Email contacts did not migrate over to Microsoft 365 Outlook

To get contacts into Microsoft 365 Outlook and address missing or unsaveable contacts, use the supported import path and contact-fix steps.

1. Verify and prepare the contacts file

• If contacts were exported from another service (e.g., old Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail), locate the exported .csv file.
• Open the .csv file in Excel.
  • Confirm that all contact information is present.
  • Ensure the first row contains column headings and do not change or remove them (Outlook requires the column headings in the first row).
  • Add or correct any missing information as needed.
  • When saving, if Excel asks “are you sure you want to save it in .csv format?”, always choose Yes. Choosing No can corrupt the file and require a new export.

2. Import contacts into Outlook (Microsoft 365 Outlook for Windows)

• In Outlook, go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
• Select Import from another program or file > Comma Separated Values > Next.
• Select Browse and choose the contacts .csv file.
• Choose how to handle duplicates, for example Replace duplicates with items imported if rebuilding the contacts.
• Select Next.
• In Select a destination folder, scroll to the top and select the correct Contacts folder under the email account that should own these contacts.
• Choose Finish.

3. If no contacts appear or info is missing after import

• If no contacts appear:
  • Reopen the .csv in Excel and confirm there is data. If the file is empty, repeat the export from the original email system, making sure to export All contacts or the correct group.
  • Save again as .csv, always answering Yes to keep the CSV format, then repeat the import steps.
• If contacts appear but with missing fields:
  • Open the .csv in Excel and verify the missing fields exist.
  • Edit or add missing data in Excel if needed, keeping the header row unchanged.
  • Save as .csv (always Yes to the CSV prompts) and re-import, choosing Replace duplicates with items imported.

4. If contacts still cannot be saved or migrated

• Use the guided support tool for Outlook issues, which can run diagnostics and fixes in the browser for Microsoft 365 Outlook.
• If the issue is related to contacts not migrating from an old Hotmail/Outlook.com environment to Outlook.com, sign in to Outlook.com, select ? > Feedback > Give Feedback, describe the missing contacts issue, select Next, then Skip and send message so a Microsoft engineer can investigate the migration.

For direct support beyond chat, use the official Microsoft 365 support channels associated with the subscription (phone or callback options vary by region and subscription type). If online chat sessions are closing prematurely, open a new support request and note the previous failed attempts in the case description.

References:

• Fix problems importing contacts to Outlook
• Move your old email, calendars, and contacts to Microsoft 365
• Microsoft 365 operated by 21Vianet: Import contacts to Outlook for Windows