New Outlook Contacts

Question

I have tried exporting and importing my contacts from Classic Outlook to New Outlook. It doesn't seem to work. The contacts are either missing completely, or missing first or last names. There doesn't appear to be any way to edit the contacts.

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Moved from Microsoft 365 and Office | Other

Answer 1

Hi Donna Sacuta, 

I hope you are doing well ! I just want to check if you have had a chance to test the steps earlier? Please let me know if they helped resolve the issue or if you are still experiencing any difficulties. I am here to assist you further.

Have a lovely day!

Answer 2

Dear Donna Sacuta, 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. I’m sorry for the trouble you’re seeing with contacts missing (or missing first/last names) and contacts appearing uneditable after moving from classic Outlook to the new Outlook. I’m happy to assist. 

To help narrow this down, could you please reply with: 

• What account is in new Outlook (Outlook.com/Hotmail vs. Gmail/Yahoo/ISP)? 
• Do the contacts appear in People on the web for that same account? 
• In classic Outlook, were the contacts under “Contacts (This computer only)”? 

In the meantime, please also: 

Confirm whether the new Outlook is pulling from the cloud 

New Outlook relies on the account’s People/Contacts stored online. Please sign in to Outlook on the web with the same account you added to new Outlook and check People/Contacts. If the contacts are there online, remove the account from new Outlook and add it back to force a fresh People sync. 

If your contacts were “local-only” in classic Outlook / stored in a PST, new Outlook may not be able to use them 

PST support is limited and Contacts stored in PST aren’t accessible in the new Outlook. If your contacts lived under “Contacts (This computer only)”/PST in classic Outlook, they won’t reliably show/edit in new Outlook until they’re imported into the account’s online contact store. See: Release notes for Outlook for Windows (new) - Office release notes | Microsoft Learn. 

Please try a workaround that avoids the “wrong columns/missing fields”

Create one contact directly in new Outlook > export contacts from new Outlook to get a CSV in the exact format new Outlook expects > copy/paste your contacts into that exported CSV (keep the headers/structure) > import that file back. 

If contacts show but “Edit contact” isn’t available or edits don’t stick 

You can create/edit contacts from the People page in new Outlook. If the desktop UI isn’t letting you edit, try editing the same contact in Outlook on the web (People) and confirm it syncs back. 

Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!   

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Answer 3

Use the following checks and steps to fix the missing and uneditable contacts when moving from classic Outlook to new Outlook:

1. Re‑export contacts correctly from classic Outlook
   In classic Outlook:
   1. Select File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
   2. Choose Export to a file > Next.
   3. Select Comma Separated Values > Next.
   4. In Select folder to export from, choose the Contacts (This computer only) folder under the correct account, then Next.
   5. Choose Browse, pick a save location and file name, then OK.
   6. Confirm the path and select Next, then Finish.
   7. Wait for the Import and Export Progress box to close.
2. Verify and fix the .csv in Excel before importing
   1. Open the exported .csv file in Excel.
   2. Confirm that:
      • All contacts are present.
      • First name, last name, and other fields are actually populated in the file.
      • The first row still contains the original column headings; do not rename or delete them, as Outlook requires these headings.
   3. If first or last names are missing, add or correct them directly in Excel.
   4. When saving, if Excel prompts with “Are you sure you want to save it in .csv format?”, always choose Yes each time. Choosing No can corrupt the file and require a fresh export.
3. Import into new Outlook using the corrected .csv
   After confirming the .csv is correct, import it into new Outlook using the documented “Import contacts to new Outlook using a .csv file” flow. During import, if prompted how to handle duplicates, choose Replace duplicates with items imported so the fixed contacts overwrite any broken ones.
4. If contacts are uneditable, fix them in bulk
   If the imported contacts appear but cannot be edited (for example, notes or name fields are locked), use the supported bulk‑fix method:
   1. Export all contacts to a .csv file again.
   2. Create and save a new test contact in the Contacts folder.
   3. Reopen that new contact and try to edit the Notes field:
      • If the Notes field is editable, import the .csv back into the same Contacts folder and choose Replace duplicates with items imported. This removes problematic internet headers and marks contacts as editable.
      • If the Notes field is not editable even on the new contact, create a new Contacts folder, then import the .csv into this new folder instead and start using that folder going forward.
5. If contacts are still missing after all of the above
   • Reopen the .csv in Excel to confirm the missing contacts or fields are actually present in the file. If they are not, repeat the export from classic Outlook, ensuring the correct Contacts (This computer only) folder is selected.

Following these steps ensures the .csv is valid, all name fields are present, and the imported contacts in new Outlook are editable.

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References:

• Import or export contacts in Outlook using a .csv file
• Fix problems importing contacts to Outlook
• Unable to edit Contacts, Appointments, Meetings, or Tasks within Outlook