How to Backing Up Address Book in Outlook ? – Complete Guide
To back up your Outlook address book, go to File, then Open and Export, then Import/Export. Choose “Export to a file,” select Comma Separated Values, pick your Contacts folder and save the CSV. You can also use the Turgs PST Contacts tool to export contacts in bulk with more format options.
Your Outlook address book is years of collected contacts. One corrupted PST file or a wrong sync can wipe all of it.
This guide covers three ways to back up your Outlook contacts, from the built-in export wizard to a dedicated tool that handles bulk exports in formats beyond what Outlook offers natively. The method you pick depends on how many contacts you have and what you plan to do with the backup.
Why Back Up Your Outlook Address Book?
Most people think email when they think Outlook backup. Contacts get forgotten until they disappear.
There are three situations where a contacts backup saves you: migrating to a new PC or a new version of Outlook, switching from Outlook to another email client like Gmail or Thunderbird, and recovering from a corrupted PST file where your contacts folder was damaged.
The built-in Outlook export saves contacts as CSV or vCard. Both are widely compatible but neither preserves custom fields or distribution lists perfectly. If you have complex contact data such as categories, notes and linked tasks, a dedicated tool gives you a cleaner export.
Method 1: Export Outlook Contacts Using the Built-in Tool
This method works in Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and Microsoft 365. The steps are nearly identical across all versions.
Open Outlook and go to File in the top-left corner. Click Open and Export, then click Import/Export. The Import and Export Wizard opens.
Select “Export to a file” and click Next. Choose “Comma Separated Values” from the list. This gives you a CSV file that opens in Excel and imports into Gmail, Thunderbird or any other email client.
Click Next and select your Contacts folder from the folder tree. Make sure you pick the right Contacts folder if you have multiple accounts configured in Outlook.
Click Next, choose where to save the file and click Finish. Outlook exports your contacts to a CSV file at the location you specified.
The CSV file contains all standard contact fields: name, email, phone, company, address and notes. Custom fields may not export correctly with this method.
Method 2: Save Contacts as vCard Files
vCard is the universal format for contact sharing. Phones, webmail services and other email clients all read vCard files. This format is better for sharing individual contacts or importing into mobile devices.
To export a contact as a vCard, open your Contacts folder in Outlook. Select one or more contacts. Go to File and click Save As. Change the file type to vCard Files (.vcf) and save.
The limitation here is that Outlook saves each contact as a separate VCF file. If you have 500 contacts, you get 500 files. That makes bulk import tedious. For large contact lists, Method 3 handles bulk export more efficiently.
Method 3: Use a Dedicated Contacts Backup Tool
The Turgs PST Contacts Extractor handles bulk export from Outlook PST files. It reads your PST file directly without needing Outlook to be open and exports all contacts to CSV, vCard, Excel or HTML in one run.
This is the fastest option for large contact lists and for situations where Outlook itself is not working. It also handles multiple PST files in one batch, which is useful after a PC migration where you have archived PST files from previous machines.
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How to Import Your Backed-Up Contacts
Once you have your backup file, importing it into Outlook or another app is straightforward.
To import back into Outlook, go to File, then Open and Export, then Import/Export. Choose “Import from another program or file,” select “Comma Separated Values,” browse to your CSV file and map the fields. Outlook shows you a field-mapping screen where you can match your CSV columns to Outlook contact fields.
To import into Gmail, open Google Contacts at contacts.google.com. Click Import in the left menu and upload your CSV file. Google imports all contacts and matches standard fields automatically.
To import into a new phone, copy your VCF files to the phone storage and use the Contacts app to import from file. Most Android and iOS devices handle VCF imports natively.
If you migrated from a Hotmail account, your contacts may already be in Microsoft cloud. Check your Outlook.com contacts list before running a manual import to avoid duplicates.
Limitations of Manual Backup Methods
Limitations to Know
- Outlook built-in CSV export does not preserve custom contact fields or categories
- Distribution lists and contact groups do not export correctly to CSV format
- Saving individual VCF files is impractical for contact lists larger than 50 contacts
- The built-in export only works when Outlook is functioning correctly. If your PST file is corrupt, you need a third-party tool to read the contacts
- CSV files exported from Outlook may need field remapping when imported into non-Microsoft applications
- Neither built-in method backs up contact photos or linked attachments
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Outlook store address book contacts?
Outlook stores contacts inside your PST or OST file on your local drive. The default PST location is C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook. Each account configured in Outlook has its own Contacts folder inside that PST file.
Can I back up Outlook contacts without opening Outlook?
Yes. The Turgs PST Contacts Extractor reads your PST file directly without launching Outlook. This is useful when Outlook is damaged, uninstalled or simply not available on the machine you are working on.
How do I back up Outlook contacts to Gmail?
Export your Outlook contacts as a CSV file using the built-in Import/Export wizard. Then go to contacts.google.com, click Import and upload the CSV file. Google maps most standard fields automatically. Review the import after it completes to catch any field mismatches.
Does backing up Outlook contacts also back up distribution lists?
No. Distribution lists and contact groups do not export correctly to CSV format using Outlook built-in tool. They appear as a single entry without the individual members listed. To preserve distribution lists, back up the entire PST file instead.
How often should I back up my Outlook address book?
Back up your contacts whenever you make significant additions or changes, and always before a major change like switching PCs, upgrading Outlook or migrating to a new email provider. For active professional use, a monthly backup is a reasonable baseline.
What is the difference between PST and CSV for contacts backup?
A PST backup preserves everything including distribution lists, custom fields and contact photos. A CSV backup captures only standard fields and is portable across different apps and platforms. Use PST for full fidelity backup and CSV for cross-platform sharing or migration to non-Microsoft apps.
