Export Contacts from Office 365: Detailed Steps Explained

When it comes to managing contacts, the ability to export contacts from Office 365 is an important skill. Whether it is a user who is switching to a different email platform, creating backups, or needing to make a copy of the contacts in a more accessible format, exporting contacts is a very straightforward process that ensures that a user has control over the important information. Many Users can safeguard their contacts by exporting them. This is especially important when it comes to migration to another service, or even taking regular backups. Regardless of the reasons, exporting contacts from Office 365 provides users with a lot of flexibility and security. 

In this article, we are going to help you cover Outlook 2010, 2013, and 2016. We are also going to discuss the steps involved in Outlook 365 and Outlook Express. We are also going to suggest an automated tool that can carry out this process for you with just the click of a button.  

Table of Content:

1. Exporting Contacts Prerequisites
2. Steps to Export Contacts From Outlook 2013 and 2016
3. Export Contacts From Outlook 2010
4. Export Contacts From Outlook 2013 and 2016
5. Export Contacts From Outlook 365
6. Exporting Contacts from Outlook Express
7. Using an Automated Tool to Simply Export Contacts From Office 365
8. Common Uses for Exported Contacts From Office 365
9. Conclusion

Exporting Contacts Prerequisites

Before we begin with the steps to export contacts from Office 365, it is important to ensure that you have everything that is required to complete this process smoothly. The first thing that a user has to do is to access the Office 365 account. It could be a personal account or an account that is for work or school. 

Ensure that all the necessary permissions are granted. In most cases, you will be able to export the contacts without any permission if you are the account owner. However, if you are part of an organization, then you should ensure that you have the right privileges to export the data. This requires administrative rights or specific export permissions set up by the organization’s IT department. 

You will also need access to the Outlook Web Application or the Outlook Desktop Application. Both of these platforms offer users the ability to export contacts, but these steps vary depending on the one that you opt for. 

Steps to Export Contacts From Outlook 2013 and 2016

Now that users are ready to export contacts from Office 365, let us begin with the steps. This guide covers both the Outlook 2010, 2013, and 2016. We are also going to discuss the steps involved in Outlook 365, and Outlook Express so that you can opt for the best method that suits your requirements. 

Export Contacts From Outlook 2010

To export contacts from Outlook 2010, follow the steps given below: 

1. Open Outlook 2010, and then go to files. Click on Options. 
2. Choose the advanced tab, and then click on the Export option. 
3. Click on “Export to a file”, and then click Next. 
4. Choose the Comma Separated Values (.csv) file and then click on Next. 
5. Select the folder that you need to export. In order to export all the contacts, click on the Contacts folder.
6. Click on Browse, and then choose the location where you want to save the file. Name the file, and then click on OK. 
7. Select Next, and then Finish. 

If your email addresses are stored in distribution lists or Groups and are not stored as contacts, then the best way to extract them is to copy them from Outlook 2010 and paste them into a spreadsheet. 

1. Open Outlook, and click on Contacts. 
2. In the Current View, choose the List option. 
3. Choose the contacts that need to be copied.
4. Copy these selected contacts, and then paste them into a Spreadsheet. 
5. Save this file in CSV or XLS format. 

Ensure that this is formatted correctly which helps in preventing any input errors. Before uploading, check whether the contact headings match the standard heading before uploading them. You can create a custom field if you have column headings that don’t match the standard headings, but you still want to keep them.

Also Read: How to Save Outlook Email as PDF with Attachments?

Export Contacts From Outlook 2013 and 2016

Exporting contact files from Outlook 2013 or 2016 results in a CSV file that contains all of your contacts and columns that are unnecessary in Constant Contact. Once you export all the files from Outlook, you can narrow down the excess information and ensure that the files are formatted with the standard heading which is recognizable before importing them. If you want to keep the column headings but don’t match the standard headings, then a custom field can be made to capture them during the import process. Here are the steps to export contacts:

• Open Outlook, and then click on the file option. 

• Open & Export > Import/Export.

• Select the “Export to a file” option and then click on Next.

• Choose Comma Separated Values, and then click on the Next option.

• Under the personal folders section, choose contacts. 

• Click on Browse, and select the name and the location where you want to export the file. 

• Click on Finish. 

Export Contacts From Outlook 365

• Open Outlook 365 and then go to Applications. 
• Select the People option.

• Manage > Export contacts. 

• Choose “All contacts” and select a folder of contacts. 

• Finally, Click on the export option.

Ensure that all the contacts are formatted correctly to prevent any errors in the import file. Before you upload this, make sure that the contact headings match the standard headings used in constant contact. 

Exporting Contacts from Outlook Express

It is important to note that the contacts that are stored in Outlook Express, should be exported into a CSV file so that these can be imported into constant contact. However, these contacts should be stored in a Top Level Address Book folder. Here are the steps to export contacts from Outlook Express. 

1. Open Outlook Express, and select File > Export > Other Address Book. 
2. Choose the Comma Separated Values (CSV), and then click on the Export option. 
3. Browse to the directory where you are going to export the file. 
4. Click on Save, and then the next option. 
5. Now, choose the field that you want to import into Constant Contact. You will have the option to rename these headings later. 
6. Finally, click on the Finish option. 

Using an Automated Tool to Simply Export Contacts From Office 365

As you have already seen, the process of exporting contacts from Office 365 manually is a tedious one, which can lead to a lot of issues if not done correctly. Hence, we advise that you use an automated tool that can perform the entire process for you with just the click of a button. We suggest that you use one of the best tools in the industry which is the SysTools Office 365 Export Tool. This tool helps simplify the process to export Office 365 contacts to VCF format. This overcomes the limitations of the manual methods and also eliminates its needs. You can use this software to simply export Office 365 mailboxes to PST.

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It has several useful features that are discussed below: 

1. Helps users export contacts, along with Contacts, and calendars from Office 365 user accounts. 
2. Helps users extract from Office 365 into PST, EML, MBOX, MSG, and PDF file formats. 
3. Exports shared mailboxes, and in-place archive mailboxes from Office 365 locally. 
4. It also offers users a date and category filter that can help export important data 
5. This tool maintains the read and unread status of the Office 365 emails after the export process is done. 
6. You can split the PST file option during the export process of Office 365 mailboxes. 
7. It generates an export report and also allows it to save in CSV format. 

Steps to perform the export process using this Automated tool: 

• Download, and run the software on your PC. 

• Select Office 365 as the source as well as the destination. 

• Since we are only exporting contacts from Office 365, only enable the contacts check box. Apply the date filter according to your needs, and then click on Next. 

• Login with the admin credentials of Office 365, and then click on the Validate button. 

• Now select the folder path where the contacts are going to be saved. 

• Fetch the users from the source or import them using the CSV file.

• Validate the authorization of selected users

• Now click on the start export option to start the process.

Common Uses for Exported Contacts From Office 365

Now that we have completed the export process, several things can be done: 

• Switching Email Apps: If you migrate to a new email application, then you can easily export your contacts from Outlook, and then import these into a new one. This saves you a lot of time and effort.
• Sharing: Exporting contacts makes it easy to share them with other users. If you are working in an organization, and someone needs your contacts, then you can easily export and share them. 
• Taking Backups: Exporting contacts can help you create backups of all of your important contacts. In case an error occurs, and something goes wrong with your account, you can restore and then import them into a new account. 

Also Read: How to Save Outlook Emails to Hard Drive With Attachments? 4 Ways

Conclusion

The process to export contacts from Office 365 whether you’re performing backups, migrating to another email service, or managing the contact information, the ability to export the contacts gives users the ability to be flexible and be in control of your data. Regularly exporting and creating backups of contacts is the best practice that helps users avoid the risks of losing important information. In this article, we have discussed in detail the process to export Outlook 2010, 2013, and 2016. We have also discussed the steps involved in Outlook 365 and Outlook Express.