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How to Import Excel Contacts to Outlook? Quick Read

  author
Published By Mohit Jha
Tej Pratap Shukla
Approved By Tej Pratap Shukla
Published On March 21st, 2024
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

Summary: Do you have multiple Excel contact files that you are struggling to transfer to Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013? If you are nodding your head in affirmation, then keep on reading and by the end of this blog, you will learn how to import Excel contacts to Outlook effortlessly.

Emails are a vital part of businesses now as they help in sharing ideas, thoughts, the information in a professional way. Outlook happens to be the most preferred email client out of all other applications available in the market.

A fair share of its popularity goes to its flexibility to create a distribution list that allows you to add the email addresses of those users who you wish to often communicate with.

I have a couple of Excel files with me that contain email addresses, phone numbers, FAX, addresses, and other such information. I cannot afford to mix all of these contacts as my work would get affected. Is there any effective way to transfer Excel spreadsheet to Outlook distribution list?

In this blog, you will learn how to transfer XLS, XLSX, XLT, XLSM, and various other file formats to Outlook.

Table of Contents

Why you Can’t Add Contacts from Excel to Outlook Directly

This may come as a surprise to many but yes the inability to import contacts in Outlook from Excel is a reality. The decision to not include this feature is not an oversight but a necessity. Excel workbooks are not mere data storage tables.

Over time they have transformed into a fully-fledged data analysis and visualization tool. However, with this capability, it also became quite easy to put malicious macros inside these spreadsheets.

So to avoid the compromise of critical systems like email clients developers have chosen not to give a direct import function. This security protocol adds a few extra steps that users have to take if they want to add contact data from such a source.

The problem increases in complexity due to the lack of suitable export options inside the Excel application. We know that Outlook works best when it gets to handle its proprietary PST format but Excel can’t output in such a format.

Even the next closest replacement, the vCard file is not available as an export option. So users have to rely on the general purpose CSV file that has historical baggage of being easily corruptible. Then is only natural to wonder if is there no alternative.

However, the good news is that the import mechanism inside Outlook clients has remained the same throughout its lifecycle. It is only with the new Outlook that Microsoft has chosen to go with a different route. However, before we can put the contacts in their safe spot we need to transform them. Don’t worry as you have a capable partner waiting to assist you.

Also Read: Steps to Export Outlook Contacts to Excel Spreadsheet Quickly

Expert Solution to Import Excel Contacts to Outlook Account

Microsoft Outlook does not provide any direct method to move files created by Excel. Using a trusted application becomes a necessity in such situations because the manual methods are way too  complicated for a naïve user resulting in errors. The Excel to Outlook Address Book Converter Software helps you to complete this task without much hassle.

This software allows users to convert Excel contacts to CSV,  PDF, MSG and various file formats. Users can choose any file format to export their data and the entire file will be exported in one attempt. This tool is also compatible with Windows 10 and other versions and exports Excel contacts to Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013 and earlier versions.

Benefits of the Software

  • Import multiple contacts in a single attempt.
  • Allows manual mapping of contact fields.
  • Option to exclude or include duplicate contacts.
  • Feature to import empty email addresses.
  • Create a new Outlook group/distribution list.
  • The tool supports numerous Excel file formats.
  • Add contacts from Excel to Outlook profile directly.
  • Import an unlimited number of contacts to Outlook.

Easy Steps to Import Excel Contacts to Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016

  • Download and install the software and click on Browse to load the Excel file

Download Excel converter and Browse Excel file

  • Now, preview all fields of the files you have loaded and click on Next

Preview all Excel files

  • Now, select the desired export option and choose the PST 

Choose PST Option

  • At the last, Select the Export option to start the process.

start the process

To check the output, launch Outlook on your system where you can see the distribution list that you have created. To further check its details, click on the file to view it.

Final Words

This task can be daunting at first but I hope that if you follow the above steps, you can easily import Excel contacts to Outlook. Contacts contain a lot of information about a user i.e. name, phone number, email address, company name, etc. All of this information is pretty important and users might need it to be stored on their account so that it can be used anytime as required. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I transfer the .xlsx and .xls files into Outlook 2019?

A. Yes, the recommended software provides you the options to import .xls, .xlsx, .xltx, .csv, .xlsm and many other formats. It is compatible with Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and other below versions.

Q. If I add contacts from Excel to Outlook via the tool, do I need to be wary of any restrictions on the number of contacts?

A. No, the tool to transfer Excel file to Outlook does not impose any such limitations. It enables you to transfer unlimited contacts into your Outlook account.

Q. Is it necessary to have Outlook installed on my computer system for this tool to work?

A. Yes, Outlook must be installed and configured properly to use this software.

Q. Can this tool import contacts in the New Outlook client?

A. For some reason Microsoft only allows you to import a certain file type. The same goes for the web version of Outlook as well. No worries even if you have moved to the new outlook the tool can still help you to change the XLS contact file in its acceptable form. You just need to choose the CSV as the output format.

Q. What are the steps to import a Contact file in Outlook?

For Outlook 2010 to 2019:

  • Open Outlook.
  • Click on File.
  • Move to the Open & Export tab.
  • Select Import/Export option
  • Pick an import VCARD option and press next.
  • Browse for the source file Complete the necessary settings and hit Finish

For New Outlook:

  • Launch Outlook.
  • Go to the People tab.
  • Press Manage Contacts.
  • Select Import contacts.
  • Browse for CSV.
  • Hit Import.