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How to Export Outlook Contacts to CSV File? A Step-by-Step Tutorial

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Published By Nilesh Kumar
Debasish Pramanik
Approved By Debasish Pramanik
Published On July 4th, 2024
Reading Time 8 Minutes Reading
Category Contacts, MS Outlook

Many companies use MS Outlook as their business or personal data management softwareYou can effectively manage all your emails, calendar entries, notes, contacts, etc. However, transferring data from Outlook can be problematic for users. We have come across a lot of questions from users: “How to export Outlook contacts to CSV file on Windows and Mac OS?” So, to find the most verified and effective solution, read the article till the end. therefore, Without wasting any time let us first know about the users query.

User Query

Hello there, I have more than 7000 contacts in Outlook and I need to update significantly. I’m using Outlook on my machine and want to avoid updating every contact manually. I’m thinking of converting the .olm file to a .csv format. So that I can make some of the changes through a spreadsheet that will be a lot quicker. Any recommendations on what software program is suitable for export contacts from Outlook to CSV file format?

Also, before we discuss the methods to export or convert Outlook contacts to CSV, let us discuss the reasons why users need to export.

Reasons to Export Outlook Contacts to CSV File

The most common reasons why users export outlook address book to csv file are:

  1. You can easily export your Outlook contacts into other email clients.
  2. CSV files make it easy to share and view contact information.
  3. To back up your contacts and save them for future use.
  4. Users need data to export contacts to a virtual business card.

Now let’s learn how to convert Outlook Contacts to CSV format.

How to Export Contacts from Outlook to CSV File? Manually

If users use Outlook for a long time for business or personal purposes, a large number of contacts will accumulate. Proper contact management helps to run your business smoothly. Don’t worry about different versions of Outlook. This is the standard method. Therefore, the problem of “how to export contacts from Outlook address book to Excel” can be solved with a small change.

For Windows Users

For the desktop version of Outlook, follow these steps:

  • First, Start the Outlook email client application and sign in to your account.
  • Click “File” and then “Open and Export.”
  • Select Import/Export from the available options.
  • A window will open asking you to choose what you want to do. press Import from another program or file. click  the Next.
  • A window will then appear with options under “Create File Type”. Select “Comma separated values CSV” as the desired format and pick “Next” option.
  • Now select the folder you want to export from and click Next.
  • Click Browse and select a file destination. Then click Next.
  • If your CSV file has a lot of spaces, select “Map custom fields” and click “Continue.”
  • Finally, click “Done“.
  • Exporting  your Outlook contacts to a CSV file. Please wait.

By following this method, you will be able to export Outlook address book to csv file. The CSV can be opened using MS Excel.

Read More: How to Export Contacts from Outlook to vCard?

Disadvantages of the Manual Method

  • When manually exporting Outlook contacts to CSV, you may encounter the following limitations:
  • You cannot export/ convert several folders at the same time.
  • If a contact has an attachment, it cannot be exported.
  • If the number of contacts is large, this can be time-consuming and inconvenient.

With these limitations in mind, let’s look at the professional way to export contacts from Outlook to csv file.

How to Export Outlook Contacts to CSV File on Windows? Automatically

The best and easiest way to export Outlook address book to csv file is to use the vCard Export Tool. The tool offers many other features that will help you manage your contacts easily. The duplicate remover feature helps you remove duplicate contacts. In addition, the tool speeds up the process when there are a large number of contacts. Moreover, the intuitive GUI is designed to help users use the tool without any technical knowledge.

The simple steps are as follows:

  1. Download the VCF Exporter software from the official website.
  2. Choose the File/ Folder option.
  3. Find the PST file from which you want to export contacts.
  4. Select the CSV from the drop-down list of available file formats.
  5. Finally, click “Export” to start the conversion.

We hope you now understand how to convert Outlook contacts to CSV. To know more about this tool, you can use the free demo tool, which has the same features as the professional version. However, it has certain limitations.

Read More: How to Export Contacts from Outlook to Gmail?

How to Manually Export Mac Outlook Contacts to CSV File?

There is no way to export Mac Outlook contacts to CSV format directly. However, you can complete this task by following the two phases below.

Phase 1: Export Contacts from Outlook to OLM File

  1. Launch  the Mac Outlook on your MacBook/ iMac.
  2. Select Tools and then Export option.
  3. Next, Enable  the ‘Contacts‘ from Export to  the Archive File (.olm), press Continue.
  4. Then, in the Save As box, select your preferred destination path.
  5. Pick  the Save option to convert Mac Outlook contacts to OLM.
  6. Finally, tap Done when the process is complete.

By completing one of the following steps, you will export the Outlook Mac OLM file.

Phase 2: Convert OLM File Contacts into CSV Format

It is an essential step to convert an OLM file into CSV format because any platform except Mac Outlook doesn’t support the OLM file. But, there are several platforms that support CSV and you can access CSV contacts from several email clients and devices. Below are the steps to export Mac Outlook 2019, 2016, and 2011 contacts to CSV file:

1. Download the Outlook Mac Exporter software to complete this task.

3. As the very first step, Click on the Add File / Folder button.

4. Select the OLM Files that need to be converted.

5. Now, Select the “Export All folder/Export Selected folder” option according to your requirement.

6. Choose the CSV button to transfer OLM to CSV file format.

7. Browse the Destination Folder where you want to keep your converted CSV file.

8. Hit the Export button to start the process.

9. Once the export process gets completed, Click on the OK button.

This is how you can easily execute Outlook Mac Export contacts to CSV operation.

Read More: How to Import Outlook OLM to Mac Mail?

Export Contacts from Outlook to CSV with These Features

Let’s have a look at the features of this advanced utility to know why this solution is way better than other risky methods. You can find these features below respectively:

  • Users can easily export their Outlook contacts data files to various formats like vCard, PDF, WAB, PST, HTML, MSG, Google, Yahoo etc.
  • This advanced automated solution is totally compatible with the Outlook versions 2011, 2016, & 2019.
  • The automated solution is capable of providing users with an instant preview of full Name, File As, Business Phone,  Mobile Phone, and Categories, etc.
  • There is no file size restriction present here & no need to download the Outlook application as well.

Time to Wrap Up

In this blog, we discuss methods to solve user query “How to Export Outlook contacts to CSV file for Windows and Mac OS”. The manual method is useful if you only need to export a few contacts. On the other hand, if the user has collected a large amount of data over time, use a professional solution.

Frequentlty Asked Questions by Users

Q- Does this automated solution support Outlook versions 2019, 2016 & 2011? 

A- Yes, this solution can help users to smoothly run the Outlook export contacts CSV format in Outlook 2019, 2016 & 2011 versions.

Q: How to export Mac Outlook contacts to CSV file?

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.

  • Step 1: First, Open your Outlook and choose People.
  • Step 2: Next, select the “Manage” and choose Export Contacts.
  • Step 3: Now, Export your contacts to CSV file.

Q- Is this tool available for free or do we have to pay for it?

A- This utility is not open source. However, users can utilize the demo version, which is totally free to test & experience the utility.

Q- What is the success rate of this software to convert Outlook Contacts to CSV format?

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A- So far, there are no failures observed. The success rate of this tool is 99.995%. Moreover, the accuracy of the results is also quite high.

  author

By Nilesh Kumar

As a Chief Technical Writer, I know the technical issues faced by home and professional users. So, I decided to share all my knowledge via this blog. I love to help you with challenges while dealing with technical jargon.