Best Methods to Export Outlook Contacts to iCloud

Overview: Microsoft Outlook and Apple’s iCloud are two of the most prevalent services, each offering unique features and benefits. To maintain seamless communication across these platforms, it’s essential to synchronize your contacts. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to exporting your Outlook contacts to iCloud.

Reasons for Exporting Outlook Contacts to iCloud

The below-mentioned points are the reasons to export Outlook.com Contacts to iCloud.

  • Unified Ecosystem: For users deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem, having all contacts in iCloud ensures a unified and efficient user experience.
  • Enhanced Integration: iCloud offers seamless integration across Apple devices, ensuring your contacts are readily available on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
  • Data Security: Apple’s iCloud provides robust security features, offering peace of mind that your contact information is protected.

All the reasons listed above show the necessity to export Outlook contacts to iCloud. Let us now move forward to the best methods to do the same.

How to Export Outlook Contacts to iCloud?

The below methods can help you to transfer Outlook contacts to iCloud. You can follow these methods precisely to do the same.

Method 1: Using iCloud Control Panel

This method is straightforward and suitable for users who prefer a direct approach.

  1. Install iCloud Control Panel:
    • For Windows users, download and install the iCloud Control Panel.
    • For Mac users, access the iCloud settings through the System Preferences.
  2. Configure iCloud Settings:
    • Open the iCloud application.
    • Sign in with your Apple ID.
    • Select the option for “Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Tasks.”
    • Click “Apply” to synchronize your Outlook contacts with iCloud.

As you finish the last step, you will be able to move Outlook.com contacts to iCloud, and you will be able to access them on iCloud.

Method 2: Export and Import via vCard

This method involves exporting contacts from Outlook, converting them to a vCard format, and then importing them into iCloud.

Exporting Outlook Contacts to iCloud

This is a lengthy manual method that consists of three steps to complete the procedure to export Outlook contacts to iCloud. The three steps are as below.

  • Export Outlook Contacts as a CSV File
  • Convert CSV File to vCard/VCF
  • Importing vCard File to iCloud

Let us start with the first step to begin the process to move Outlook contacts to iCloud.

Step1: Export Outlook Contacts as a CSV File

You can export all the Outlook contacts directly from the Outlook application to your desktop. It will be exported as a CSV file and would contain all the information of the Outlook contacts. Follow the below steps to export the contacts as CSV.

  • Launch the Outlook application on your PC.
  • Press the File tab to view the further options.
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  • Under the File options, click on Open & Export.
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  • After that, hit the Import/Export option.
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  • In the Import and Export Wizard, choose the Export to a file option and click on Next.
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  • Now, choose the Comma Separated Value (CSV) option and hit Next.
export to a file

  • Select the contact files and folders that you want to import into iCloud and click on the Next option.
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  • Choose the location to save on your PC and press the Next icon.
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  • Then, tick the option to export the emails from the folder and press the Finish icon.
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All your Outlook contacts will be exported to your desired location in the form of a CSV file. Now, moving forward towards the second step to complete the process to export Outlook contacts to iCloud.

Step 2: Convert CSV to vCard Format

Since iCloud requires contacts in vCard format, you’ll need to convert the CSV file:

  1. Use a reliable CSV to vCard converter tool to perform the conversion.
  2. Follow the tool’s instructions to generate a .vcf file from your CSV.

This will complete the second step successfully.

Step 3: Import vCard into iCloud

  • Locate and select the .vcf file you converted earlier.
  • Navigate to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID.
  • Click on the “Contacts” icon.
  • In the Contacts interface, click the gear icon (Settings) in the lower-left corner.
  • Select “Import vCard.”

As you complete this step, you will be able to import Outlook contacts to iCloud, and all your Outlook contacts will be visible in iCloud.

Both of these manual methods to export Outlook contacts to iCloud will do the needful. Perhaps both of them have some drawbacks. These are not apt for users as they are very lengthy and time-consuming. The novice users can get stuck in completing the three-step long process due to its complexity.

Professional Method to Transfer Outlook Contacts to iCloud

Therefore, to overcome all these limitations, you can directly go for an alternate solution, i.e., DRS Softech Outlook PST Converter. It is an eminent utility that will resolve your issue and export contacts from Outlook to iCloud without any hassle. Moreover, it allows you to backup and store all your Outlook mailbox data to your system in several file formats like PDF, MBOX, EMLX, DOCX, JSON, DOC, etc. It is also capable of migrating the Office 365 emails to other email clients like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, IMAP, Hotmail, Amazon Webmail, Zoho Mail, etc.

Follow Simple Steps to Export Outlook Contacts to iCloud

  • Install DRS Softech PST Converter on your system and launch the software.
  • Click on the Add File button and browse to select the PST file containing your Outlook contacts.
  • Select the Contacts folder to preview the details.
  • From the available export options, choose vCard (VCF) format, as iCloud supports this format.
  • Click on the Convert button to begin the conversion process.
  • Import vCard to iCloud
  • Open iCloud.com in your browser and sign in.
  • Go to Contacts and click on the Settings (Gear icon) in the bottom-left corner.
  • Select Import vCard and upload the converted vCard file.

Also Read: Export Mac Mail Contacts to MS Outlook

Conclusion

Here, we have briefed the solutions to export Outlook contacts to iCloud. The users require to access the Outlook contacts in iCloud that lure them to go for these solutions. All the manual solutions mentioned in this blog can assist you to perform the conversion. However, if you do not want to encounter the limitations of the manual methods, you can go for the automated professional third-party Office 354 Backup Tool method. It can copy Outlook contacts to iCloud with ease.

About The Author:

Andrew Tie is a vastly experienced tech journalist who enjoys taking apart complex technology for a broad audience. Over more than a decade in the technology sector, Tie is good at making complicated technical concepts lucidly clear; enabling readers through engaging content. During his writing career so far, Andrew has written for several tech publications, right from industry-leading journals to popular tech blogs. Clarity, precision, and the ability to bridge technical vocabularies with everyday understanding mark his work.

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