How to Bulk-Copy DIDs From One DID's Settings in VICIdial

When a Carrier hands you a block of new inbound numbers, configuring each one by hand is slow and easy to get wrong. DID Bulk Copy solves that. It takes one already-configured DID (direct inward dialing) - your template - and stamps its settings onto every number in a list you paste in. One number set up exactly right becomes fifty in a single pass, all behaving identically from the moment they go live.

This is the tool you reach for after a number-porting order clears, or when you onboard a new client who needs a pile of inbound numbers that all route the same way. Rather than recreating the same routing decisions over and over, you build the decision once and copy it everywhere.

What the tool actually copies

You pick a source DID from the dropdown, and every setting on that DID is applied to each new number you insert. That includes its routing target and its DID route - where inbound calls on the number end up. The new numbers arrive as inbound DIDs sharing the same behavior as the source. So the real work is upfront: build one number exactly right, test it end to end with a live call, and only then use it as the master copy.

Because the source is just an ordinary DID record, you have full control over what gets cloned. Want all the new numbers to land in one Ingroup? Point your template there first. Want them to pass through a greeting before they hit agents? Wire the template into an IVR (interactive voice response), confirm it, then copy.

The rules for the number list

Paste your numbers into the list field, one per line. Two constraints apply:

• Each number must be between 2 and 20 digits long. Most real inbound numbers sit well inside that range, but the lower bound matters if you are pasting short internal codes.
• A Duplicate check runs before anything is written. Any number that already exists as a DID is skipped, so you cannot accidentally clobber a live route by re-pasting an old list - the existing record is left untouched.

How the copy flows

flowchart TD
  A[Pick source DID] --> B[Paste number list]
  B --> C{2 to 20 digits?}
  C -- No --> D[Reject entry]
  C -- Yes --> E{Already a DID?}
  E -- Yes --> F[Skip duplicate]
  E -- No --> G[Insert with copied settings]
  G --> H[New inbound DID live]

When this saves the most time

Bulk Copy shines when many numbers should behave identically - a pile of local-presence numbers all pointing at the same queue, or a DID (direct inward dialing) block for one client that should all hit the same greeting. Build the template, paste the list, done. If the numbers need to differ from each other, copy them as a batch first to get the shared baseline, then edit the handful of exceptions individually afterward.

One caution worth repeating: the source DID's settings are copied as they exist at the moment you run the tool. If you later change the master, the copies do not update with it. Each new DID is an independent record from the instant it was created, so plan a second copy pass or a manual edit if the routing changes across the whole block later.

Where it sits among the other tools

DID Bulk Copy is one entry on the bulk admin screen alongside the AC-CID and user tools. For the full map of what each one does, see our guide to VICIdial admin bulk tools. When it is time to retire numbers instead of adding them, read how to bulk-delete DIDs - and note why you can never remove the default DID.

Running a managed dialer means these admin screens stay reachable and fast without you babysitting the box, and a fresh server is ready in under 40 seconds. Compare plans on VICIfast pricing.