How to Import Contacts from Excel 2010 to Outlook 2010

Just as you can export contacts from Outlook 2010 to a CSV file, you can also import contacts from Excel to your Contacts folder in Outlook 2010 without too much trouble. Outlook 2010 supports the previous 97-2003 Excel file format that makes use of the file extension .xls. So all you need to do to move contacts in your Excel worksheet is to save it in a file format used by previous versions of Excel and then import them into Outlook. In this Outlook 2010 tutorial, you will learn how to import contacts from Excel to your Outlook Contacts folder.

Things To Do Before Importing Contacts into Outlook

1. Ensure Excel File is in XLS Format

Before we start off, make sure that the Excel sheet containing the contact data is in the XLS format. If not, here's what you need to do.

1. Open the workbook you want to import into Outlook.

2. Click the Save As button.

3. In the File name box, type a new name for the workbook.

4. In the Save as type list, click Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls) and click Save.

2. Make Sure that your Excel Sheet has a Named Range

If your Excel worksheet with the contact names does not have a named range, you might end up getting a translation error that reads like this:

An error has occurred in the Microsoft Excel 93-2003 translator while getting the contents of a file system. The Microsoft Excel 93-2003 file has no named ranges. Use Microsoft Excel 93-2003 to name the range of data you want to import.

1. To add a named range, on the Excel workbook select the data and press Ctrl+F3.

2. In the Name manager dialog box, click New and enter a name.make sure that you begin the name with a letter or an underscore and leave no spaces between words.

3. Click OK and close the workbook.

Create a New Folder in Outlook Contacts (If Necessary)

If you want to add the contacts to a new folder in Outlook, on the Outlook Contacts page, right-click Suggested Contacts and select New folder. Give the folder a name and click OK.

How to Import Contacts from Excel to Outlook 2010 Contacts

1. Select the File tab and choose Open.

2. In the right pane, click Import.

3. In the Import and Export wizard, select Import from another program or file and click Next.

4. In the Import a File dialog box, select Microsoft Excel 97-2003 and click Next.

5. In the File to import section, click Browse, navigate to the location with the Excel sheet and select the file that you want to import.

6. If necessary, in the Options section, select an option to add, remove, or replace duplicate email addresses.

7. Click Next.

8. In the Select destination folder list box, select the contacts folder in which you want to import the contacts and click Next.

9. In the next screen, click map custom fields to match the name of the Excel colums with that on Outlook.To do this drag the file name from the left of the screen to the appropriate column on the right. This will ensure that the contact information is placed in the appropriate fields in Outlook.

10. When this is done, click OK and then click Finish.

Your contacts should now be imported into Outlook.