Thursday, January 17, 2008
EndUserSharePoint.com: How do I import contacts from Outlook 2003 to WSS?
The question of the day comes from Dean:
Do you have any tips for importing contacts from Outlook 2003 to WSS 3? This feature used to be in WSS 2 but is no longer in WSS 3
Dean – I don’t have any experience with that, but I’m sure Chris will have something to say about it.
Dean,
One method that might work is to do an export of your contacts from Outlook 2003 using File -> Import Export. After exporting, you can then make use of the Import Excel Spreadsheet option in SharePoint 2007. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to Office 2003 any longer so I can’t detail the steps.
I hope you find this suggestion helpful. If someone has Outlook 2003, feel free to see if you can produce the steps involved.
Hi,
I have the same problem BUT using Outlook 2007.
I have some users (in the GAL) that I would like to import in a contact list in MOSS\WSS 3.0.
In the previous version it was a simple task.
Now it is a nightmare (or, more probably, I’m unable to find the right way to do that :-(
Thanks
Guido
To copy contacts from Outlook 2007 into WSS, open your contacts list in Outlook (Actions > Open in Outlook). Then drag and drop the contacts from one folder to the other inside Outlook.
This also works great for Tasks and Calendars.
Chris’ solution above will work for Outlook 2007 as well.
If you are using Outlook or Outlook 2007 and working with a personal contact list, here is how you can make use of the export functionality inside of Outlook.
1. Click on File > Import and Export
2. Choose Export to a file and then next
3. Choose Comma (or Tab) separated values (Windows) and then next
4. Navigate to Contacts in the list of folders and then next
5. Provide a filename and location to save the contacts list and then Next
6. To customize the fields to export, choose Map Custom Fields
7. Modify the fields that you wish to export
8. Click OK and then Finish to export the file.
9. Open the file in Excel and then save it as an excel document (XLS or XLSX)
10. Go to SharePoint and choose to create a new list.
11. Select Import from Excel under Custom Lists
12. Import your contacts list.
This should allow you to work with contacts. However, if the contacts are in the Global Address List (Exchange Servers), he’ll have to make a copy to a personal contacts list first and then do the export.
Thanks Chris,
I worked around as you kindly suggested. I often import users from GAL (exchange server) so that was easier in the SPS2003-Outlook2003 scenario … IMHO … :-)
Thanks again
Guido
Chris, thanks for your detailed instructions above, i’ve used that method and it works fine.
However I need to add more contacts from another persons exported contacts to this SP list. How may I achieve that? Is it easier with Outlook 2007 than 2003(I have that on my laptop).
Thanks
Roy
I attempted Chris’ method and got this dialogue box. Any suggestions?
“Object doesn’t Support this property or method”
Any ideas on how to synchronize my Outlook public contacts folder to a SharePoint 2010 list?
Hi,
I get a list of around 500 employees every month in a excel sheet. My team creates a group on Sharepoint (WSS 3.0) and adds each employee one after the other. This takes quite a lot of time and human effort. Is there a way I can export the names along with their employee IDs to a Group on WSS 3.0? Btw, we dont use MS Outlook at all instead we use IBM Lotus Notes 8.
Please suggest a workaround. Thanks in advance.