How to Export Outlook Contacts to CSV? Experts Explain

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Written By Chirag Arora
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh  
Published On December 13th, 2023
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

Looking to export Outlook contacts to CSV file format? Look no further! In this article, we will cover the top solutions you can opt for to export your address book contacts from MS Outlook to the CSV file format in a smooth and hassle-free manner. We will discuss how you can approach the task manually or using an automated solution on both Windows Outlook and Mac Outlook. So, let’s dive right in.

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. However, it is always an excellent choice to locally backup your crucial data, for instance, address book contacts.

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 your Outlook contacts in CSV or any other popular format of your liking.

How Exporting Contacts From Outlook to CSV is Beneficial?

There are several reasons that emphasize the importance of moving your Outlook address book to the CSV format. Here, we have mentioned the most commonly known reasons.

  • The CSV format helps in efficiently managing your Outlook contacts within MS Excel or any other spreadsheet program.
  • Exporting your Outlook address book to CSV makes it significantly easier to import your contacts to another email service.
  • Backing up your sensitive contact data in CSV file format helps avoid atrocities like data corruption or data loss.

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

Manually Export Your Outlook Contacts to CSV

  • 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, click on “Finish” to start exporting your contacts 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.

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.

Expert Solution on Exporting Outlook for Windows Address Book to CSV File

Efficiently export your Microsoft Outlook address book items with the expert-favorite SysTools vCard Export Tool. This utility is undoubtedly the best one available in the market. It provides some of the best-class features that set it apart from the other solutions. The software provides a high-reliability factor that makes it an expert favorite.

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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 Export Outlook Contacts to CSV Format Without Outlook

  • Download and launch the expert utility on your computer.
    launch the utility to export outlook contacts to csv
  • Select the radio button for the “Auto-Detect Folder Storage Location” to add Outlook Data File/s into the software.
    select autodetect folder storage location
  • Preview your uploaded data in the Software’s user interface and click the “Export” button.
    preview and click export
  • Now, choose the “CSV” format from the provided option to export your Outlook contacts.
    select csv format
  • 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.
    apply advanced settings and click export

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 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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Guide to Export Mac Outlook Address Book to CSV Format

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

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, also can be executed by a novice user.

So There You Have It

In this article, we explained how you can export Outlook contacts to CSV format. We shared a manual solution and the top expert-suggested automated solutions that you can opt for to export your MS Outlook address book 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.

  author

By Chirag Arora

Having around 9+ years of experience in technical writing. Knows about the core technical areas. Also, provides easy and reliable solutions to resolve difficulties faced by users while working with different platforms.