Saving/Exporting Google Contacts or Outlook Contacts

When changing employers, it’s often handy to save (export) a copy of contacts that you have accumulated during your time at a current employer. If you export a copy of your contacts, it’s usually possible to import those into your new account at your new school/employer. The steps vary depending on whether you are a Gmail user or a Microsoft Outlook user.

Google Gmail / Google Contacts

Google provides an article on how to export / back up / restore contacts. In summary, you’ll:

• Go to Google Contacts
• Click the small button for Export which is usually located near the top-right
• You can choose to export in either Google CSV format or Outlook CSV format. I recommend doing the export in both formats, especially if you are unsure as to which email platform you might be using next.
• A CSV file will be automatically created and downloaded. Be sure to save these files to a USB flash drive and/or send a copy to your personal email address

Microsoft Outlook Contacts

If you use Microsoft Outlook, the steps to export your contacts can vary a bit if you are using a Mac vs. a Windows PC. Microsoft has an article on the topic, but regardless of Mac or Windows, you can use the web version of Outlook (OWA) to export your contacts too. In summary:

• Visit Outlook Web Access: https://outlook.office.com/mail/inbox
• Click on the Contacts icon (far left side)
• In the ribbon bar, look for the Manage contacts button; click it, and choose Export contacts
• The default option will be “All contacts”. If you have multiple folders of contacts, repeat this process for each contacts folder. Most users will just have a single folder called “All contacts”.
• Click the Export button to download the resulting CSV file
• Be sure to save these files to a USB flash drive and/or send a copy to your personal email address

Clay Gibney, Director of Technology, SAIS