Export Outlook Contacts to CSV – Seamless Transfer Guide for All Devices

Export Outlook contacts to CSV file is an easy and effective way to backup or import your contact information. This procedure allows you to save your contacts in a universally compatible file format, which can be opened in an application like Excel or imported into other platforms.

Whether you want to move your contacts to a new email client or just need a secure copy, converting to CSV makes sure your data is easily accessible and portable. In this blog, we’ll explain the methods to help you export contacts from Outlook to CSV on Windows and Mac OS quickly and efficiently. So, let’s dive right in.

Overview of Outlook and CSV File

MS Outlook, as we are aware, is one of the most popular email services across the globe. It provides world-class filters and enhanced security features that set it apart from the rest of the email clients available in the market. On the other hand, the CSV Comma Separated Values is the most well-known file format used to store important information. It is the preferred format in many scientific and commercial processes.

Therefore, we have drafted this technical write-up to put an end to your hassle. In this article, we will explore different solutions you can opt for in order to export Outlook contacts to Excel or any other popular format of your liking.

Neet to Export Outlook Contacts to CSV File

Here, we have mentioned the most commonly known reasons.

• Organize or Management Data: A CSV file can be simply edited in a spreadsheet application like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. You can sort and organize your contact data to suit your specific needs (like adding custom columns, fixing formatting, or removing duplicates).
• Share Contacts with Others: If you need to share contacts with coworkers or a team, exporting them to a CSV file makes sharing easy. CSV files can be shared via email or cloud storage, and others can import the contacts into their own email clients.
• Enhanced Data Security: If you are concerned about security and want to keep a local copy of your contacts that is independent of cloud storage, converting to a CSV file allows you to save your data securely on your local machine or on a secure external drive.

As you see, converting Outlook contacts to CSV format is useful in numerous ways. Now, let us move further and see the expert-suggested solutions to accomplish the conversion.

Read More: Export Outlook Contacts to Google Contacts

Manual Way to Export Contacts from Outlook to CSV File

Though there are multiple methods available, we have described the easiest methods here:

1) Use Outlook’s Import/Export Option

Essentially, the Import/Export function allows users to import or export PST files, contact lists, calendars, and other data.

• In MS Outlook, click on the “File” option in the top left corner.
• Choose “Open & Export” >> “Import/Export” from the File menu.
• Select the “Export to a File” action and then select the “Comma Separated Values” format option.
• Now, from the folder tree, select the “contacts” folder to export.
• Next, click on “Browse” to set the destination location for the resultant file, name the file and click “OK.”.
• Lastly, select “Finish” to start exporting your contact data immediately.
• Locate the exported file on your computer and access it with MS Excel. If needed, edit and make changes to the file before importing it to another email application.

2) Export Outlook Contacts to CSV Use the Web Version of Outlook

In fact, the Outlook Web App stores all data in the cloud. That’s why it doesn’t support import/export features like the Outlook desktop client.

To export a contact group from Outlook Web, follow these steps:

• First of all, sign into your Outlook Web app.
• In the lower left corner of the window, click the People icon.
• Then, in the top right corner of the window, click “Manage” and select “Export Contacts” from the drop-down menu.
• Now, in the Contacts in this folder field, choose “All Contacts.” (You can select any specific folder if necessary.)
• Then click the Export button.

This method will save your contacts folder to your device in CSV format. You can access it via Excel.

3) Export Outlook Contacts to Excel Using Copy and Paste Method

If you want to export a specific contacts folder or just want to copy one or more contacts, then this method is for you.

1. Open Outlook. In the navigation or location bar, press the People icon.
2. In the current view group, click Phone or List to view your contacts in a table.
3. After that, in the left pane of the Show Columns window, select the required fields and click Add to include them in the right pane. After selecting all required fields, click OK.
4. Now you can press Ctrl+A to copy all contacts at once. Otherwise, press Ctrl+C to copy the contacts individually.
5. Once you have copied them, paste them into an Excel spreadsheet and arrange them as you wish.

Read More: Import Outlook Contacts to Thunderbird

So, you can convert Outlook contacts to CSV manually. but this solution will take a lot of time.

Limitations of the Manual Approach

• This manual approach heavily depends on the MS Outlook email client, i.e., one needs to have the respective email client to execute this solution.
• The solution is manual and requires maximum user interaction; this makes it prone to user errors, which could lead to atrocities like data loss.

These limitations strain the manual approach and restrict it from becoming an appealing choice of solution for users.

Important Note:

If you wish to export your Outlook contacts along with other items of the Outlook data file, opt for the expert-favorite SysTools PST Converter. The utility is proficient in converting and exporting Outlook data items into popular file and document formats. Moreover, to use this tool, you only need to have the Outlook data files i.e., this software is free from MS Outlook dependency. Using this expert suggested utility, you can successfully convert PST contacts to CSV without Outlook.

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Steps to Bulk Convert Outlook Contacts to CSV File

• Download and launch the expert utility on your computer.
  
• Select the radio button for the “Auto-Detect Folder Storage Location” to add Outlook Data File(s) into the software.
  
• Preview your uploaded data in the software’s user interface and click the “Export” button.
  
• Now, choose the “CSV” format from the provided option to export your Outlook contact list.
  
• Apply preferred advanced settings accordingly. Click “Browse” to set the preferred destination for the resultant files.
• Enable the “Maintain Folder Hierarchy” option and lastly, click on the “Export” button.
  

And that is all. Upon completing all the steps mentioned above, your Outlook contacts will be efficiently exported into CSV file format.

How to Export Contacts to CSV on Outlook for Mac?

For Mac Outlook users, technical professionals swear by the SysTools OLM Converter Software. This impeccable utility is a personal favorite of numerous technical professionals. Not only does it execute the entire task efficiently but it also maintains the utmost data security throughout the entire export process. The tool is also fully compatible with all Windows OS versions, whether it’s the latest Windows 11 or any other prior version.

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Software Steps to Convert Outlook to CSV Format on Mac

• Launch and start the expert software on your device.
  
• Click on “Add File” or “Add Folder” and add your Mac Outlook Data File/Folder accordingly. Click “Next”.
  
• Choose the “Export Selected Folders” option and select the “Contacts” folder once the tool completes scanning all your uploaded data.
  
• In the “Select Export Type” menu, select the “CSV” format from the provided options.
  
• Use the provided Advanced Settings: “Category Filter” and “Date Range Filter” for selective export.
  
• Click the “Change” button to set the preferred destination to store the resultant CSV files on your system.
  
• Upon completing all the above steps, click the “Export” button to initiate the process.
  

And you are done with successfully exporting your Mac Outlook contacts to CSV file format. As you see, all the steps are extremely easy and quick to execute; thus, they can also be executed by a novice user.

So There You Have It

In this article, we explained how you can export Outlook contacts to CSV file format. We shared a manual solution and the top expert-suggested automated solutions that you can opt for to export Outlook contacts to Excel smoothly and hassle-free. Whether you have a Windows or Mac OS system, this article contains the best expert-recommended solutions for both operating systems.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How to convert Outlook contacts to CSVwindow and Mac?

Since the Outlook desktop client on Mac can only export files in OLM format, you can only export contacts to CSV format through Outlook.com.

1. Go to Your Outlook and Choose the People icon
2. After that, click on Manage and select Export Contacts.
3. Export your contacts to CSV format.

Q: Can I convert Outlook contacts with custom fields to CSV?

Yes, you can insert custom fields when exporting contacts to CSV from Outlook. Ensure that custom fields are mapped correctly throughout the export process; Method 1 can be used for this purpose.

Q: Will exported contacts be removed from my Outlook account?

No, when exporting contacts, a copy of the contacts will be saved in a CSV file. They then remain in your Outlook account. After exporting, your contacts will remain in Outlook.