How to Export Your Outlook Contacts to a CSV File

Your email contacts are arguably the most valuable data stored within your Outlook account. Whether you are migrating to a completely new email provider like Gmail, backing up your data before a job change, or simply importing your client list into a CRM system, you will need a portable version of your address book. The universal standard for this is a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file.

A CSV file is essentially a plain-text spreadsheet. Every modern email client, marketing software, and database system can read it, making it the perfect format for transferring contacts. Microsoft Outlook includes a built-in export tool designed specifically for this purpose.

Exporting from the Outlook Desktop App

If you use the classic Microsoft Outlook desktop application on Windows, the export wizard is built directly into the file menu.

1. Open the Microsoft Outlook desktop application.
2. Click on File in the top-left corner of the ribbon menu.
3. From the left-hand sidebar, select Open & Export.
4. Click the Import/Export button. The Import and Export Wizard window will open.
5. Choose Export to a file from the list and click Next.
6. Select Comma Separated Values as the file type and click Next.
7. You will now see a folder tree representing your Outlook account. Scroll through it and click on your Contacts folder to select it, then click Next.
8. Click the Browse button to choose where you want to save the CSV file on your computer (for example, your Desktop), type a name for the file, and click OK.
9. Click Next, and finally click Finish. Outlook will generate the file and save it to your specified location.

Exporting from Outlook on the Web

If you use the web-based version of Outlook (Outlook.com or the modern Microsoft 365 web app), the process is even simpler as it is integrated directly into the People tab.

1. Log in to your Outlook account in your web browser.
2. On the far left-hand navigation pane, click the People icon (it looks like two silhouettes) to open your contacts.
3. At the top right of the screen, look for the Manage contacts dropdown menu and click it.
4. Select Export contacts from the list.
5. A popup window will appear asking which contacts you want to export. You can choose “All contacts” or a specific folder.
6. Click the blue Export button.
7. Your browser will immediately download a file named contacts.csv to your default Downloads folder.