# Import students from a spreadsheet — step 1: upload the file

> How to send the spreadsheet, pick the separator, and drop everyone into a cohort along the way.

## What you will get

A whole class registered at once instead of one at a time. The import has two
steps: **upload the file**, which is this article, and **say what each column
is**, which is the next one.

The path is **Students** and the **Import Students (CSV)** button, next to the
one that adds a single student.

## Before you start

Have the spreadsheet saved as **.csv** or **.txt**, at most 10 MB. If yours is
in Excel, use *Save as* and choose CSV.

The article on building the spreadsheet, right next to this one, lists the
columns and the accepted formats. It is worth reading before your first import —
after that, you already know.

## Step by step

![Upload screen, with the drop area, the Delimitador, Cabeçalho and Turma fields, and the Continuar para mapeamento button](/Apps/edupay/ajuda/importar-passo-1.png)
*Only the file is required. The four fields below already come set the way that works for most spreadsheets.*

**1. Drop the file onto the dashed area** or click it to pick from your
computer. As soon as it lands the border turns green and the file name appears.

**2. Leave the Delimiter on Automatic.** That is the character separating the
columns. The system usually works it out; use the list only when the preview on
the next step comes out scrambled.

**3. Leave the Header on Detect automatically.** It recognises the first line as
titles when it holds words like *name*, *email* or *cpf*. If your spreadsheet
starts straight at the first student, choose **No** — otherwise the first person
on the list is read as a title and never gets in.

**4. Pick a cohort, if you want one.** The **Cohort to include imported
students** field drops everyone in the file into one cohort in a single move.
Only open cohorts are listed.

That saves a fair amount of work: without it you would open cohort after cohort
afterwards.

**5. Decide about the access email.** The **Send portal access email after
import** box comes unticked. Ticked, every student with an email receives the
portal address and the temporary password at the end.

Leave it off while you are only tidying up records and do not want anyone
signing in yet.

**6. Click Continue to mapping.**

## How you know it worked

> [certo]
> The screen moves to the second step, telling you how many rows it found and
> showing two grey tags with the separator and the header it recognised. Nothing
> has been saved yet.

## If something goes wrong

> [erro]
> **The file is empty or has no valid rows.** The spreadsheet has only a header,
> or only blank lines. Check that you saved it after filling it in.
>
> **The upload was refused because of the format.** The system takes **.csv** and
> **.txt**. Excel (.xlsx) and Google Sheets files have to be exported first.
>
> **The spreadsheet is too big.** The cap is 10 MB, which is many thousands of
> students. If you hit it, there are probably empty rows or columns hanging
> beside your data — delete them and save again.
>
> **You chose Custom for the delimiter.** Then the field beside it is required,
> and it takes exactly **one** character.


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https://edupay.estudiosite.com/en/ajuda/day-to-day/import-students-upload-the-file
2026-08-05