By the end of this guide, you'll know what rollbacks are, how to use them to quickly remove all leads from a specific CSV import, understand when rollback is the right choice versus manual deletion, and avoid accidentally losing important campaign data.

Mistakes happen during lead imports. You might import the wrong CSV, duplicate a previous import, or realize a lead list doesn't fit your campaign. Manually deleting hundreds or thousands of leads one-by-one wastes time. Rollback solves this by letting you delete all leads from a specific import in one click—fast, efficient, and precise.

However, rollback is permanent and irreversible. Understanding how it works prevents accidental data loss while giving you a powerful cleanup tool.

A rollback deletes all leads imported from a specific CSV file in one action.

How it works:

Example:

Before using rollback:

Step 1: Open your campaign

Go to Campaigns, then select the campaign containing the leads you want to remove.

Step 2: Open the Lead list and expand Import history

In the campaign, click Lead list, then expand Import history using the arrow icon on the right.

Step 3: Find the import to rollback

In Import history, you’ll see each CSV import with details like:

Locate the specific import you want to remove.

Step 4: Click the trash can icon

In the import row you want to remove, click the trash can icon to initiate the rollback.

Step 5: Confirm deletion

A confirmation dialog appears warning you that this action is permanent and can’t be undone.

If you’re sure, click Delete to permanently delete all leads from that import.

Step 6: Verify deletion

After confirmation, lemlist deletes all leads from that CSV import.

Return to the Lead list and verify:

When you rollback a CSV import:

❌ All leads from that import are permanently deleted from the campaign

❌ All associated metrics are lost – Opens, clicks, replies, bounce data for those leads

❌ Campaign statistics are recalculated – Your campaign's overall stats (reply rate, open rate) update to reflect the removal

❌ The CSV import record is removed from import history

What stays intact:

✅ Other imports and their leads (only the specific import is affected)

✅ Campaign structure, sequence, and settings

✅ Other campaign data unrelated to the deleted leads

💡 Important: If a lead from the rolled-back import replied or booked a meeting, that data is also deleted. Make sure to export or save important lead interactions before rolling back.

Use rollback when:

✅ You imported the wrong CSV file entirely

✅ You accidentally imported a duplicate list

✅ You imported test leads and want to remove them cleanly

✅ The entire import was bad data (wrong target audience, outdated contacts)

✅ You need to delete 100+ leads from a specific import (faster than manual deletion)

Use manual deletion instead when:

❌ Only a few leads from the import need to be removed (rollback removes ALL leads from that CSV)

❌ The import contains mostly good leads with a few bad ones (manually delete the bad ones only)

❌ You're unsure which import a lead came from (use filters and manual selection instead)

Marketing Team Imports Wrong Lead List

A marketing team runs two campaigns: one for enterprise clients, one for SMB clients. On Monday, they accidentally import the SMB lead list (smb_leads.csv, 500 leads) into the enterprise campaign.

Timeline:

Their decision:

They need to remove all 500 SMB leads from the enterprise campaign immediately.

Option 1: Manual deletion

Option 2: Rollback (chosen)

Outcome:

Key takeaway: Rollback cleaned up the mistake quickly. The cost was losing data for the 50 leads who received emails, but this was acceptable given the alternative was continuing to send wrong messaging to 450 more leads.

⚠️ Once confirmed, rollback cannot be undone.

Deleted leads are gone forever. Their data, activity history, and campaign metrics are permanently removed.

Best practice: Before rolling back, export the lead list and campaign analytics as a backup. If you later discover you need some of that data, you'll have a record.

When you rollback, campaign statistics update:

Before rollback:

After rolling back 500 leads:

This is expected behavior, your stats now reflect only active leads.

Always save your original CSV files locally before importing to lemlist.

Why:

Recommended workflow:

Issue: I can't find the Import history section

Root cause: Import history may be collapsed, or you don't have the right permissions.

Fix:

Issue: I rolled back the wrong import

Root cause: Selected the wrong CSV file in import history

Fix:

Issue: Rollback didn't delete all the leads

Root cause: Some leads may have been imported via a different CSV or method (manual import, CRM integration).

Fix:

Issue: I rolled back but campaign stats look wrong

Root cause: Stats recalculate after rollback, which may cause apparent discrepancies

Fix:

Label CSV files clearly before importing: Use descriptive file names with dates (e.g., enterprise_leads_Q4_2024-12-03.csv). This makes it easy to identify which import to rollback later if needed.

Export before rollback: Before rolling back, export the campaign lead list and analytics to CSV. This creates a backup in case you need to reference or restore data later.

Test imports with small batches: Import 10-20 leads first as a test. Verify they're correct before importing the full list. If the test batch is wrong, rolling back 10 leads is easier than 1,000.

Review import history regularly: Weekly or monthly, check your import history and remove any test imports or old batches you no longer need. Keeping it clean makes it easier to find the right import when you need to rollback.

Use tags before rolling back: If you're unsure which leads came from which import, tag them when importing (e.g., tag "Batch 1" for first import, "Batch 2" for second). Later, you can filter by tag to identify leads before rolling back.

Coordinate with your team: If multiple people import leads, use a shared document or Slack channel to log imports (date, file name, number of leads). This helps everyone track which import is which.

Pause campaigns before rolling back: If the campaign is active, pause it before rolling back to prevent new leads from being contacted while you're cleaning up.

Re-import immediately after rollback: If you rolled back by mistake and have a backup CSV, re-import it right away. The sooner you re-import, the less disruption to your campaign timing.