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    Home»Email»Outlook»How to Export and Import Outlook Contacts

    How to Export and Import Outlook Contacts

    Jabin ManandharBy Jabin ManandharDecember 7, 2023 Outlook 5 Mins Read

    If you are looking for a way to create a backup of your Outlook contacts, Outlook already has a built-in option called “Import/Export.”

    Depending on the Outlook version, you can export all your Outlook contacts in the PST or CSV format. 

    To export specific contacts only, you can create a separate contact folder and select that folder while exporting.

    Once you export contacts from Outlook, you can import them to another Outlook application or even a different email client like Gmail/Google Contacts.

    Quick Tip:  To copy/move a contact, select the desired contacts first. Then, drag and drop them to the desired custom contacts folder while pressing the right-click. Choose the Copy/Move option upon release.

    On Windows

    1. Open the Outlook app.
    2. Click the File menu.
    3. Then, select Open & Export in the sidebar.
    4. Now, in the right pane, select the Import/Export button.
      Click-Export-Outlook-Desktop
    5. On the next prompt, select Export to a file option.
      Choose-Export-to-a-file-option-Outlook
    6. Select one of the following options according to your preferences. Here, we are exporting the PST file, but the process is almost similar.
      • Comma Separated Values: Export contacts to a CSV file that you can open in spreadsheet applications like Excel and Google Sheets
      • Outlook Data File (.pst): Export to a PST file that you can directly open and import on the Outlook desktop app
        Choose-Export-format-for-Outlook-contacts
    7. Next, choose the account containing the contacts you want to export.
    8. Select the contact folder you want to export. To export all the Outlook contacts, select the root Contacts folder and enable the Include subfolders checkbox.
      Select-the-Outlook-contact-folder-you-want-to-export
    9. Click Browse to export the file to a preferred location. Additionally, choose one of the options under the Options section if you want to allow or prevent duplicate items inside the exported folder.
      Save-and-export-file-to-preferred-file-location
    10. When done, click Finish.
    11. Enter a password to make it secure. Note it down somewhere as you will require it when importing.
    Note: While exporting contacts in CSV format, you can use the Map Custom Fields option to export specific contact field values like Email or Address. For this, click Clear Map. Then, drag the field values you want to export from left to right.

    On Mac

    1. Open the Outlook app.
    2. Click the File menu and select Export.  If the Export option is greyed out, revert to the legacy Outlook version.
      Select-Export-Outlook-Mac
    3. Uncheck all other items except the Contacts option and click Continue.
      Export-Outlook-contact-OLM-format-Mac
    4. Next, provide a file name and browse to your preferred location to save the file.
    5. When done, click Save.
    Note: As of today, Outlook for Mac only allows you to export in the OLM format. So, you can only import the contacts using it on another Mac system. While some online services can convert the OLM file to CSV, you may miss some details.

    On Outlook Web

    1. Open a browser and sign in to your Outlook account.
    2. Then, click the People icon in the sidebar.
    3. Now, select Manage contacts > Export contacts in the top bar. Look for it under the Home tab.
      Export-Outlook-contact-Outlook-web
    4. On the Export contacts window, select All contacts or other contact folders you have created.
      Select-the-Contact-folder-you-want-to-export
    5. Click Export.
    6. On the next window prompt, browse the preferred location to save the CSV file.
      Export-CSV-file-Outlook-contacts
    7. When done, click Save.

    How to Export My Outlook Contacts to iCloud?

    As of today, Outlook doesn’t provide an option to directly export its contacts to iCloud. However, you can easily view and sync all your Outlook contacts to the Contacts app on your iPhone. 

    For this, you just have to add the Outlook account to your Mail app.

    1. Open the Settings app.
    2. Go to Contacts > Accounts.
    3. Tap Add Account.
      Add-Outlook-account to iPhone
    4. Choose Microsoft Exchange or Outlook.com. Sign in with the necessary account credentials when prompted.
      Select-Outlook
    5. Once the Outlook account is added, toggle on the button next to Contacts and tap Save.
      Sync-Outlook-contacts-to-iPhone
    6. Now, you can access all the Outlook contacts inside the Contacts app on your iPhone.
      Access-Outlook-contacts-inside-iPhone-Contacts

    How to Export Outlook Contacts in My Global Address List?

    Using the Global Address List, you can access all the shared contacts of each account connected to the same Microsoft Exchange server that you are connected to. 

    1. Open the Outlook app.
    2. Click the People icon.
    3. Then, select Address Book under the Home tab. Look for it at the end inside the Find section.
      Click-Address-Book Outlook Desktop
    4. On the next window, select Global Address List under Address Book.
    5. Select the contacts you want to export. Press and hold the Ctrl/Shift key to select multiple items.
      Select-Properties-of-Global-Address-List-contacts-Outlook
    6. Now, right-click and select Add to Contacts.
    7. After the contacts are added, export them in the PST or CSV file format as mentioned in the above section.

    How to Export Outlook Contacts to vCard?

    By default, you can only export Outlook contacts in either PST or CSV file. As a workaround, you can use the forward option to send a contact as an attachment in vCard format (vcf).

    This is particularly useful when exporting contacts to a different email client like Gmail/Google Contacts or even devices like Android and iPhone.

    For this,

    1. Click the People icon and select a contact.
    2. Then, right-click and select Forward Contact > As a Business Card.
      Export-Outlook-contacts-to-vCard-
    Note: Even if you select and forward multiple contacts in vCard format, you have to open and save each contact manually as Outlook treats them as separate items.
    Jabin Manandhar

      As a tech content writer, Jabin covers Excel-related articles at InsideTheWeb. His articles mainly involve helping new users to quickly familiarize themselves with the Excel interface and explaining various essential features. While he got introduced to Excel in his early school days, he developed a keen interest in it after working on a college project. He was impressed at how quickly one could accomplish several tasks with built-in functions like the filter function and user-friendly tools like the power query. Keeping beginner audiences in mind, he loves to explain even the most fundamental Excel concepts in detail and break down complex topics with a step-by-step approach. As an avid Excel user, he believes every task can be done a lot quicker if you know the right tools and techniques. When he’s not behind a keyboard, he loves to listen to interesting audiobooks and podcasts.

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      • How to Export My Outlook Contacts to iCloud?
      • How to Export Outlook Contacts in My Global Address List?
      • How to Export Outlook Contacts to vCard?
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