How to Import Google Contacts to Office 365: A Step by Step Guide
In the technology-oriented world, people are adopting cloud-based services for multiple reasons such as speed, advanced features, security, etc. Google Apps and Office 365 both are cloud-based platforms and are frequently used by numerous people. Users wish to perform Google Gmail to Office 365 Migration (business Gmail i.e., G Suite account).
In this case, they need to migrate their data including contacts to O365. Contacts are important for every user to execute the communication process. Users always migrate contacts first, when they switch between platforms. Therefore, when the user moves to O365 they search for a simple and reliable way to import Google contacts to Office 365. However, they are not able to find an easy solution and as a result, they apply complex solutions and then face data loss issues.
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Importance Of Contacts & Its Significance in Business
But before moving any further, we need to understand the importance of contacts in business organizations. Contacts are the most essential and crucial element for smooth communication and business operations. During migration, preserving contact information ensures continuity in business relationships and operational efficiency. Furthermore, at the post-migration stage, organizing contacts into categories in Office 365 optimizes communication workflows. Features like contact sharing and calendar integration further enhance productivity. Now let’s discuss the possible ways that can help you get this down without any data loss.
Different Ways to Import Google Contacts to Office 365
There are different methods to move Google Address Book to Office 365. Some of the methods are explained below. The user can opt for any of the methods according to his/her choice.
Method 1: How to Sync Google Contacts with Office 365 Manually
This method is divided into two steps, first, the user has to export contacts from Google Apps and then import Google contacts to Office 365.
Stage 1. Migrate Google Address Book to Office 365
Follow the below steps to perform this task-
Step 1. First log into your Google account by entering the email ID and password
Step 2. Now, open Mail and then click on the down arrow beside the Mail and expand it
Step 3. Select Contacts and then click on More and select the Export option
Step 4. After that, in the next window, select All contacts and Outlook CSV format options
Step 5. Which contacts do you want to export? Option, Select All contacts
Step 6. Which export format? Option, Select Outlook CSV format
Step 7. Finally, click the Export button and if prompted, choose to save as and browse to select the destination location
After performing Step 1, all the Google address books will be saved in a CSV file. Now, the user has to import this CSV file into O365. This will allow the user to access Google address book in Office 365.
Stage 2. Now, Import CSV File into Office 365
- Step 1. First, open Outlook in Office 365 on your system.
- Step 2. Now, click on the File and then click on Open and Export > Import/ Export.
- Step 3. Import/ Export wizard will open. Select Import from another program or file option and then you have to click on the Next button.
- Step 4. Choose Comma Separated Values as the file type and then click on the Next button.
- Step 5. Now, browse and select the CSV contacts file that you exported in Step 1.
- Step 6. Choose the action to do with duplicate contacts and then click on the Next button.
- Step 7. After that, the Select a Destination folder option will appear. Select the Contacts folder and then click on the Next button.
Step 1. Click on the Finish button. All your Google Contacts will be moved to Office 365 Outlook.
Shortcomings of Manual Migration in Importing Google Contacts to Office 365
The manual solution is associated with some drawbacks. Users have faced some issues while migrating contacts from Google account to O365 manually. Some of the limitations of this method are:
- Only One User At a Time – The manual method is applicable for only one account at once.
- Contacts are Not Visible in Office 365 – Even after performing all the migration steps accurately, the users are not able to view their contacts in Office 365 as they are not appearing there.
- Error Message Popping Up – If the user tries to import more than 2000 Google address books to Office 365 then an error message will appear. The user cannot import Google contacts to MS Office 365 in bulk using this method.
- Information Related to Contacts is Missing – Sometimes, the information associated with the contacts is not imported to Office 365.
Method 2. Sync Google Contacts With Office 365 – Automated Approach
The user can opt for a proven and reliable solution which is the SysTools Google Apps to Office 365 Migration Tool. Moreover, the user can eliminate all the limitations associated with the manual method with the help of this software. With this tool, the user can easily move all the Google contacts to Office 365 in a hassle-free way. There are many advanced features associated with the tool which makes it easy for the users to work with it. The tool is designed with a user-friendly interface so that the users can work with it even without having technical knowledge.
Some features of the software are listed below:
- Migrate contacts from multiple G Suite accounts at once.
- Allows the user to migrate emails, contacts, and calendars to Office 365.
- Permits the user to move selective data with Category filter and Date filter options.
- Provides options to rerun the migration process if required (such as Delta migration).
- Set priority and move data without any irregularities.
Also Migrate Google Docs to Office 365, and migrate Google shared calendar to Office 365.
Let’s check out how the tool works-
Step 1. Download and Run the tool and activate it on your Windows system.
Step 2. Select G Suite and Office 365 as source and destination migration platforms.
Step 3. Select Contacts and apply date filter settings, and click Next.
Step 4. Enter source and destination permissions and validate them.
Step 5. Import the user list from a CSV file or fetch users.
Step 6. Click on Start Migration to start migrating G Suite contacts to Office 365.
Do not forget to fulfill the prerequisites mentioned on the How It Works page.
Summing Up
Sometimes, the need arises to switch between cloud-based platforms. Many people want to move their Google contacts to Office 365 for various purposes. Therefore, to help out all the users, we have discussed manual as well as automated methods in the above section. However, the manual method is associated with some limitations. Therefore, it is recommended to select an automated and reliable solution that is G Suite to Office 365 Migrator. This will help the users to import Google address book to Office 365 Outlook in a trouble-free way.
Related Articles: Export Contacts from Gmail to MS Outlook (desktop-based)
