Error message when I try to upload new CSV file to a Viva Engage group

Question

Hi, i am having trouble uploading a file, it says that there is one already running. I tried to upload the same file a few days ago and it said error. I cannot find the section where you see the files that are in an update queue.

Answer 1

Dear @Colette Murphy,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum!

Thank you for reaching out and for sharing the details and screenshot. I understand how frustrating it can be when a bulk upload fails without a clear way to track or resolve it, especially when you need to add multiple members efficiently.

Based on what you’re experiencing, this behavior is related to an issue with the Viva Engage “Import from CSV” feature. Viva Engage currently allows only one CSV import operation per community at a time, and if a previous import job does not complete correctly, the system may continue to treat it as “running.” Unfortunately, there is no option in the Viva Engage interface to view, cancel, or clear pending import jobs, which is why you are seeing the message indicating that another import is already in progress.

This issue has been reported by multiple customers, and at the moment there is no official confirmation of a permanent fix for the Viva Engage CSV import feature itself.

Therefore, I have this workaround for you to try to see if it can help you:

While this behavior is being addressed, I recommend adding members in bulk through Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) instead. Each Viva Engage community is backed by a Microsoft 365 Group, and when members are added to that group, they are automatically synced to the Viva Engage community. In practice, this means:

• An IT administrator can use the Microsoft Entra admin center to bulk‑import members into the Microsoft 365 Group linked to the Viva Engage community.
• Once completed, the members will appear in the Viva Engage community without requiring a CSV upload in Viva Engage itself.
• If you do not have access to the Microsoft Entra admin center, I recommend contacting your IT administrator and asking them to perform this bulk member addition on your behalf.

I successfully tested this approach in a tenant experiencing the same issue, and it worked as expected, so it may be worth trying.

• Sign in to https://entra.microsoft.com
• Navigate to Groups.
• Locate the Microsoft 365 Group linked to your Viva Engage community (usually the same name).
• Open Members, then select Bulk operations and choose Import members.
• Download the CSV template provided by the portal. Keep the first row as is, and from the second row onward, enter the user Object IDs.
• Upload the completed file and select Submit.
• To verify the outcome, go to Bulk operation results.

How to get user Object IDs:

• In Entra admin center, go to All users.
• Select Bulk operations, then Download users.
• A pane will appear on the right, click Start download to generate the file.
• Once the process completes, click Download.
• In the downloaded file, the Object ID is listed under the column Id.

This approach bypasses the Viva Engage import pipeline and uses the underlying Microsoft 365 Group membership, which may help when the Engage bulk import feature is temporarily impacted.

Additionally, if using the Viva Engage CSV import feature is essential for your scenario, an administrator can also contact Microsoft Support through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. The support team may review the issue at the backend level and determine whether the stuck import job can be cleared for your tenant.

Also, please note that this is a peer‑to‑peer support forum. Microsoft Q&A moderators like myself, as well as other community members, share guidance based on personal experience and publicly available information. Due to security and privacy protocols, we do not have access to your internal environment and are unable to help you further or check your device directly. Our role is to help guide the discussion and connect you with relevant and helpful resources. I truly appreciate your patience and understanding in this situation.

I hope this clarification helps align expectations and provides you some insights in this concern. Wish you a pleasant day!

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