Import Data

LinkCentral allows you to import data directly from the Settings page. To begin:

1. Go to Settings → Import/Export
2. Click the Import button

Supported File Types

You can upload:

• .CSV files containing links
• LinkCentral .JSON files, which include both link and tracking data (exported via the Export Data method)

Importing CSV files

LinkCentral supports importing link data via CSV. The following fields are recognized:

Field name	Value
Title (required)	Any text value or basic characters
Slug (required)	The part after your domain (e.g., custom-slug) using only URL-safe characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -, _, /)
Destination URL (required)	The full URL you want to redirect to
Category	A list of categories separated by ;, or leave blank
Nofollow	Enable with: 1, true, yes, on, enabled Disable with: 0, false, no, off, disabled Leave blank for default
Sponsored	Same as Nofollow options
Parameter Forwarding	Same as Nofollow options
Redirect Type	Accepts 301, 302, 307, or leave blank for default
Note	Any text value

LinkCentral can also import files generated from other popular link tools, such as:

• ThirstyAffiliates
• PrettyLinks
• BetterLinks
• ClickWhale
• …and many others

Steps to import a CSV file

Step 1: Upload your file

Click Start Import, choose your CSV file, and then click Analyze File.

Step 2: Map fields

You’ll see a preview of the first 5 links in your file. Under Field Mapping, link each CSV column (first row) to the correct LinkCentral field.

Make sure to map all required fields: Title, Slug, and Destination URL.

If a column doesn’t match a LinkCentral field, choose Skip column & use default.

Click Continue to proceed.

Step 3: Choose Import settings

Configure how the import should handle data:

• Duplicate Slug Handling: Choose whether to skip duplicates (based on the slug) or update existing links with new data.
• Create Categories: Enable to automatically create new categories if they don’t already exist.
• Force URL Prefix: Apply your custom prefix (from the plugin settings) to all slugs. For example, with a prefix /go/:

Force URL Prefix?	Slug in CSV	Final imported slug
Yes	/custom-link	/go/custom-link
Yes	/go/custom-link	/go/custom-link
No	/custom-link	/custom-link
No	/go/custom-link	/go/custom-link

Check the Import Summary

Stay on the page until the import is complete. Once finished, review the Import Summary carefully. You will see the total links imported, as well as any failed links (including row numbers and error details). Fix any issues and re-import if needed.

---

Importing a LinkCentral JSON file

LinkCentral supports importing JSON files that were previously exported from the plugin. These include both link data and tracking data.

⚠️ Please remember to always backup your website before importing data.

Steps to Import a JSON file

Step 1: Choose your import mode

When importing a LinkCentral export file, you have two options:

A. Migration Mode (Recommended)

This creates new links with fresh IDs or updates existing links with the uploaded data. This is safe for any website and is best for:

• Moving links to a new website
• Importing links alongside existing ones (or – when selected – overwriting those)
• Merging data from multiple sources

B. Restore Mode

This creates new links based on the original link IDs when possible. This always overwrites existing link data and is best for restoring a backup to the same website and recovering its state.

If existing links with the same IDs do not exist, it tries to save links with the original link IDs if possible. The benefit of this is that your content with synced IDs will continue to redirect correctly because they keep referring to the same links.

If for any reason a post or page already exists with the same ID as an imported link ID, the link is saved with a new ID instead.

Step 2: Upload and Import

1. Under the Import/Export tab, choose “Start Import”
2. Select your export file
3. Choose your import mode (Migration or Restore)
   • If you want to import to a different domain, use Migration Mode. If you need to preserve the same IDs, use Restore Mode, but as mentioned above: handle this with care.
4. If using Migration mode, choose how to handle duplicates
5. Click “Start Import”
6. Stay on the page until completion

Step 3: Review Results

After import, you’ll see a summary showing:

• How many links were successfully imported
• Any links that were skipped
• Details about any errors that occurred
• Total analytics data imported

Troubleshooting

• Check the import summary, and in particular any message under ‘X links failed’.
• Please ensure your uploaded file does not exceed your server limits.
• Please confirm your file only contains valid data.
  • For CSV files, please check the table above with supported fields and characters.
  • For JSON files, please ensure you only use json files as generated by the LinkCentral Export method.