or enroll them into a group in bulk by using the Imported by the [file name] filter to select imported users in the User Table: User Table: User Report and Filters.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many students can I import at one time?
Smart Importer runs on the background, and as such, completion of the task can vary based on the number of records affected, and the date and time the process is run, as Thinkific is a shared platform amongst all users. There is a maximum of 50,000 users per import to ensure healthy system. Please split the file into multiple imports or contact Support if you are looking to regularly import a large number of students.
What happens if I re-import a student who already exists as a user?
If you import a user who already exists in the system, the first name, last name, and other custom fields will be updated if there are any changes. The email address acts as the unique identifier for each user. This means that the import will look for a matching email address and only update the first name, last name, and custom fields associated with that particular email address.
The Site Welcome email will not be sent again for existing users, even if it is enabled. The Site Welcome email can only be triggered on the initial creation of the user.
What happens if I re-enroll users into the same product during import?
If users already exist and are enrolled in the product you are enrolling them in, their expiry date might be affected. Learn more here: Bulk Enrollment and Enrollment Duration (Expiration Date).
If I bulk import users into Thinkific, will they be added to Mailchimp?
If you have the Mailchimp app installed on your site, users who are bulk imported from a file or from a migration will not be automatically added to Mailchimp. If you would like to add these users to Mailchimp as well, we recommend importing them separately using Mailchimp's import instructions.
I am seeing errors in the Country field when I try to bulk upload users.
If you are using a Country type custom field and importing users using Smart Importer, ensure that the values in the Country field use two-letter ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes (e.g. CA for Canada, UK for the United Kingdom, or US for the United States).
More About Managing Students
Bulk Enroll and Unenroll Students