How to Backup Contacts in Outlook?

We all know how important our contacts are and how much time it takes to build them up. But what happens when something goes wrong and you find yourself in need of a backup plan? If you use Outlook, you’ll be happy to know that backing up your contacts is easy and straightforward. In this article, I’ll guide you through the steps of how to backup contacts in Outlook, so you’ll never have to worry about losing your contacts again.

How to Backup Contacts in Outlook

Backing up your contacts in Outlook is an important part of keeping your data secure. With Outlook, you can save contacts to your computer, an external drive, or to the cloud. This guide will show you how to backup contacts in Outlook so that you can keep your data safe and easily access it whenever you need it.

Import Contacts to Outlook

The first step in backing up your contacts in Outlook is to transfer them to the program. To do this, you can either import contacts from an external source, such as an Excel spreadsheet or a vCard file, or you can manually add contacts to Outlook.

If you are importing contacts, you can do so by clicking the “File” tab and then selecting “Open & Export” and then “Import/Export.” From here, you can select the type of file you are importing from and the folder you want to save the contacts to.

Manually adding contacts to Outlook is also easy. To do this, click the “Contacts” tab in the main window and then click the “New Contact” button. From here, you can enter the contact’s information and then click the “Save & Close” button.

Backing Up Contacts

Once your contacts are in Outlook, the next step is to back them up. The easiest way to do this is to save your contacts to an external drive or to the cloud.

If you are saving your contacts to an external drive, you can do so by clicking the “File” tab and then selecting “Open & Export” and then “Import/Export.” From here, you can select the “Export to a File” option and then choose the external drive as the destination for your contacts.

If you want to save your contacts to the cloud, you can do so by clicking the “File” tab and then selecting “Save & Backup” and then “Save to Cloud.” From here, you can choose the cloud storage service you want to use and then enter your login details.

Restoring Contacts

If you ever need to restore your contacts, you can do so by clicking the “File” tab and then selecting “Open & Export” and then “Import/Export.” From here, you can select the “Import from a File” option and then choose the file you want to restore from.

Creating a Contacts List

Once your contacts are backed up, you can create a list of them in Outlook. To do this, click the “Contacts” tab in the main window and then click the “List” button. From here, you can select the contacts you want to include in the list and then click the “OK” button.

Exporting Contacts

If you ever want to export your contacts from Outlook, you can do so by clicking the “File” tab and then selecting “Open & Export” and then “Import/Export.” From here, you can select the “Export to a File” option and then choose the file type you want to export to.

Sharing Contacts

If you need to share your contacts with someone, you can do so by clicking the “Contacts” tab in the main window and then clicking the “Share” button. From here, you can enter the email address of the person you want to share your contacts with and then select the contacts you want to share. Once you have done this, click the “Send” button.

Deleting Contacts

If you ever need to delete contacts from Outlook, you can do so by clicking the “Contacts” tab in the main window and then selecting the contacts you want to delete. Once you have done this, click the “Delete” button.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Outlook?

Outlook is an email and personal information management program developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Office Suite and is commonly used for emails, contacts, calendars, tasks, and notes. It is also used to manage RSS feeds, newsgroups, and social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

2. How do I backup contacts in Outlook?

To backup contacts in Outlook, you can use the Export function. Open Outlook and select the Contacts folder. Click File > Open & Export > Export. Choose the file type you want to export to (e.g. CSV), then select the Contacts folder. Select the fields you want to include in the exported file, then click Finish. This will create a backup file of your contacts that can be used to restore your contacts if needed.

3. What is a CSV file?

A CSV (Comma Separated Values) file is a plain text file format that stores tabular data. It is commonly used for transferring data from one program to another. It is read by most spreadsheet and database programs, and can be opened in text editors as well. The data in a CSV file is separated by commas, which make it easy to separate data into columns.

4. What other file types can I use to backup contacts in Outlook?

You can use the Export function to export Outlook contacts in a variety of file types, including PST, TXT, and VCF. PST is a proprietary file type used by Outlook to store emails, contacts, calendar items, notes, and tasks. TXT is a plain text file type that can be opened in any text editor. VCF is a file type used to store contact information in an easily readable format.

5. Can I use a USB drive to backup contacts in Outlook?

Yes, you can use a USB drive to backup contacts in Outlook. Simply plug the USB drive into your computer, open Outlook, and select the Contacts folder. Click File > Open & Export > Export. Choose the file type you want to export to (e.g. CSV or VCF), then select the Contacts folder. Select the fields you want to include in the exported file, then select the USB drive as the destination. Click Finish to save the backup file to the USB drive.

6. How can I restore contacts from a backup file?

To restore contacts from a backup file, open Outlook and select the Contacts folder. Click File > Open & Export > Import/Export. Select the file type of the backup file (e.g. CSV, PST, TXT, or VCF), then select the file you want to import. Select the folder where you want to save the imported contacts, then click Finish to restore the contacts from the backup file.

How to backup and restore your email, contacts, and calendar with Microsoft Outlook

Backing up contacts in Outlook is a simple process that only takes a few minutes. With just a few clicks, you can protect all of your contacts and ensure that they are safe and secure. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily and quickly back up your contacts in Outlook and know that your personal information is protected.