Import Links turns a spreadsheet into short links in three steps: upload, map columns, review. The mapping and review steps catch most problems, but it is quicker not to have them. Ten minutes on the file beforehand usually saves a second import.
The shape of the file
- One row per link, with headers in the first row. Lnki uses the header names to match columns automatically, so plain names such as
URL,Title,FolderandTagsare picked up without any work from you. - CSV or XLSX, up to 10 MB. From an Excel workbook, the first sheet is imported.
- Mind the row limit. One import holds up to 500 rows on the trial, 2,000 on Starter, 5,000 on Pro and 10,000 on Business. Split a longer list into several files.
- Or skip the file. Copy the cells from your spreadsheet and paste them under From Clipboard. The columns come along.
The Import Links page has a Download Sample File link if you would rather fill in a template.
Columns Lnki can read
Only the destination URL is required. Everything else is optional, and on the Map columns step you choose which column fills which field.
- Destination URL: the long address. It must start with
http://orhttps://. - Back-half and Title.
- Folder, Tags and Favorite. In a favorite column, yes, true or 1 stars the link.
- UTM source, UTM medium and UTM campaign.
- Expiry date and Password, on paid plans. A password needs at least eight characters, and an expiry date has to be in the future.
Most fields also take a default on the mapping step. A default fills the empty cells of a column, or gives every link the same value when no column is mapped. That is the easy way to put a whole import in one folder.
Back-halves
Custom back-halves are part of the paid plans, and they follow the same rules as everywhere else: lowercase letters, digits, - and _, unique on the domain.
On a paid plan, if you leave the cell empty, Lnki takes a back-half from the last part of the URL's path, so example.com/products/wool-coat becomes wool-coat. If that one is taken, the link gets a generated back-half instead. A back-half you supplied yourself is treated differently: if it is taken, the row is flagged so that you can choose another.
Folders and tags
A folder cell holds one folder name. A tags cell can hold several, separated by commas: launch, promo. A link can carry up to ten tags.
When you map a folder or tags column, the mapping step shows Create missing folders and Create missing tags. Both start switched on, so a name that does not exist yet is created during the import. Switch one off and a row naming an unknown folder or tag is flagged instead. Check the spelling first either way: Autumn launch and Autum launch would become two folders.
What gets skipped, and why
The Review & import step sorts the rows into Valid, Needs attention, Invalid and Duplicates before anything is created. The common reasons:
- Invalid URL. The cell is empty, is not a URL, or lacks
http://orhttps://. - Duplicate in the file. The same destination appears on two rows. The first is kept.
- Link already exists. A link with this destination is already in the workspace.
- Back-half taken or repeated. Another link on the domain uses it, or two rows ask for the same one.
- A field that does not validate: a password under eight characters, an expiry date in the past, more than ten tags.
You can edit or remove a row in the preview, and every change is checked again straight away. Two switches, Skip invalid rows and Skip duplicates, are on by default and leave the problem rows out of the import.
After the import
Links are created in the background, so you can leave the page, and a notification tells you when the import is done. The summary shows how many links were created, skipped or failed. What wasn't imported lists each of those rows with its reason, and Download error report saves the list as a CSV whose row numbers match your file, which makes it easy to fix the rows and import them again.
The import tutorial shows each screen. For regular imports from your own systems, the API has an import endpoint, described in the API reference.
