4 Effective Ways to Export Outlook Contacts to CSV Securely
In today’s virtual world, MS Outlook is not just an email platform but also a personal address book for every user that stores important information. Nowadays, many users need to manage their contacts more efficiently. So, they need to export Outlook contacts to CSV file to save contacts in a universally compatible format, which can be opened in other applications, like Gmail, Excel, or other CRM systems. This procedure is beneficial for both personal and professional communication.
So, whether you want to move your contacts to a new email client or just need a secure copy, converting to CSV ensures that your data is easily accessible and portable. This guide will discuss simple techniques for exporting contacts from Outlook to CSV quickly and securely. Now, let’s move down to discuss in detail.
Why Do You Need to Export Contacts from Outlook to CSV File?
If your Outlook contacts store valuable connections, users must keep them safe and secure. Exporting contacts to a CSV file is the easiest way to manage contacts seamlessly.
Here, we have mentioned the most commonly known reasons:
- Organise or Manage Data
A CSV file can be easily edited in an Excel spreadsheet. Users can quickly sort and organise their contact data. The simplicity of using a CSV file ensures that your contact database is clean and accurate, which suits user needs and preferences.
- Seamlessly Share Contact Data
If you export Outlook contacts to CSV, it makes collaboration simple. Whether you are working on a team-based project, want to share a client list with colleagues, etc., CSV files are well-organised and helpful for securely sharing contacts with multiple users.
- Improves Data Security
Many users are concerned with security issues and want to keep a local copy of their contact list independent of cloud storage. This conversion process allows you to save your contact data securely on your local machine or an external drive and provides offline backup.
- Supports Quick Migration
If you have switched to a new device or need to switch email services, a CSV file makes the migration process easy, as all platforms like Gmail, Yahoo, etc, are supported by CSV. You can easily import Outlook contacts to the new system and save time.
Now, it is clear that if you export contacts from Outlook to CSV format, then it will be useful in numerous ways, and you can manage your contact data effortlessly. Next, we will explore straightforward solutions to complete the conversion process.
How to Export Outlook Contacts to CSV File?
There are two best techniques by which users can securely export contacts from Outlook to CSV. There are a total of 4 methods, of which three are manual solutions and one is an expert-recommended advanced solution, allowing easy contact conversion. Now, let’s discuss in detail.
Method 1: Use Outlook’s Import & Export Option
This is the first method that allows users to import or export a contact list to a CSV file format. Below are the steps:
- Open MS Outlook, and click on the File option.
- Select the Open & Export > Import & Export option from the file menu.
- Choose the Export to File action and select the CSV file format option.
- Now, from the folder tree, choose the Contacts folder to export.
- Click Browse, set the destination location, and tap the OK button.
- Lastly, select Finish to start the process to export Outlook contacts to CSV immediately.
- Once the process is completed, open the CSV file in Excel to ensure that contact data is exported.
Method 2: Use the web version of Outlook.
The Outlook app stores all data in the cloud. It does not support import/export features like the Outlook desktop client. Follow the steps:
- Sign in to the Outlook Web app on your system.
- On the lower left corner of the window, click the People icon.
- Click on Manage and select Export Contacts from the drop-down menu.
- Choose the All Contacts option in the contacts folder field section.
- Click on the Export option to download contacts in CSV file format.
Method 3: Use the Copy and Paste Method
If you need to export a specific contact folder or just copy one or more contacts, then this is the best method. Learn the steps to know more:
- Open MS Outlook and go to the Contacts option.
- In the current view group, click List to view your contacts in a table.
- After that, click on the first contact, then press Ctrl+A to select all contacts.
- Open Excel and create a new spreadsheet.
- Click on the first column and press Ctrl+v to copy all copied contacts.
- Lastly, save the file as CSV, depending on requirements.
So, using these three manual solutions, you can export Outlook contacts to CSV, but these methods also have some limitations, which are given below.
Limitations of Using the Manual Methods
- This manual approach heavily depends on the MS Outlook email client, so one needs to have the respective email client to execute this solution.
- It requires user interaction and also leads to data loss or file corruption.
- This method is a time-consuming process when users need to export large contact lists
- There can also be formatting issues when converting to a CSV file, as this file may not maintain formatting properly.
- It is mostly useful for non-technical users, who need to export Outlook contacts to CSV file for one time only.
Overall, these limitations strain the manual approach and restrict it from becoming an appealing choice of solution for users. Now, let’s begin with the fourth method.
Method 4: Advanced Solution to Export Outlook Contacts to CSV File
Many users are unsatisfied or do not get proper results using manual solutions. So, here is a proficient tool that easily and securely exports contacts from Outlook to CSV format within seconds. You can efficiently export contacts to CSV using SysTools Outlook Contacts Export Tool, the best software that provides multiple features that set it apart from other solutions.
Now, let’s dive in to learn the steps of using the tool:
- Download & install the expert software on your system.
- Select the radio button for Auto-Detect Folder Storage Location to add the Outlook data.
- Preview the uploaded data and click on the Export button.
- Now, choose the CSV file format option to export your Outlook contact list.
- Apply preferred advanced settings and click Browse to set the destination for output file.
- Enable the Maintain Folder Hierarchy option and click on the Export button.
- Finally, your Outlook contacts will be exported to CSV file.
Now, this tool has some advanced features that help users with easy export of contacts to other file formats.
Key Features of Using the Advanced Method
- Using the expert solution, a user can securely and quickly export contacts from Outlook to CSV file by doing just a few clicks.
- Provides an option to open and preview Outlook contacts before the conversion process.
- Support batch conversion and export large contact lists to CSV efficiently.
- This software provides a user-friendly interface and can be used by non-technical users also.
- The advanced method saves time and effort for users in exporting Outlook contacts to CSV format.
Pro Tip: If you wish to export your Outlook contacts along with other items of the Outlook data file, then you should opt for SysTools PST Converter. The utility is robust in converting and exporting Outlook data into popular file and document formats. Moreover, to use this tool, you need to have the Outlook data files, and this software is free from MS Outlook dependency. Using this expert tool, you can successfully convert PST contacts to CSV without Outlook easily.
Concluding Words
In this article, we have explained the two different ways to export Outlook contacts to CSV file format. We shared the manual and top expert-suggested advanced solutions that you can choose to export contacts from Outlook to CSV effortlessly. We recommend you opt for pro solutions because they are safe and provide accurate results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How to convert Outlook contacts to CSV on Windows?
A: The steps are as follows:
- Go to your Outlook and choose the People icon
- After that, click on Manage and select Export Contacts.
- Export your contacts to CSV format.
Q: Can I convert Outlook contacts with custom fields to CSV?
A: Yes, you can insert custom fields when exporting contacts to CSV from Outlook. Ensure that custom fields are mapped correctly throughout the export process
Q: Is it possible to remove Outlook contacts after the completion of the process?
A: No, when exporting contacts, a copy of the contacts will be saved in a CSV file. They will be in your Outlook account. After exporting, your contacts will remain in Outlook.