How to Import Contacts to a CSV File That Crashes Mac Mail

You can import contact data into the Address Book app if Mac Mail is crashing.

The Mac Mail application, which is included on all Apple desktop and laptop computers, has an address book feature that lets you store contact information for people you frequently email. When you try to add data from a large comma-separated values file, also known as a CSV, to the address book in Mac Mail, the program may crash or stop responding. To resolve this issue, you should first import the CSV data into the separate Address Book application, then link it to Mac Mail.

Things You'll Need

• Mac running OS X 10.5 or later

Instructions

1. Close the Mac Mail application. If the program is frozen or not responding, hold down the "command," "option" and "esc" keys. Then highlight "Mail" from the application list and hit "Force Quit" to manually close it.

2. Launch the Address Book app by clicking on the dock icon.

3. Open the "File" menu at the top of the screen, expand the "Import" submenu, then choose the "Text file" option.

4. Double-click on the CSV file that contains the contact information you want to import.

5. Check the box next to "Ignore first card" if the first row in your CSV file contains field names and not actual contact data.

6. Use the drop-down menus on the left side of the window to match each column in your CSV file with a field from the Address Book application.

7. Press the "OK" button to import the CSV file into Address Book.

8. Relaunch Mac Mail. If the program will not open, you may need to restart your computer.

9. Go to the "Window" menu in Mac Mail and choose "Address Panel" to view the contact data you just imported.

References

• Apple Support: Importing Contacts Into Address Book