Importing Excell Spreadsheet into Outlook Contacts

[Ethan]

When I try to import data from Excel to Outlook it will not allow the data to transfer. The error I get is that it needs a "named range" in the Excel file. I have tired to do this, but without success - any suggestions?

 

[beeawwb]

What you could try is saving the spreadsheet as Text (Tab Delimited) an
importing it that way. I've done that previously, but I don't know i
it's exactly what you want to do.

Hope it helps.

-Bo

 

[Gord Dibben]

Ethan

My experience with importing from Excel to Outlook led to this method.

First have the names and email addresses in Excel in two columns.

I set up also a third column with the names duplicated so when you Import to
Outlook you have a name for the Contact and a Display Name instead of the
email address in the To: box.

File>Save As>File Type CSV(comma delimited)(*.csv)

Now open Outlook and File>Import>Export>Import from another file>Comma
Separated Values(Windows)>Next>File to Import(you can browse to your saved
*.csv file). Next you will be asked where to import them to. I bring mine to
"Contacts".

Follow the instructions and you will get a Map. Drag your names and addresses
to the appropriate spots on the Map

1. Name of Contact
2. Email address1
3. Display Name(if you have one by making the duplicate column mentioned
earlier). If not, the email address wil be displayed in the To: box.

Continue with the OK's until Outlook pulls all from the *.csv file(should take
only a few seconds).

Now they are in the Contacts folder, you can group them as you wish.

Gord Dibben Excel MVP

 

[Kennyb]

In the excel spreadsheet you will need to identify each column of dat
with a column name... for example name/address etc.

Next Outlook wants to know which cells of which worksheet to import, s
is looking for the range of named cells. To do this go to the inser
menu of your Excel worksheet and select "name> / Define".

Now excel will open a dialog box so that you can define a named range.

Under "Names in workbook" - type the name "Contacts" and in the refer
to: section type something like : =Sheet1!$A$1:$E$80

Sheet1 refers to the name of the worksheet (You'll find this name a
the tab at the bottom of the sheet with the data you want to import).

The ! identifies the end of the sheet name

$A$1 identifies the first cell in the range... cell A1

the ":" means the range... or all cells between...

The $E$80 in this example identifies the last cell in the range.. E80.

At this point "Contacts" is a named range. It is the range of cell
from A1 to E80 on Sheet1. This information will be used by Outlook t
know exactly where to get the contact data from.

Note : Make sure that you are not editing the spreadsheet while tryin
to import it into excel.

If the names of your columns match closely enough outlook will try t
automatically match the correct excel column with the correct contac
field. If the names are not close enough you may have to manually ma
them. Outlook will give you a chance to do this during the impor
process.

Common column titles will be Firstname Middlename Lastname
BusinessStreet ... HomePhone etc...

If you want to see a list of all the column names ahead of time, tr
Exporting some existing contacts from outlook to excel first

 

[dumont]

in order to see how you can import into outlook xp, make first an expor
of a few test contactpersons to excel.

open this file and add the data you want to import to outlook in th
same way as outlook exports the data (so put name under name, addres
under address,....).

then select the whole area with data and give it a name (whatever name
through insert> name> define. Make sure you save this file and clos
it. Else you will not be able to do an import.

open outlook/ contacts, and select menu File/import and export > impor
from another program/ then choose Microsoft Excel.

If you work with XP, make sure you click the button Map Fields. Yo
need to drag and drop the email fields because for one or anothe
reason they are not mapped by default. so just select on left pan
'emailadres' and drag and drop it to the right pane (email adre
consists of three values

 

[Paul Anderson]

How do I export from Outlook into Excel? One can't always count on the data
in an Email being standard. That being the case how much information is
Excel going understand? Would I need to set up a worksheet to receive the
data properly?

Paul