Note: Contacts can be imported into Outlook from other applications or from exported Outlook contacts. These instructions assume that you have already exported the contacts from another application, such as a Web client, Excel spreadsheet, or database application.

1. Click the File tab.
2. Click Open.
3. Click Import.
4. Click Import from another program or file and then click Next.

5. Under Select the file type to import, click the file type of file you want to import, and then click Next.

   Note: The most common is Comma Separated Values (Windows), also known as a CSV file. If you are importing contacts that were exported from Outlook to an Outlook Data File (.pst), click Outlook Data File (.pst).

6. Under File to import, click Browse, select the file that you want to import, and then clickOK.

7. In the Import a File dialog box, under Options, click one of the following:

   
   
   • Replace duplicates with items imported — If an Outlook contact already exists, it is replaced by the information that you are importing.
   • Allow duplicates to be created — If an Outlook contact already exists, the imported contact is created as a second contact.
   • Do not import duplicate items — If an Outlook contact already exists, the information for the imported contact is not imported.

8. Click Next.

9. In the Import a File dialog box, under Select destination folder, click a folder for the imported contacts, and then click Next.

   Note: The folder for imported contacts is usually the Contacts folder unless you have multiple accounts, or have created multiple contact folders for an account.

10. Click Finish.

For more information on Microsoft Outlook, visit Microsoft's website.