There are any number of reasons a user may need to export their contacts from Outlook; to use those contacts in a mail merge; to create an invite list for a specific event; or to import them for use in another application (such as personal email or CRM).
Regardless of the reason, there are different ways of exporting contacts depending on the user’s version of Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Web. Take for example a user who needs to export their contacts from Outlook in order to send a marketing communication note using a 3rd party emailing tool.
The first thing you want to do is establish which version of Outlook (you will need to be logged into your Microsoft account to access this resource) the user is running. Use the links below to jump to the relevant section of this post for the specific version of Exchange:
- Exporting Contacts From Office 365
- Exporting Contacts From Outlook 2013/2016
- Exporting Contacts From Outlook for Mac 2016
- Exporting Contacts From Outlook Web App
Exporting Contacts From Office 365
If the user is running Office 365, follow these steps to export their contacts:
- Click the People tile in Office 365.
- You will see a list of your contacts, including: name, email address, etc.
- Select the contacts you want to export.
- Select the Manage drop down tab and Export contacts.
- Select export format> Microsoft Outlook CSV.
Once the export is complete, the CSV file can be used to import contacts into most third party applications.
Exporting Contacts From Outlook 2013/2016
If the user is running Outlook 2013/2016, they can perform the following steps to export their contacts:
- In the Outlook client, click File.
- Open & Export > Import/Export
- Choose Export to a file > Next
- Choose Comma Separated Values > Next.
- Choose the Contacts folder > Next.
- Choose a location to save this CSV file > Next > Finish.
Once the export is complete, the CSV file can be used to import contacts into most third party applications.
Exporting Contacts From Outlook for Mac 2016
If the user is running Outlook for Mac 2016, you can perform the following steps to export their contacts to an .olm file：
- Tools > select the contacts folder > click export.
- Select the Items to export > Contacts.
- Save it to an .olm file.
Once the export is complete, the CSV file can be used to import contacts into most 3rd party applications.
You can read more about exporting contacts from Outlook 2016 for Mac here.
Exporting Contacts From Outlook Web App (OWA)
At this time Microsoft does not support the export of contacts using native Outlook Web App. Instead users must to install the client version of Outlook in order to export their contacts and follow the appropriate instructions above.
As an alternative, Messageware offers this functionality through its OWA Desktop product, giving users the ability to export contacts without installing the Outlook client application.
Here’s how a user would export their contacts using OWA Desktop:
- Click the OWA Desktop Commander in the system tray and select > Import and Export.
- Select the Export Contacts
- Select the format you would like to export the contacts.
- Select the location you would like to save the export.
Once the export is complete, the CSV file can be used to import contacts into most 3rd party applications.
In addition to exporting contacts, OWA Desktop brings OWA webmail functionality to the user’s desktop, mirroring the desktop Outlook experience, but with the added benefit of a thin client. Like OWA on the desktop, there is no need for a log-on every time a user would like to view or send a message, or access their calendar. New mail and appointment alerts, with one-click access to advanced features, are provided to the user in real time – giving users all the functionality they have come to expect and depend on from Outlook.
