OL98: How to Import Addresses from Outlook Express

Microsoft Outlook 98 and Microsoft Outlook Express are different programs with different capabilities, although both can send to and receive e-mail from the Internet. There are two ways to share contact information between these two programs. If, during Outlook 98 Active Setup, you choose to upgrade a program that uses the Windows Address Book, Setup will do a silent conversion of the address entries to the Contact format used by Outlook.

If you choose not to convert during Setup, you may do so later using the Import and Export Wizard. Outlook provides a tool to assist you in converting Windows Address Book (WAB) information.

The Windows Address Book is used by the following products:

• Microsoft Internet Mail and News
• Microsoft Outlook Express

You can choose to store address information in two ways. You can store the information in your Windows Address Book (WAB) and export to Outlook. Or, you can select the option in Outlook Express to share contact information among Microsoft Outlook and other programs.

Using the Outlook Import Export and Wizard

In Outlook you can use the Import and Export Wizard as the interface for Address Book conversion. To convert a WAB file, follow these steps:

1. Start Outlook if it is not currently running.
2. On the File menu click Import & Export.
3. Click Import Internet Mail & Addresses. Click Next.
4. Select the product for which you wish to convert items from the list. Click Next.
5. Select any combination of the Mail or Addresses from the items listed.
   
   NOTE: With the exception of rules conversion from Outlook Express, the steps to convert addresses is the same.
6. Click Next.
7. Select a destination for the imported address data. The destination depends on the type of Outlook installation you selected initially.
   
   
   1. The Internet Mail Only installation of Outlook 98 allows only the Contacts folder as the destination.
   2. The Corporate or Workgroup option allows the options of Personal Address Book or Outlook Contacts.
8. Select the appropriate duplicate items option. Click Finish to complete the import.

Export the WAB to a Comma Separated Value File

To export addresses from Outlook Express, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, point to Export and click Address Book.
2. Click "Text File (Comma Separated Values)," and click Export.
3. Type a name for your exported file and then click next.
4. Click to select fields you want to export and then click Finish.
   
   NOTE: Some of the field names may have to be edited to exactly match those that Outlook uses.
5. On the Address Book Import box, click OK, and click Close.

Import Comma Separated Value File into Outlook 98

1. On the File menu, click Import and Export.
2. Click to select "Import from another program or file," and then click Next.
3. Click to select "Comma Separated Values (Windows)." Click Next.
4. Type the path and filename, or browse to find the file.
5. Click to select the import location, such as Contacts. Click Next.
6. When finished, click OK, and then click Finish.

The addresses will now appear in the Personal Address Book in Outlook.

Note: You should check to see that the fields are exactly matched with the Outlook internal names properly and make adjustments if necessary. If the fields are not matched, no data will be imported.

Share Outlook Contacts with Outlook Express

You can share Outlook contacts with Outlook Express if you have the Internet Mail Only option of Outlook installed. The option to do this is in Outlook Express.

1. In Outlook Express, on the Tools menu, click Address Book.
2. On the Address Book Tools menu, click Options.
3. Click to select "Share contact information among Microsoft Outlook and other applications." Click OK and close the address book.
4. Exit and restart Outlook Express for the changes to take effect.

You can now use the Outlook contact list in both applications.

Drag Address Information to Outlook

It is possible to move individual or groups of WAB entries to Outlook by dragging them. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Double-click the WAB file to open it. Open Outlook if it is not already open.
2. Resize Outlook so that the WAB and Outlook are visible next to each other on the screen. Ensure that the Outlook Contacts folder is visible in the resized Outlook window.
3. Select an entry from the WAB. Drag it to the Contacts folder. A new Outlook Contact form will be created with the information from the WAB entry. Click Save and Close.

NOTE: Press SHIFT and click to select contiguous groups of entries or press CTRL and click to select non-contiguous entries. You may want to do this for selected Contacts or small groups.

For more information on Field Mapping in Outlook 98, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: