How to Import Contacts to Outlook - A Complete Guide

There can be many reasons for importing contacts into Outlook such as importing old contacts, migrating from another mail server, or saving all your contacts in one place. Whatever the reason, MS Outlook provides a simple way to import all your contacts in one go.

In this post, we will learn how to import contacts into Outlook using CSV, VCF, and PST files. We'll also learn how to import contacts from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Thunderbird, iCloud, iPhone, and Android to Outlook.

Import Contacts to Outlook from PST

1. Open MS Outlook and go to the File option
2. Click on the Open & Export and select the Import/Export option
3. Choose Import from another program or file and click on the Next button
4. Choose Outlook Data File (.pst) and click on the Next button.
5. Click on the Browse button and choose the PST file that you want to import
6. Choose Allow duplicates to be created and click on the Next button
7. Select Folder where you want to import data and select the Include subfolders option
8. Click on the Finish button.

Import Contacts to Outlook from CSV

1. Start Outlook and click on the File option
2. Choose Open & Export and choose the Import/Export option
3. From Import and Export screen, Choose Import from another program or file option and click on the Next button
4. Choose Comma Separated Values and click on the Next button.
5. Click on the browse button and select the .csv file.
6. Choose Allow duplicates to be created option and click on the Next button
7. Select the Contacts folder and click on the Next button
8. Click on the Map Custom Fields button and Map fields
9. Once done, click on the Finish button.

Import Contacts to Outlook.com

1. Sign in to Outlook.com
2. Click on the user's icon at the lower-left corner
3. Click on Manage and select Import Contacts
4. Click on the Browse button and select CSV file and click on the Open button
5. Click on the Import button.

Import Contacts to Outlook from Gmail

To import Gmail contacts to Outlook, you need to export Gmail contacts. After that, you can import exported files to Outlook.

Step 1: Export Gmail contacts to Outlook

1. Sign in to your Gmail account
2. Go to the https://contacts.google.com/
3. Click on the Export and select the Contact group
4. Select the Outlook CSV option and click on the Export button

Step 2: Import Gmail contacts to Outlook

1. Open Outlook and go to the File tab
2. Click on the Open & Export and select the Import/Export option
3. From Import and Export wizard, Choose Import from another program or file option and click on the Next button
4. From Import a File window, Choose Comma Separated Values and click on the Next.
5. Click on the browse button and select the .csv file where you saved your Gmail contacts.
6. Choose Allow duplicates to be created and click on the Next button
7. Select the Contacts folder and click on the Next button
8. Click on the Finish button.

Note: If you are facing a translation error message, open the exported CSV file in Excel. Then, use the Save as an option to save the contacts in a new .csv file. Once done, use the new .csv file to import the contacts into Outlook.

Import Contacts to Outlook from Yahoo Mail

1. Sign in to mail.yahoo.com
2. Click on the Contacts from the sidebar
3. Click on the Action Tab and select the Export All option
4. Click on Microsoft Outlook to download the contact list as a CSV file
5. Provide a location where you want to save the file and click on the Save button
6. Open Outlook and go to the File option
7. Click on the Open & Export and select Import/Export
8. Select Import from another program or file and click on the Next button
9. Choose Comma Separated Values and click on the Next.
10. Click on the browse button and select the exported .csv file.
11. Choose Allow duplicates to be created and click on the Next button.
12. Select the Contacts folder, click on the Next button and click on the Finish button.

Import Contacts to Outlook from AOL Mail

1. Sign in to mail.aol.com
2. Click on the Contacts from the left panel
3. Select Export from the drop-down menu
4. Choose Comma-separated value (CSV) and click on the Export button
5. Provide a location and click on the Save button
6. Start Outlook and click on the File option
7. Click on the Open & Export and select Import/Export
8. Choose Import from another program or file and click on Next
9. Choose Comma Separated Values (CSV) and click on Next.
10. Click on the browse button and select the exported .csv file.
11. Choose Allow duplicates to be created and click on the Next button.
12. Select the Contacts folder, click on the Next button and click on the Finish button.

Import Contacts to Outlook from Thunderbird

1. Open Thunderbird and click on the Address Book
2. Click on the Tools and select the Export option
3. Provide a location where you want to save exported CSV file and click on the Save button
4. Start Outlook and Go to the File
5. Click on the Open & Export and select Import/Export
6. Choose Import from another program or file and click on Next
7. Choose Comma Separated Values (CSV) option and click on the Next button.
8. Click on the browse button and select the exported .csv file.
9. Choose Allow duplicates to be created and click on the Next button.
10. Select the Contacts folder, click on the Next button and click on the Finish button.

Import Contacts to Outlook from iPhone

To import iPhone contacts to Outlook, we are going to use both iTunes and iCloud methods. You can choose any solution as per your convenience.

Sync iPhone Contacts to Outlook with iTunes

1. Connect your iPhone to the computer using a cable.
2. Click on the device icon and select Info from the side nav
3. Check Sync Contacts With and then choose Outlook.
4. Select All contacts and click on the Apply button to sync your iPhone contacts to Outlook
5. Launch Outlook and click on the Contacts tab
6. Once done, then Outlook will download iPhone contacts.

Import iPhone Contacts to Outlook using iCloud

In this method, you need to sync iPhone contacts with iCloud. After that, you can easily import contacts from iCloud to Outlook.

1. Unlock your iPhone and go to the Settings
2. In Settings, go to the iCloud
3. Sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID
4. Once you signed in, your contacts will automatically sync with iCloud

Import Contacts to Outlook from iCloud

To import iCloud contacts to Outlook, you have to export iCloud contacts to vCard files. After that, you need to convert VCF to CSV format. Once you get the CSV file, then you can import CSV to Outlook.

Step 1: Export iCloud contacts to vCard (.vcf)

1. Sign in to iCloud.com and select Contacts
2. Click on the Gear icon and choose the Select All option
3. Select the Gear icon again and choose the Export vCard option
4. Provide a location where you want to save the vCard file and click on the Save button

Step 2: Convert VCF to CSV

Here, we will convert the exported vCard file to a CSV file using the manual method.

1. Go to C:\Users\Admin\Contacts on your Windows machine
2. Click on the Import from the menu
3. Select vCard (VCF file) and click on the Import button
4. Select Exported VCF file and click on the Open button
5. For each contact, you have to click on the OK button
6. Once you have done, Choose Close
7. Click on the Export from the menu
8. Choose CSV (Comma Separated Values) and click on the Export button
9. Click on the Browse button, provide a location where you want to save exported CSV file, and click on the Save button
10. Choose Fields that you want to export into the CSV file and click on the Finish button
11. Click on the OK button to close the Popup message

Step 3: Import CSV to Outlook

1. Open Outlook and select File
2. Choose Open & Export and choose the Import/Export option
3. Choose Import from another program or file option and click on the Next button
4. Choose Comma Separated Values and click on the Next button.
5. Click on the browse button and select the exported CSV file
6. Choose Allow duplicates to be created and click on the Next button
7. Select the Contacts folder and click on the Next button
8. Click on the Finish button.

Import Contacts to Outlook from Android

In this method, we will export contacts from your Android phone. After that, we will import the exported VCF files into Outlook. If you have multiple contacts, convert VCF to CSV. Once done, import the CSV file into Outlook.

Step 1: Export Contacts from Android phone

1. Open your android phone
2. Go to the Contacts and click on the More button
3. Select settings and select Import/Export contacts
4. Select the Export to storage devices option
5. Select All contacts and click on the Export button
6. Now, transfer the VCF file to a Windows machine.

Step 2: Import VCF to Outlook

1. Launch Outlook
2. Go to the File option
3. Choose Open & Export and select the Import/Export option
4. Select Import a vCard file (.vcf) and click on the Next button
5. Select the VCF file which you exported and click on the Open button

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The Author

Deepak Singh Bisht

Content Lead |

Deepak Singh Bisht is a dedicated IT professional with over 9 years of experience, is a key member at SysCurve Software for the last 5 years. His expertise lies in email migration and data recovery, with a focus on technologies like MS Outlook and Office 365. Deepak, who also delves into front-end technology and software development, holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Applications.

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