MS: How To Import Outlook Contacts To Windows Phones

Yup, we’re on this topic again because I keep hearing people complain that they are unhappy about how to sync Outlook in a non-Exchange environment. But this time Microsoft has provided a tutorial which also covers photo syncing for contacts (uhm or lack thereof). These may not be new to you, but certainly there’s still a lot of questions about this issue (and why it’s so freaking hard for a company who created both Outlook and Windows phone to tie the dang things together seamlessly). Here it is in full:

If you’re using Outlook without Exchange, you can get your Outlook-based contacts onto Windows Phone 7 by using one of the following methods:

Note While you cannot sync contacts directly from Outlook to Windows Phone 7, you can move or sync Outlook contacts to a service such as Windows Live. The methods below describe how to move Outlook contacts stored on your computer into Windows Live. Contacts stored in Windows Live will automatically sync to Windows Phone 7 once you add that Windows Live account to your phone.
Important: Contact photos stored locally (on your computer) in Outlook will not sync to Windows Live using the methods below. You’ll need to add your contact pictures manually on Windows Phone 7, since Windows Live doesn’t allow for assigning of pictures to contacts outside of "network contacts" (Messenger). This may not be an issue if you have that same contact as a Facebook friend and have linked the contact cards on the phone; the Facebook profile picture would then become the contact photo.

• Method 1: Use Microsoft Office Outlook Hotmail Connector to move your Outlook contacts to Windows Live
  Install Outlook Hotmail Connector
  1. Open a web browser and go to Microsoft Office Outlook Hotmail Connector overview (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/microsoft-office-outlook-hotmail-connector-overview-HA010222518.aspx) , then click Download now.
  2. Click Download if you are running a 32-bit system.
     Note If you are running a 64-bit system, click the link at the bottom of the page. (Direct links: 32-bit (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=39db2b89-af2e-41f9-a175-f93e1377959f&displaylang=en) / 64-bit) (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=8a31fbf4-f4bf-4751-954b-5b36d80ec375&displaylang=en)
  3. Install the Outlook Hotmail Connector.
  4. Depending on the version of Outlook you’re running on your desktop computer, follow the directions below.

  If you have Outlook 2010

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook 2010 on your computer.
  2. Click File, then click Add Account. Enter the information for your Windows Live Hotmail account and follow the steps to complete the setup.
  3. Click Contacts. You should notice a new Contacts section has appeared in your Hotmail account.
  4. Click-and-drag or copy your main Outlook contacts to the new Contacts section in your Hotmail account. This will copy your Outlook contacts into Windows Live.

  If you have Outlook 2007

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook 2007 on your computer.
  2. Click Outlook Connector, then click Add a New Account. Enter the information for your Windows Live Hotmail account and click OK.
  3. Close Outlook by clicking File, and then Exit. Then, re-open Outlook on your computer.
  4. Click Contacts. You should notice a new Contacts section has appeared in your Hotmail account.
  5. Click-and-drag or copy your main Outlook contacts to the new Contacts section in your Hotmail account. This will copy the contacts into Windows Live.
• Method 2: Import your Outlook contacts into Windows Live
  If you have Outlook 2010
  1. Start by opening Microsoft Outlook 2010 on your computer.
  2. Click File, then click Options. Click Advanced, and under the Export section, click Export.
  3. On the Import and Export Wizard, select Export to a file and click Next.
  4. Select Comma Separated Values (Windows) and click Next.
  5. Select Contacts as the folder to export from, and click Next.
  6. Choose a file location and file name and click Next.
  7. Click Finish. The contacts should now be exported as a CSV file.
  8. Follow the instructions below under Import your Outlook CSV file into Windows Live.

  If you have Outlook 2007

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook 2007 on your computer.
  2. Click File, then click Import and Export.
  3. On the Import and Export Wizard, select Export to a file and click Next.
  4. Select Comma Separated Values (Windows) and click Next.
  5. Select Contacts as the folder to export from and click Next.
  6. Choose a file location and file name and click Next.
  7. Click Finish. The contacts should now be exported as a CSV file.
  8. Follow the instructions below under Import your Outlook CSV file into Windows Live.

  Import your Outlook CSV file into Windows Live

  1. Open a web browser, go to http://contacts.live.com (http://contacts.live.com) , and sign in to your Windows Live account.
  2. Click Manage, and then click Import.
  3. On the "Add people" page, click Outlook.
  4. Select radio button "Microsoft Outlook (using CSV)".
  5. Browse to the CSV file you exported to your computer [Steps 1-7].
  6. Click Import contacts. If you’ve already added your Windows Live Hotmail account to your phone, you’re all done. Your contacts will automatically sync to your phone when you sign in to Windows Live on your phone.
     Note Windows Live limits the upload file size to 500 KB for CSV files. If your CSV file is larger than 500 KB, the file will fail to upload and you will receive the following error:

     The file you want to import is too large. Please delete some of the contacts and then try importing the file again.

     To resolve this issue, open the CSV file in Excel and split it into several files. You can then upload each file to Windows Live as long as the total file size doesn’t exceed the 500 KB limit.
     Note Windows Live has a storage limit of 6500 contacts per user.

• If you haven’t added your Windows Live Hotmail account to your phone, follow these steps:
  1. On Start, flick left to the App list, tap Settings, and then tap Email & Accounts.
  2. Tap Add an account, and then tap Windows Live.
  3. Enter your email address and password information, and then tap Sign in.
  4. Once you’re signed in, your Windows Live Hotmail contacts will sync to your phone.