How to Export Contacts from Velveteen
Updated August 11, 2026
An administrator can export the active workspace's CRM contacts from Dashboard, CRM, Contacts by selecting Export CSV. Velveteen returns a formula-safe CSV with up to 10,000 contacts, records bounded counts and hashes in the audit log instead of raw addresses, and does not return a file when the audit checkpoint or safe row bound fails.
Use contact export for the selected, active email workspace. CRM data remains workspace-scoped: a foreign workspace or malformed contact row fails closed rather than appearing in the download. For consent and source review, see Email CRM and Consent and Reviewing email imports.
How do I export contacts as a CSV?
- 1
Open Canonical CRM
In Dashboard, open CRM and select Contacts. The Contacts screen is the canonical CRM entry point. - 2
Select Export CSV
Select Export CSV at the top of the Contacts screen. Velveteen uses the selected workspace and requests the export from its administrator-only contact endpoint. - 3
Save the download
A successful response downloads velveteen-email-contacts.csv. The file contains the contact identifier, three email fields, first and last name, status, and created and updated timestamps.
What does Velveteen record when I export?
Before returning the CSV for a resolved workspace, Velveteen writes a contacts.exported audit event. Its metadata records the exported count, total available count, whether the result was truncated, the CSV format, and the exported field names. It does not put raw email addresses in that audit metadata.
What should I do if the export does not download?
- 1
Check the workspace and permission
Confirm that you are an administrator and that the selected workspace is active and configured for CRM. - 2
Check the error state
A contact-read, malformed-row, or audit-checkpoint problem returns a retryable error. A workspace with more than 10,000 available rows returns the safe-row-bound error. - 3
Retry after the issue is resolved
The server does not return a partial CSV for these failures. Resolve the workspace or service issue, then select Export CSV again.
Heads up
Frequently asked questions
Who can export contacts?+
The contact export is administrator-only. The CRM API requires email-admin access before it resolves the selected workspace or reads contact data.
Which fields are in the CSV?+
The CSV contains id, email, email_key, email_submitted, first_name, last_name, status, created_at, and updated_at.
How many contacts can I export?+
A single export is limited to 10,000 rows. If the workspace has more than 10,000 available contacts, Velveteen returns a retryable safe-row-bound error instead of silently truncating the file.
Are spreadsheet formulas executed?+
No. Values beginning with =, +, -, or @ are prefixed with an apostrophe before they are placed in the CSV, so spreadsheet software does not treat them as formulas.
What happens if the export fails?+
If the contact read, row validation, or audit checkpoint fails, Velveteen returns a retryable error and no CSV file. Retry after the underlying workspace or service issue is resolved.
Related articles
Email CRM
Manage the canonical contact record, consent evidence, audiences, source history, and privacy controls without mixing account or purchase status with marketing permission.
Reviewing email imports
Run a staging-only CSV dry run, inspect its counts and consent mapping, then approve or cancel the reviewed import.