# Import Excel to Windows Mail Contacts



## seekinganswers (Jun 27, 2008)

Hello Group,

Trying to import one long Excel 2007 column which has only e-mail addresses, into a specific folder in my Windows Contacts. I want to then create a new contact group and then Open that folder with the imported addresses, and do a single Add step, selecting all the imported addresses, from the folder into the new contact group.

Have read some posts about this but it is not working for me (PC Windows Home Premium, Office 2007). Step-by-step:

OK, I save the Excel as a CSV file. Then Tools>Windows Contacts and open the destination folder. Clicking Import > CSV > Import and browse to the Excel file saved in CSV format > Open > Next

Then "Map the fields you wish to import" window appears, showing only the first e-mail address (from the top of the Excel column).

I click on Change Mapping and select "E-mail address" from the list of fields, tick the Import this Field box, and OK, then Finish. Voila.

The e-mails are imported, but they are scattered throughout my Contacts, and the destination folder remains empty. 

How do I import to a specific folder in my Windows Contacts? I did not see a destination folder option during the import process, but that folder was opene when I did the import.

Thanks for looking in. Hope someone can solve this, as otherwise I must handle the addresses one-by-one into the Contact Group.

seekinganswers


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## Anne Troy (Feb 14, 1999)

Make sure that destination folder is created to contain CONTACT items and not the default "mail and post" items.


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## seekinganswers (Jun 27, 2008)

Thanks for your reply.

I checked the Properties of the intended destination folder, and the folder was set to Contacts.

There is no option in the Import process to designate a destination folder. I open the folder and then click on Import, but the same behavior, nothing comes into the folder.

Any further clues?

Thanks.

seekinganswers


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## Anne Troy (Feb 14, 1999)

File-->Import and export...from a file...
Choose Excel 97-2003.
Choose your folder....


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## seekinganswers (Jun 27, 2008)

Thanks for looking in.

My (Windows Vista Home Premium) Windows Mail does this:

File > Import and then gives 4 options:

Windows Contacts
Messages
Mail Account Settings
News Account Settings

Selecting Windows Contacts takes me to the same window as when I do a 
Tools > Windows Contacts (then open the destination folder, set to Contacts) > Import

And that process does not allow me to select a destination folder.

Also after Tools > Windows Contacts there is no File button in the toolbar.

Hope you can steer me in the right direction.

seekinganswers


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## bomb #21 (Jul 1, 2005)

Here's one of the first things I read on this:

"Windows Contacts offers a pretty *limited* functionality."

I've never worked with Windows Mail. The only idea I have is ... maybe in your Excel file, add a column relating to a "spare" contact *property* (e.g. "Group Membership", = "AAA"?). Then it _might_ be possible *after* the import to sort by that property, so that the new contacts group together and you could then bulk-select and drag/drop to your new group.

That's all I've got; HTH.


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## Anne Troy (Feb 14, 1999)

LOL
You have Office. Why in the world would you use the LIMITED Windows mail when you have Outlook?


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## seekinganswers (Jun 27, 2008)

Dear All,

Thanks for looking in - very helpful as always.

Anne: My Office suite does not have Outlook, so I must use Vista Windows Mail for now (some adivse me to switch to Mozilla Thunderbird, as Outlook is usually a target for malware criminals). By experimenting with Windows Mail as stimulated in this thread, I gained a much better feel for mailing lists. Thanks.

Bomb #21: Your clever suggestion actually worked! The Windows Contacts window offers sort on either name, e-mail address, home phone or business phone (did not see other fields, just those). So I added a column to the Excel file of e-mail addresses, and entered AAA in the new column.

During the Import process, selecting this field as Home Phone then enabled a sort on this field and a group drag and drop into a Contacts folder worked fine. Then a Contact Group could be formed from this folder. 

Thanks for your help - saved me a lot of tedious, time-consuming work, and I gained some good experience during the process. Win - win.

seekinganswers


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## Anne Troy (Feb 14, 1999)

Excellent! I'm so glad you got it solved. 
Also, I have been using Outlook for years and years. I have had no issues.


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