Export Your Outlook Contacts to a CSV File

If you move from one email program to the next, you don’t want to leave your contacts behind. WhileOutlook stores everything including mail and contacts in a horrendously complicated file, exporting your contacts to a format that most other email programs and services can understand is pretty easy.

To save your contacts from Outlook to a CSV file:

  • Select File | Import and Export… from the menu.
  • Make sure Export to a file is highlighted.
  • Click Next >.
  • Now make sure Comma Separated Values (Windows) is selected.
  • Click Next > again.
  • Highlight the Contacts folder.
  • Click Next >.
  • Use the Browse… button to specify a location and file name for the exported contacts. Something like “Outlook.csv” or “ol-contacts.csv” on your Desktop should work fine.
  • Click Next > (once more).
  • Now click Finish.