Importing Contacts into Outlook

Outlook: Import a VCF file with multiple contacts into Outlook

vCard format

The vCard format is a way of sharing contact type information. The format allows you to chain a number of contacts together in a single vCard file, and this is how you can get contacts out of email applications such as Apple’s Mail or Mozilla’s Thunderbird.

Unfortunately, Outlook (2003-2007, and probably earlier versions) cannot import vcf data with more than one contact in it -you only get the first item!

This worked example shows a fairly simple method of importing vcf data into Outlook using the address book tool built into Windows. This example was made using Vista, so the tool is called Windows Contacts. Prior versions of Windows called this the Windows Address Book.

No Contacts

Freshly moved into Outlook - no contacts!

Windows Contacts

Windows Contacts is part of the stuff you get bundled in Windows

Import

Import VCF

Choose the file type you are going to import

Select the file

Find your vcf data

Push OK repeatedly

Windows Contacts helpfully confirms each contact -this could be seen as an opportunity to tidy up

And there they are

Done

Back to Outlook

Import and Export from the Contacts context

Import Internet Mail and Addresses

Select Import internet mail and addresses from the list of options

Outlook Express/Windows Mail

Select the appropriate format/source

No duplicates

Determine how the process treats duplicates (instances where contact information already exists)

In progress…

No confirmation dialogues here...

Done

94/95 is not bad, the repeat is probably my own vcard entry

Good enough

Let's call this a win.