How to Import an Address Book From Outlook Express to Outlook

Share your e-mail contacts' addresses between Outlook and Outlook Express.

Copying your Outlook Express contacts to MS Outlook is easy. You do not need to manually duplicate one entry at a time. With the import/export feature in both programs, transfer your whole Outlook Express address book to Outlook. When converting your old OE address book, choose between the Contacts Folder and the Personal Address Book. The former is integrated with Outlook and lets you add more information about your contacts, while the latter is kept as a separate file that can be copied to other computers.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Outlook 2002-2003
• Microsoft Outlook Express 4-6

Instructions

Contacts Folder

1. Launch Outlook. Choose "File" > "Import and Export." The import/export wizard will appear.

2. From the "Choose an Action to Perform" list, select "Import Internet Mail and Addresses."

3. Specify Outlook Express as the Internet mail application to import from.

4. Select only "Import Address Book."

5. Click "Next." Decide what to do with duplicate entries--either overwrite the existing contacts with the new, save the imported contacts as separate entries, or keep the old entries and not import any duplicates.

6. Click "Finish" to complete the importing. If you want, you can save a log file of the action in your inbox, too. Click "Save in inbox" to do so.

Personal Address Book

1. Launch Outlook Express. On the main window, select "File" > "Export" > "Address Book."

2. In the "Address Book Export Tool," choose "Microsoft Exchange Personal Address Book."

3. Click "Export" to export your contacts in a separate file. If asked for an Outlook user profile, choose one.

4. Click "OK" and close when you are finished.

Tips & Warnings

• Create a Personal Address Book if you want a basic, portable contact list that is easy to share.

• Create a Contacts Folder if you want more features and still be able to share your contacts as an Outlook file.

• If you try to export your Outlook Express address book without having Outlook installed on your computer, the program will appear to fulfill the export command, but no new Personal Address Book will be created. To make one, copy the address book with file extension WAB to a computer that has both e-mail programs installed; then repeat the process as before. The address book is usually located in C:\Program Files\Outlook Express.

References

• Microsoft Office Online: Copy Outlook Express Address Book Contacts to Outlook

Resources

• Microsoft Office Online: Outlook 2003 Help and How-to