---
title: "How to create an SMS recipient list"
description: "Find out how to create a list of SMS recipients and import it into your OVHcloud Control Panel"
url: https://docs.ovhcloud.com/en/guides/web-cloud/messaging/sms/liste-de-destinataire-sms
lang: en
lastUpdated: 2022-08-05
---
# How to create an SMS recipient list

:::info
OVHcloud SMS offers are only available in the following countries: France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Italy and Poland.
:::

## Objective

To send an SMS campaign to multiple contacts, you can import one or more recipient lists into your OVHcloud Control Panel.

**Find out how to create a list of SMS recipients via a spreadsheet or text editor, and import it into the OVHcloud Control Panel.**

## Requirements

- an active [OVHcloud SMS account](https://www.ovhcloud.com/en-gb/sms/)
- a spreadsheet or text editor tool


***

### OVHcloud Control Panel Access

- **Direct link:** <ManagerLink to="/#/telecom/sms">SMS</ManagerLink>
- **Navigation path:** <code className="action">Telecom</code> > <code className="action">SMS</code> > Select your SMS account

***


![SMS Telecom Control Panel](/images/assets/screens/control-panel/product-selection/telecom/tpl-telecom-03-en-sms.png)
## Instructions

### Step 1: Creating your recipient list

#### Creating your list via a spreadsheet

You can create a recipient list via a spreadsheet, or use a list that already exists. This list must be in .csv format, and have the layout below in a spreadsheet:

![recipients](/images/web-cloud/messaging/sms/liste-de-destinataire-sms/img_4831.png)
:::warning
To ensure that the spreadsheet does not perform any automatic calculations on your numbers, you must customise the format of your `number` column.

In Microsoft Excel, select your entire `number`
 column, right-click, and click `Format Cells
`. Click `Custom
` and enter the following value in the `Type`
 field: `[>0]+0;Standard`
.
![recipients](/images/web-cloud/messaging/sms/liste-de-destinataire-sms/sms-recipientlist-2.png)
Under LibreOffice, select your entire `number`
 column, right-click, and click `Format Cells...
`. Enter the following value in the Format `Format code`
: `[>0]+0;Standard`

![recipients](/images/web-cloud/messaging/sms/liste-de-destinataire-sms/sms-recipientlist-2b.png)
:::

If you open a .csv file with a notepad program, it should look similar to this:

![recipients](/images/web-cloud/messaging/sms/liste-de-destinataire-sms/sms-recipientlist-1.png)
The following points are vital for your recipient list to be processed properly on the OVHcloud Control Panel:

- All of your contacts must be on the same sheet in your spreadsheet file, in a number column.
- Delete special characters (like accents) — they won't be accepted when importing the .csv file to the OVHcloud Control Panel.
- Phone numbers must be entered in international format (e.g. for a UK phone number: +44712345678).
- Save your spreadsheet file in .csv format (separator: semi-colon).

#### Creating your list with a text editor

An alternative method involves creating a .txt file via a text editor or notepad program.

- Enter `number` into the first line.
- Enter your phone numbers in international format (+44712345678), with one number per line.

You should end up with the result below:

![recipients](/images/web-cloud/messaging/sms/liste-de-destinataire-sms/sms-recipientlist-1.png)
### Step 2: Importing your list into the OVHcloud Control Panel

Click on the `Contacts
` tab and `Create a contact
` list.
![recipients](/images/web-cloud/messaging/sms/liste-de-destinataire-sms/sms-recipientlist-3b.png)
You can create up to 9 contact lists.

To do this, click `Actions
`, then `Add
`.
![recipients](/images/web-cloud/messaging/sms/liste-de-destinataire-sms/sms-recipientlist-5b.png)
Name your recipient list, and import your local file on to the OVHcloud Control Panel.

![recipients](/images/web-cloud/messaging/sms/liste-de-destinataire-sms/sms-recipientlist-6b.png)
### Step 3: Sending an SMS to your recipient list

Now that your list has been imported, you can follow the instructions in our guide on [Sending SMS messages via the OVHcloud Control Panel](/en/guides/web-cloud/messaging/sms/send-sms-control-panel.md) to send an SMS to the recipients of this list.

## Go further

[Sending SMS messages via the OVHcloud Control Panel](/en/guides/web-cloud/messaging/sms/send-sms-control-panel.md)

[Managing SMS address books](/en/guides/web-cloud/messaging/sms/sms-address-books.md)

Join our [community of users](https://community.ovhcloud.com/).