Outlook Contacts: Export and Import Guide

To export or import Outlook contacts, use a CSV file: in classic Outlook for Windows, go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export and follow the export or import wizard. In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, use People > Manage contacts and choose Export contacts or Import contacts; the exact options depend on which Outlook version you use.

Choose the right Outlook version

Outlook has several interfaces, and their contact tools do not all have the same menus. Classic Outlook for Windows is the desktop program with the File tab and an Import/Export wizard. New Outlook for Windows has a redesigned interface closer to Outlook on the web. Outlook on the web runs in a browser, while Outlook for Mac has its own menus and feature differences. First identify which version you have; instructions for one may not match another.

In classic Outlook for Windows, the File tab is a useful clue. If you do not see it, you may be in new Outlook. In the newer interface or a browser, open People, the contacts area, and look for Manage contacts. If a menu item is missing, check whether your Outlook has been updated or whether your organization has disabled a feature.

Exporting creates a separate copy of contacts in a file; it does not remove them from Outlook. Importing adds records from a file to a chosen contacts folder. These are different from syncing: if two apps are connected to the same mailbox, changes can appear in both without a CSV transfer.

Prepare contacts before exporting

Check which account and folder contain the contacts you need. Outlook can show contacts from multiple accounts, and the wizard may ask you to choose a specific Contacts folder. A local contacts folder, a work or school mailbox, and a shared mailbox are not necessarily the same collection. Exporting the wrong folder can produce a valid CSV that appears incomplete.

Open People or the Contacts view and confirm the account and folder.
Remove test records or outdated entries if they should not be included.
Decide whether you need every contact or only a selected group. The classic export wizard generally exports the selected folder, not just the contacts currently visible after a search.
Choose a secure location for the export file. A contacts CSV can contain personal phone numbers, addresses, and business details.

If the contacts are important, keep an untouched export as a backup before editing or importing anything. CSV means comma-separated values: it is a portable table, but it does not preserve every Outlook feature, such as contact photos, categories, or all specialized fields.

Export contacts from classic Outlook for Windows

In classic Outlook for Microsoft 365 on Windows, the built-in wizard exports contacts to a CSV file. Follow these steps:

Select File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
Choose Export to a file, then select Next.
Select Comma Separated Values, then select Next.
Choose the Contacts folder for the account you want. If the folder has subfolders, select the appropriate folder and decide whether subfolders should be included if the wizard offers that option.
Select Next, choose a file name and location, and finish the wizard.

Give the file a clear name, such as contacts-work-2026-11.csv, so you can distinguish it from an older export. If Outlook asks you to confirm the export format, accept the CSV choice. You can open the file in Excel to inspect it, but avoid saving it in a different format if you intend to import it as CSV. Spreadsheet programs may alter phone numbers, postal codes, or date-like values when they interpret a file.

Import a CSV into classic Outlook

Before importing into your main contacts folder, consider testing the file in a spare folder or using a small copy with a few records. That helps reveal field or duplicate issues without mixing hundreds of contacts into your everyday list. To import in classic Outlook for Windows:

Select File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
Choose Import from another program or file, then select Next.
Select Comma Separated Values, browse to the CSV file, and choose how Outlook should handle duplicates.
Select the destination Contacts folder. Check the account name and folder carefully before proceeding.
Finish the wizard. If the Map Custom Fields option appears, review it before completing the import.

The duplicate choices have different results. Allow duplicates to be created can add repeated records. Replace duplicates with items imported can overwrite matching entries with the file’s details. Do not import duplicate items skips records Outlook identifies as duplicates. Matching is not a guarantee that two people with similar names are the same person, so review the source data and make a backup before choosing an option that replaces information.

Use new Outlook or Outlook on the web

In current versions of new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web, open People, then choose Manage contacts. Select Export contacts to save a contacts file, or Import contacts to select a CSV file from your device. Follow the on-screen prompts and check the selected account or folder. Menu labels and availability can change as Microsoft updates the interface, and work or school administrators may restrict contact actions.

If you use Outlook on the web, confirm that you are signed in to the account that should receive the contacts. Importing into a personal Microsoft account instead of a work mailbox, for example, can leave the records in the wrong place even though the import itself succeeds. After the transfer, refresh People and search for a contact you know should be present.

For a large list, do not assume that a successful upload means every column was interpreted as intended. Inspect several records with different kinds of details, including one with multiple phone numbers or an organization name. If the web import reports an error, check the CSV’s headings and format, then try a small sample to isolate the problem.

Outlook for Mac and other contact formats

Outlook for Mac has different import and export options from classic Outlook for Windows, and the available choices can vary by Outlook build. Do not follow the Windows Import/Export wizard steps unless your Mac version actually displays that wizard. If you need a CSV specifically, Outlook on the web is often a practical route: sign in to the same mailbox, open People, and use Manage contacts if those controls are available for the account.

Outlook may also work with vCard files, commonly ending in .vcf, depending on the version and task. A vCard is useful for sharing one or a few individual contacts with another person or device. CSV is generally more suitable for moving a list because it represents contacts in rows and fields. Neither format should be assumed to carry every Outlook detail, so check the result in the receiving app.

If your goal is simply to see the same contacts on a Mac, phone, and web browser, signing in to the same Microsoft account and enabling its contact sync may be more appropriate than repeatedly importing files. Sync keeps a shared collection up to date; a CSV import is a one-time copy and can create duplicates if repeated.

Check field mapping and data quality

A CSV is a table, so Outlook must match each column to a contact field. Common columns include first name, last name, email address, company, business phone, and mobile phone. A file created by another contact app may use different headings or combine several details in one column. If Outlook cannot recognize a column, the data may be omitted or placed in an unexpected field.

When the classic wizard offers Map Custom Fields, compare the source columns with Outlook’s destination fields. Drag or match a source field to the appropriate Outlook field when needed, then inspect the mapping before finishing. For example, a source column called Cell may need to map to Mobile Phone. A column containing a complete name may not automatically split into first and last names as you expect.

Check a contact with a middle name, suffix, or multiple email addresses.
Look for phone numbers that lost a leading zero or country code.
Confirm that company, department, and address values landed in their intended fields.
Check for blank rows, repeated headings, or commas and line breaks inside values that may have been exported incorrectly.

Excel can help inspect or clean a CSV, but it may automatically interpret data. For instance, a number beginning with zero may be treated as a number and lose that zero. Keep a backup of the original file, and use import options that preserve text where appropriate rather than casually opening, editing, and resaving the only copy.

Common problems, privacy, and safe backups

If contacts do not appear after an import, first verify the destination folder and account. Then search by email address, which is often more distinctive than a name, and check whether a filter or view is hiding the record. Wait briefly and refresh the view if the mailbox is syncing. If only some fields are missing, revisit the CSV headings and field mapping instead of importing the entire file repeatedly.

If you see duplicates, stop before running the import again. Compare a few records to determine whether the duplicates differ in email address or other details. You can remove unwanted copies manually or prepare a corrected file, but deleting contacts in a synced account may also remove them from other connected devices. A backup gives you a way to recover information that was overwritten or deleted.

Treat exported contact files as sensitive. Store them in a location protected by your device or organization’s security controls, do not attach them casually to email, and delete temporary copies when you no longer need them. A CSV is not a password-protected Outlook mailbox; anyone who can access the file may be able to read its contents. For work contacts, follow your organization’s data-handling rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does exporting Outlook contacts delete them?

No. Exporting makes a separate file and leaves the original contacts in Outlook. Deleting the contacts or the exported file is a separate action.

Can I export Outlook contacts to Excel?

Classic Outlook for Windows exports a CSV file, which Excel can open. CSV is not the same as an Excel workbook, so save a separate copy as an Excel workbook only if you need spreadsheet features and do not plan to import that workbook as the original CSV.

How do I import contacts without creating duplicates?

In classic Outlook, choose Do not import duplicate items in the import wizard if that suits your needs. Review the file first: Outlook’s duplicate detection may not identify every equivalent contact, and the choice can skip records it considers duplicates.

Why are some contact fields missing after import?

The CSV headings may not match Outlook fields, or a field may not be supported in the transfer. Review Map Custom Fields when offered and check sample records before importing the full list.

Can I move contacts between Outlook accounts?

Yes. Export the contacts from the source account to a CSV, then import that file while signed in to the destination account. Confirm the destination folder and account, and check for duplicates because importing makes a copy rather than moving the original records.

Should I use CSV or vCard?

Use CSV for a list of contacts and vCard when sharing individual contact cards, if both apps support the format. Check the imported result because neither format necessarily transfers every Outlook-specific detail.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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