Are you thinking about how to import PST contacts to Office 365? Here, in this blog, we will teach you the best method to learn how to perform this migration. A PST file is an Outlook data file that stores all of its data items and is accepted by only a few Microsoft products. Office 365, on the other hand, is an online data managing platform that very well manages contacts, calendars, to do, tasks, emails, etc.
The process to import PST contacts to Office 365 is divided into two steps. The first is to convert the contacts to CSV and then move them to your Office 365 account. Now, you can execute these tasks in two methods such as a manual way and an expert automated method. Let us first learn about the smart way.
Expert Method to Import PST Contacts to Office 365
First, you must convert contacts PST to CSV by using automated software before moving it to Office 365.
Key Features of the Tool
- Convert multiple PST contact files in a single attempt.
- Can export corrupted, orphaned, password-protected PST.
- It retains all attributes and fields of the contact files.
- Supports nine formats to convert your PST files into.
- Converts Outlook contacts to vCard, CSV, and seven formats.
- Supports all MS Windows versions including 2019, 2016, etc.
Steps to Import PST Contacts to Office 365
- Download and install PCVITA Outlook to vCard converter software. Click on Add file/folder.
- The software will now scan all of them for any corruption or damage.
- Now, the application will provide you a preview of all contacts. You can view all details such as personal, business, phone numbers, etc. Choose the contacts that you would like to export.
- Then, click on the CSV export option. Then, provide a location in your system to save it and hit the Export button.
Import CSV Contact Files to Office 365
- First, log in to Office 365 Contact Group.
- Select the Manage button & then choose to Import Contacts.
- Then, browse the .csv contacts you created above.
- Finally, click on the Import button.
Done! You now simply have to wait for the program to finish importing for you.
Manual Method to Import PST Contacts to Office 365
- Launch MS Outlook & click on File in the top left corner.
- Click on the Open & Export button & choose Import/Export.
- Select Export to a File > Next > Comma Separated Values.
- Choose the folder containing contacts & browse the location to save them
- At last, map the custom fields of before you convert.
- Click on Finish.
After this, you can follow phase two from the previous method explaining ways to migrate this CSV to O365.
Limitations of the Manual Method
The manual method has a few restrictions when you import PST contacts to Office 365. Unlike the software which automatically matches the fields for you, this manual method requires you to do that by hand which is very time-consuming. Also, it allows you to export many fields to Outlook but not all of them. Additionally, if you do not have Outlook or if you need to import corrupt PST files, then you cannot do this manually. This process does not work when you need to import an orphaned file.
Related: How to Import VCF Contacts to Outlook 2016?
Conclusion
In this blog, we have mentioned two different methods to import PST contacts to Office 365 graciously. The smart solution that we recommended above makes sure that none of your data gets corrupted or lost during the migration.