How to Import Contacts into Outlook (2026 Guide)
Switching email providers, merging address books, or consolidating contacts from a CRM export — whatever brought you here, importing contacts into Outlook is straightforward once you know which method to use. This guide covers every common scenario: CSV files, vCard (.vcf) files, and Gmail-to-Outlook migration, across both Outlook on the web and classic Outlook for Windows.
Quick Reference
| Method | Best For | Outlook Version | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlook on the web import | Quick imports, small to medium contact lists | Outlook on the web / new desktop app | .csv, .vcf |
| Classic Outlook Import/Export wizard | Large imports, field mapping control, duplicate handling | Classic Outlook for Windows | .csv, .pst |
| vCard drag-and-drop | Individual contacts or small batches | Classic Outlook for Windows | .vcf |
| Gmail export → Outlook import | Migrating from Google Workspace | Any | .csv (Outlook format) |
1. Import a CSV File in Outlook on the Web
This is the fastest method. Outlook on the web (and the new Outlook desktop app, which shares the same interface) handles CSV imports with automatic column mapping.
- Go to outlook.office.com and sign in with your Microsoft account.
- Click the People icon in the left navigation pane.
- In the toolbar, click Manage contacts.
- Select Import contacts.
- Click Browse and navigate to your CSV file on your computer.
- Select the file and click Open.
- Click Import.
Outlook reads the column headers in your CSV (e.g., “First Name,” “Last Name,” “Email Address”) and maps them to the corresponding Outlook contact fields automatically. When the import finishes, you’ll see a summary showing how many contacts were added.
Where your contacts end up: All imported contacts appear in your default Contacts folder under the People section. They sync automatically to the new Outlook desktop app and any other device connected to your Microsoft 365 account.
File size limit: Outlook on the web supports CSV files up to 10 MB. If your file is larger, split it into multiple smaller files or use classic Outlook’s Import/Export wizard instead.
2. Import a CSV File in Classic Outlook for Windows
Classic Outlook gives you more control over the import process, including manual field mapping and explicit duplicate handling — useful for large or complex imports.
- Open classic Outlook.
- Click File in the top-left corner.
- Select Open & Export from the sidebar.
- Click Import/Export.
- In the Import and Export Wizard, select Import from another program or file and click Next.
- Select Comma Separated Values and click Next.
- Click Browse and select your CSV file.
- Choose how to handle duplicates:
- Replace duplicates with items imported — overwrites existing contacts if a match is found.
- Allow duplicates to be created — imports everything, even if it results in duplicate entries.
- Do not import duplicate items — skips any contact that already exists.
- Click Next.
- Select the Contacts folder as the destination (or a specific subfolder if you’ve created one). Click Next.
- You’ll see a checkbox confirming the import action. Before clicking Finish, click Map Custom Fields if your CSV columns don’t match Outlook’s default field names (see the troubleshooting section below for details).
- Click Finish.
The import runs in the background. For large files (thousands of contacts), it may take a few minutes — you’ll see a progress bar.
3. Import vCard (.vcf) Files
vCard is the standard format for sharing individual contacts. You’ll encounter .vcf files when someone sends you their contact info, when exporting from Apple Contacts or other address books, or when downloading contacts from a CRM.
Outlook on the Web / New Outlook Desktop
- Go to People → Manage contacts → Import contacts (same flow as the CSV import).
- Click Browse and select your .vcf file.
- Click Import.
Outlook on the web can handle both single-contact .vcf files and multi-contact .vcf files (where multiple vCards are concatenated into one file).
Classic Outlook for Windows
Single vCard:
- Double-click the .vcf file on your computer. Outlook opens it as a new contact card.
- Review the details and make any edits.
- Click Save & Close.
Multiple vCards:
Classic Outlook’s double-click method only handles one contact at a time, which is impractical if you have dozens or hundreds of .vcf files. Here are two workarounds:
- Drag and drop: Open your Contacts folder in Outlook, then select all the .vcf files in File Explorer and drag them into the Outlook Contacts view. Outlook creates a contact for each file.
- Combine into one file: If your .vcf files are separate, you can merge them into a single file using a text editor or the command line. On Windows, open Command Prompt, navigate to the folder containing your .vcf files, and run:
copy *.vcf all_contacts.vcf. Then import the combined file through Outlook on the web.
4. Export Contacts from Gmail and Import to Outlook
Moving from Gmail (or Google Workspace) to Outlook is a two-step process: export from Google, then import into Outlook. Google provides a dedicated Outlook CSV format that maps fields correctly.
Step 1: Export from Gmail
- Go to contacts.google.com in your browser.
- Select the contacts you want to export. To export all contacts, click All contacts in the left sidebar, then select all (checkbox at the top).
- Click the three-dot menu (or the Export button in the left sidebar, depending on your view).
- Select Export.
- In the export dialog, choose Outlook CSV (not “Google CSV” — the Outlook format uses field names that Outlook recognizes).
- Click Export. The file downloads to your computer.
Step 2: Import into Outlook
Use the CSV import method for whichever Outlook version you’re on:
- Outlook on the web: People → Manage contacts → Import contacts → Browse → select the file → Import (Section 1 above).
- Classic Outlook: File → Open & Export → Import/Export → Import from another program or file → Comma Separated Values → follow the wizard (Section 2 above).
What transfers: Names, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, company name, job title, and notes. Google-specific fields like “Starred” status or label assignments don’t carry over.
What to check after import: Google allows multiple email addresses per contact (labeled “Home,” “Work,” etc.). Outlook maps these to Email, Email 2, and Email 3. Verify that the primary email address ended up in the right field, especially for contacts where the work email should be primary.
5. Troubleshooting Common Import Issues
Field Mapping Problems
If your imported contacts have data in the wrong fields (e.g., phone numbers showing up in the address field), the CSV column headers don’t match what Outlook expects.
Fix in classic Outlook: During the Import/Export wizard (Step 11 in Section 2), click Map Custom Fields. You’ll see your CSV fields on the left and Outlook’s fields on the right. Drag each CSV field to its correct Outlook field. Click OK and then Finish.
Fix for Outlook on the web: The web version doesn’t offer manual field mapping. Instead, rename the column headers in your CSV file before importing. Open the file in a text editor or spreadsheet app and change the headers to match Outlook’s expected names:
| Outlook Expected Header | Common Alternatives You Might Need to Rename |
|---|---|
| First Name | Given Name, FirstName, First |
| Last Name | Family Name, Surname, LastName, Last |
| E-mail Address | Email, Email Address, Primary Email |
| Business Phone | Work Phone, Phone (Work), Office Phone |
| Mobile Phone | Cell Phone, Cell, Mobile |
| Company | Organization, Company Name, Employer |
| Job Title | Title, Position, Role |
Duplicate Contacts After Import
If you end up with duplicate contacts:
- Classic Outlook: Use the built-in Clean Up Contacts feature. Go to People view, and in the ribbon look for duplicate detection options. Alternatively, re-import with the Replace duplicates with items imported option selected.
- Outlook on the web: There’s no built-in duplicate merger. You’ll need to manually delete duplicates, or export all contacts, deduplicate in a spreadsheet (sort by email address and remove duplicate rows), delete all contacts in Outlook, and re-import the clean file.
- PowerShell (Microsoft 365 admins): For bulk deduplication across an organization, Exchange Online PowerShell cmdlets can help identify and merge duplicates programmatically.
Character Encoding Issues
If imported contacts show garbled characters (e.g., “José” instead of “José”), your CSV file isn’t saved in the right encoding.
Fix: Open the CSV file in a text editor (Notepad, VS Code, or similar) and re-save it with UTF-8 encoding. In Notepad on Windows: File → Save As → change “Encoding” dropdown to UTF-8 → Save. Then re-import the file.
If you’re using Excel to edit the CSV before import, be aware that Excel sometimes strips UTF-8 encoding when saving. To preserve it: use Save As → change the file type to CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) rather than the plain “CSV” option.
Import Stalls or Fails Silently
- File too large: Outlook on the web has a 10 MB limit. Split the file or use classic Outlook.
- Malformed CSV: Make sure every row has the same number of commas as the header row. Fields containing commas should be wrapped in double quotes (e.g.,
"123 Main St, Suite 4"). - Wrong file type: The Import/Export wizard in classic Outlook won’t accept .xlsx files. Save your spreadsheet as .csv first.
Quick Reference: Import Methods by Scenario
| Scenario | Recommended Method |
|---|---|
| Importing a CSV from any source into Outlook on the web | People → Manage contacts → Import contacts |
| Importing a CSV with field mapping needs | Classic Outlook Import/Export wizard with Map Custom Fields |
| Importing a single vCard from a colleague | Double-click the .vcf file (classic Outlook) or use the web import |
| Importing hundreds of vCards | Drag-and-drop into classic Outlook Contacts, or combine into one .vcf and import via web |
| Migrating all contacts from Gmail | Export as Outlook CSV from contacts.google.com, then import into Outlook |
| Importing from Apple Contacts / iCloud | Export as vCard from Apple Contacts, then import the .vcf file into Outlook |
| Importing from a CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) | Export as CSV from the CRM, rename column headers to match Outlook’s expected fields, then import |
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More on Outlook: How to create a distribution list in Outlook · How to export emails from Outlook · How to add a signature in Outlook · How to create a shared mailbox in Outlook · How to create folders in Outlook
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