Short Abstract: Have you recently switched to Office 365 from Outlook 2016? And not sure how to transfer contacts from Outlook 2016 to Office 365? Then, without a doubt, you have landed on the right page. Cause here you will find the best expert-recommended solution that will help you move your contacts from Outlook to O365. So stay tuned till the end!
It’s admirable that people are getting used to the latest technology by adapting Office 365. However, some users struggle to find a solution to import their data including contacts.
Since contacts are vital for a smooth business operation, you can’t risk losing an important contact, be it your clients or business partner.
Hence, it’s always a good practice to move your contacts as well to Office 365 along with other files.
How Can You Import Contacts to Exchange Online Safely?
Transferring data to the cloud has its own set of benefits. Like you can easily access your important contacts from anywhere and on any device.
So, let’s discuss the different ways for moving your contacts to Office 365.
Manually there are 3 methods available, however, many IT admins prefer the Tried and Tested Office 365 Import Tool to migrate Outlook contacts to Office 365.
Now, you must be thinking about how does the tool work and most importantly why experts are choosing the tool? Well, it’s obvious to get thoughts like that, so we’ve discussed the same. Just keep on reading to find the answers!
But, first, let’s have a look at the manual approaches.
Manual Method to Transfer Contacts from Outlook 2016 to Office 365
You can use the import/export option, however, it’s a 2 step process. First, export your contacts then it will be saved in CSV(comma-separated value) format. Later, you can import this .csv file to Office 365.
Export Outlook 2016 to .csv file
Follow the below steps:
- Open Microsoft Outlook on your PC and press ‘File’
- Then, click ‘Open & export’
- Next, click ‘Import/Export’
- After that, select Export to a file
- Select Comma Separated Value
- Then, select the contacts folder, and press Next
- At last, click on Finish and then the exporting process will start.
Import That CSV file to Office 365
After exporting the contacts refer to the given steps to import contacts to Exchange Online:
- Go to Outlook and click on ‘File’
- Next, hit the ‘Open & Export’ option,
- Then, select ‘Import from another program file’ and press ‘Next’
- After that, choose ‘Comma Separated Value’ and hit ‘Next’
- Then, click on the ‘Browse’ button and select the exported file to import
- On the same window, select the desired radio button under the ‘Options’, and click on ‘Next’
- Finally, hit the ‘Finish’ button to start importing the contacts.
But, unfortunately, this procedure is not suitable if you want to import contacts in bulk. Because it’s a time-consuming process and requires complex configuration.
Now, the question arises, how can you import contacts in bulk? Is there any way available? Let’s find out!
Import External Contacts to Office 365 in Bulk-Know the Methods
For bulk transfer of contacts, you have both manual and automated methods.
As far as the manual method is concerned, further, you have two options. That is the Driving Shipping method and Network Upload method.
In Drive Shipping, you have to manually copy the data to a hard disc and physically ship it to Microsoft. In fact, you have to pay $2/GB of data to be transferred. And, it is region dependent i.e. not all countries around the world can use this method.
Now, if you talk about the Network Upload method, through this, you can transfer contacts from Outlook 2016 to Office 365. But, it uses highly sophisticated PowerShell commands. So, make sure you are technically sound to carry out this process otherwise you will end up losing your crucial contacts permanently.
[To know more about the Drive Shiping and Network Upload method click here]
Last but not least comes the automated method. The sound of executing the task automatically brings satisfaction. As a matter of fact, it does and many IT professionals have experienced the ease of importing contacts to the cloud using trustworthy software.
As promised let’s understand the working of the tool.
Automatically Transfer Contacts from Outlook 2016 to Office 365 Through The Software
This method overcomes all the challenges of manual methods and helps users to move their contacts in bulk. That means no restriction on geographical boundaries and you don’t have to worry about executing complicated PowerShell codes.
Simply follow the easy-to-conduct five steps and get the work done.
Step-1: Download the Import Tool and launch it on your system. Then, enter the login details.
[Note: To import data in bulk, tick the ‘Is Office 365 Admin’ checkbox present at the top left corner]
Step-2: Then, to migrate Outlook contacts to Office 365, select an option from Add File, Add Folder, Add CSV
Step-3: Now, map the PST files with the desired O365 user ids to transfer contacts from Outlook 2016 to Office 365
Step-4: Then, click on contacts. If you wish to import emails, calendars, and tasks as well then click on the corresponding checkboxes too.
Step-5: Once you tick the desired checkboxes, click on the ‘Import’ button to begin the process.
Why Choose The Tool to Import External Contacts to Exchange Online?
There are various reasons for considering the tool. Such as,
- Whether you own a user account or an admin account, in either case, this tool is helpful in moving your data to the cloud.
- Along with contacts, you can import emails, calendars, tasks, etc
- Efficiently move your data in bulk at one go.
- You can upload selective files through category-wise migration.
- This tool lets you exclude importing unnecessary deleted and sent items.
And, many more…
Conclusion
Contacts are an important part of any business. And, leaving them behind is not a very good idea. But, most Outlook users are not aware of an appropriate solution to transfer contacts from Outlook 2016 to Office 365. Hence, we’ve come up with this detailed write-up explaining both manual and automated methods. Now, make the smart move and choose the best method!
Also Read: Safest Way for Exchange On-Premise to Office 365 Migration
