Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

3/1/04 Exporting Outlook address book

Feb 27, 2004 1:44AM PST
Question
I just got laid off. How do I move my Microsoft Outlook address book at work to my Outlook Express address book at home?


Answer:

Exporting Outlook to Outlook Express--

Well, the answer is easier than it seems, but follow these steps and you should have most of your contact information. I say most as sometimes (esp. if the export doesn't run smoothly), a field or 2 gets lost in translation.

1. Open outlook and click on file/import and export
2. Click on Export to a file/next
3. Click on Comma Separated Values (Windows)/next
4. Select Contacts/next
5. Name the file/next
6. Map Custom Fields if desired and then click finish.

Copy the file to a floppy or e-mail (or whatever) and when you get home, then do the following--

0. Copy the file to a easy to get location (like the desktop)
1. Open Outlook Express and click on file/import/Other address book
2. Click on Text File (Comma Separated Values)/Import
3. Browse to file or type in if you know the exact location/next
4. Select which fields you want imported/finish

Voila, contacts imported.

Hope that helped,
Mike M

Submitted by: Mike M
Congrats Mike and thank you for your great submission!

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Re:February 23, 2004 Membership Q&A Newsletter
Feb 29, 2004 2:20PM PST

I bought a shareware app from www.inachis.com which does complete backups of Outlook Express, including all the folders, messages, etc, and the address book. It works very well. I think I paid around $20 for it.

- Collapse -
Re:February 23, 2004 Membership Q&A Newsletter
Mar 1, 2004 5:59AM PST

If you're referring to Outlook Express Backup, you're right, it's a way cool and convenient program....Jet

- Collapse -
Re:February 23, 2004 Membership Q&A Newsletter
Feb 29, 2004 2:36PM PST

What if I have some addresses in my MS Outlook home computer, what happens to them when I import the office MS Outlook addresses to the home computer? Will they be erased or added to the list?

- Collapse -
Re:February 23, 2004 Membership Q&A Newsletter
Feb 29, 2004 6:49PM PST

Hi Mike.
You are a big help I needed to download (copied) some info from the box at work and this will help me.
Thanks again, you been a BIG help.
jws416@yahoo.ca

- Collapse -
Re:February 23, 2004 Membership Q&A Newsletter
Mar 1, 2004 3:35AM PST

I created some sub-folders in my Outlook address book and I exported it as you indicated. I reinstalled my operatin system and when I imported the address book appeared only the contacs in the folder "main identity contacts" without the sub-folders. There is any solution? Thank you for help.

- Collapse -
Re:Re:February 23, 2004 Membership Q&A Newsletter
Mar 3, 2004 11:03AM PST

From what I remember, you have to select the sub-folder as the one you want to export. Of course I haven't tested it as I don't have time, but I think that should work.

- Collapse -
Re:February 23, 2004 - How does this work if export function is not installed?
Mar 1, 2004 4:51AM PST

I too was recently laid off, and am trying to backup all e-mail messages to prove wrongfull termination. However, my employer has terminated access to the network an I only have access to outlook folders for which i've enabled offline access (My Thinkpad runs Win 2k Professional, and my version of MS Office -and outlook using MS exchange- was recently partially upgraded to 2000 sp3 - the import export function upgrade .msi files are on the server). In the past, I've copied certain emails to personal .pst folders and copied those to cd. Until last week, I never tried to open those files from my home computer. Now I find that outlook on my home machine running WinMe with either Outlook 97 or 2000 says I don't have access rights. Any ideas on how to open existing .pst files on my home machine, or how to enable export function on my work machine (w/o network access)? So far the company hasn't demanded that I return my work laptop. But that won't last much longer. Any ideas? FYI regarding computers, I'm one of those types who knows enough to be dangergous but not enough to be truly useful former IT people. Thanks

- Collapse -
Be Aware! E-mail address at work may have to stay at work...
Mar 2, 2004 3:13AM PST

Hi everyone,

In last weeks response to Tiffany's question in regards to exporting her work e-mail addresses to home--I received a great deal of members mentioning that e-mail addresses either are or could possibly be legal property of your employer.

Below are a few cut and paste member responses I received in regards to what could be a legal issue...so be aware and be careful not to violate any laws that could land you in trouble...

Best regards,
-Lee

----------member responses-----------


CAUTION: Either your employment contract or the law of your state may treat information like your address book as the property of your employer, which you may not take home without permission. The safest way is to ask, or consult a lawyer first.
submitted by Douglas W.


You don't. Your previous employer would consider such data as his legal property and therefore you would not have access to it after employment termination.
submitted by John L.

One thing to consider is that your address book at your current job is most likely the property of your employer. There *could* be legal liabilities in exporting your address book to take with you to a new
job, especially if your new employer is a competitor of your old employer. Be sure to check your agreements with your current employer
just to be sure.
submitted by David C.

As long as this is personal data I don't see any legal or ethical problems with this. I would not recommend it for any company data -- and then there is that thick, grey area where business contacts have become personal friends or contacts.
submitted by Russell C.

- Collapse -
Here's another
Mar 3, 2004 1:39AM PST

I just read one of your viewer's comments on another
viewer's desire to take her Outlook files home after
leaving a job.

This advice about emailing her files home is a potentially
dangerous path. If the employer is sensitive about
company property and customer confidentiality, she is
setting herself up for a lawsuit, a damaging referral
situation, and a blackball in the business community.

Whether she is stealing company secrets or not, the
best path is either don't do it, or take down her own
information manually by hand to transfer home.
Most companies are becoming very aggressive in monitoring
emails, especially those involving employees leaving
the company.

submitted by Brandon R