How to Correctly Export Outlook Contacts?

Exporting Outlook contacts allows you to back up your data and even use it when changing devices or email systems. But is the process the same regardless of the Outlook version or device?

No, in fact, let’s look at how to export Outlook contacts in the new Outlook, Classic Outlook, and Mac devices.  

Export Outlook Contacts in New Outlook

1. Select the People icon from the left navigation bar. 

select the people icon from the left navigation bar

2. Choose the Manage Contacts icon from the Home tab. Export Contacts after managing contacts.

export outlook contacts in new outlook

3. Under Contacts from this folder, choose an option, then select Export.

export microsoft outlook contacts
4. Select which contacts you want to export and choose Export.

You may also like: How to Create a Contact Group in Outlook?

Export Outlook Contacts in Classic Outlook

1. In Outlook, select File.

export contacts from your outlook

2. Select Import/Export under Open & Export.

export outlook contacts in classic outlook
3. Select “Export to File.”

4. Choose Comma Separated Values.

choose comma seperated values

5. If necessary, scroll to the top of the Select folder to export from your inbox and choose the Contacts folder located under your account. Select Next.

backup outlook contacts
6. Select Browse, give your file a name, and click OK.

export outlook file contacts

7. After confirming the location on your computer where your new contacts file will be saved, click Next.

8. To begin exporting your contacts right away, choose Finish. 

choose the contacts folder you want to export

9. To make sure your contacts are there, find the newly created CSV file on your computer and open it in Excel.

find the csv file on your computer and open it in excel
10. Your contacts are now copied to a.csv file, which you may import into another email service or onto another computer running Outlook for Windows.

Export Outlook Contacts in Mac

1. Click on Contacts after launching Outlook for Mac.

2. Click the File menu and select Export.

3. When a box appears, it asks, “What do you want to export?” Select “Add contacts to a list (text separated by tabs).” Next, press the bottom right arrow.

4. A box to save appears. Enter the filename you wish to give it in the “Save As” area. Ensure that your file name ends with the “.txt” extension. Select “Where” and your desktop. Next, press the “Save” button.

5. Your contacts are then exported via Outlook. Click the Done button to finish the export.

How do I automatically export data from Outlook to Excel? 

1. After your contacts are copied to a .csv file, you can import them to another computer with Outlook for Windows or to another email service such as Excel. 

2. You would simply locate and click on your exported .csv file, which will automatically open up as an Excel file.

find the csv file on your computer and open it in excel

Takeaway

Exporting contacts makes sharing and working together so much easier. Additionally, management and organization become simpler. 

You can filter and sort contacts in an exported file to make it work. This facilitates communication and boosts productivity while also fostering better interpersonal relationships. Additionally, exporting your contacts on a regular basis allows you to efficiently manage and share your contacts list while safeguarding you against any data loss. 

How to export Outlook contacts lets you quickly move contacts from one platform to another, saving you time and effort. Hopefully, this article has helped break down how to effectively export your contacts in Microsoft Outlook. 

FAQ

How to export Outlook contacts to Excel?

1. Start Microsoft Outlook on your computer.

2. Navigate to your contacts by clicking on the “People” icon or selecting “Contacts” from the navigation pane.

3. Click on the “File” tab in the top left corner.

4. Select “Open & Export” from the menu.

5. Click on “Import/Export” to open the Import and Export Wizard.

6. In the Import and Export Wizard, choose “Export to a file” and click “Next”.

7. Choose “Microsoft Excel” or “Comma Separated Values (CSV)” as the file type you want to export. Excel is preferable for direct use, but CSV can be used if you plan to import it into Excel later.

8. Choose the “Contacts” folder you want to export. If you have multiple contact folders, make sure to select the correct one.

9. Click “Browse” to choose the location where you want to save the exported file. Enter a file name and click “OK”.

10. Click “Next” and then “Finish” to start the export process.

11. Once the export is complete, navigate to the saved file location and open it in Microsoft Excel to verify the contacts have been exported correctly.

How do I extract all email addresses from Outlook?

1. Open Outlook.

2. Go to the “File” menu.

3. Select “Open & Export” and then “Import/Export”.

4. Choose “Export to a file” and click “Next”.

5. Select “Microsoft Excel” or “Comma Separated Values” (CSV) and click “Next”.

6. Choose the contact folder you want to export from and click “Next”.

7. Choose a location to save the file and click “Finish”.

8. Open the exported file in Excel or any other spreadsheet program.

9. Look for the column containing the email addresses.

10. Copy the email addresses from this column.

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jon-harris

Jon Harris is a Technical writer with experience working for cybersecurity and tech related companies. He has a bachelor's degree in computer science and likes to read, hike, and fish in his spare time. He began his career in computer science before pursuing a career as a writer, and editor.