---
title: Spreadsheet import
description: Bulk-import an existing Excel or CSV catalog of your music library, with AI-assisted column mapping and duplicate detection before anything is saved.
---

From **Library → Import → Import from spreadsheet**, upload an Excel or CSV export of your existing music catalog.

1. **Upload**

    Upload your `.xlsx` or `.csv` file.

2. **Review the column mapping**

    Church Music Locker suggests which spreadsheet column matches each library field — check its guesses and adjust any that are wrong (or map a column it left unmatched).

3. **Review potential duplicates**

    Rows whose title and composer match a piece already in your library are flagged so you can skip them.

4. **Import**

    Confirm to bulk-create the pieces. Search indexing for the new pieces finishes in the background.

## Importable fields

Spreadsheet import can populate any of the fields below. **Title** is the only required one — a row with no title is skipped.

| Field | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| Title | Required |
| Subtitle | |
| Composer | |
| Arranger | |
| Lyricist | |
| Publisher | |
| Catalog number | Publisher plate/catalog number |
| Genre | e.g. Anthem, Hymn, Introit, Offertory, Response, Cantata, Solo, Instrumental, Service Music |
| Voicing | e.g. "SATB", "SAB", "Unison" |
| Instrumentation | |
| Key | e.g. "D major" |
| Duration (seconds) | |
| Difficulty | One of Beginner, Easy, Medium, Advanced, Difficult |
| Language | |
| Liturgical season | |
| Scripture references | |
| Occasion | |
| Hymn tune name | |
| Quantity owned | |
| Storage location | |
| Purchase date | |
| Purchase price | |
| Purchase source | |
| Copyright status | |
| External link | Must be a full `http(s)://` URL |
| Notes | |

:::note
Lyric text, program notes, and multi-movement structure (works and movements) aren't available through spreadsheet import — those need manual entry, editing after import, or a [scanned PDF](/docs/importing-music/scanning-a-pdf). Every row becomes a standalone top-level piece.
:::

## Column mapping

Church Music Locker uses AI to suggest a mapping from your spreadsheet's headers to the fields above, based on the header names and a sample of your data. It only maps a column when it's a clear match — review the suggestions and adjust anything before importing, since nothing is imported until you confirm.

## Duplicate detection

A row is flagged as a possible duplicate when its title and composer exactly match (case-insensitively) a piece already in your library. Flagged rows are shown so you can choose to skip or import them anyway — duplicate checking doesn't block the import automatically.