Top 3 Ways to Add Outlook Contacts on Android
When you add your Gmail account on Android, the system automatically syncs your calendar and contacts to your phone. However, many users prefer to use Outlook to store contacts, email addresses, and calendar entries. While you don’t always have to rely on someone emailing you to add their contact information, there are other ways to add contacts to Outlook on Android.
You can add a new account from the settings and enable contacts or use the Outlook mail app from the Play Store. We’ll also show you how to set Outlook as the default account for adding contacts. Without further ado, let’s get started.
1. Use the Android Outlook app
Microsoft offers the Outlook email app on Android. It is one of the best email apps and a solid alternative to Gmail on Android and iPhone. Before you start, you need to install Outlook, set up your account, and sync contacts to your phone. Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open Google Play Store on your Android phone.
2nd step: Search Outlook and install the application.
Step 3: Open the Outlook application and sign in with your Microsoft account details.
Step 4: When the app syncs your email, tap the Home icon in the top left corner.
Step 5: Tap Settings in the lower left corner.
Step 6: Select Outlook under your email accounts.
Step 7: Enable the toggle for “Sync Contacts”.
Return to the home screen and open the Contacts app. Outlook contacts will start appearing there.
2. Use the Settings menu
If the above trick doesn’t work, use the Default Settings menu to sync Outlook contacts to Android.
Step 1: Set up Outlook mail app on Android (refer to the steps above).
2nd step: Swipe up from your Android phone’s home screen and open the app drawer menu.
Step 3: Find the Settings app with a familiar gear icon.
Step 4: Scroll down to Passwords and Accounts.
Step 5: Select Outlook from the next menu.
Step 6: Tap Account sync.
Step 7: Enable the Contacts toggle in the next menu.
3. Use the Contacts app
First, you need to create a .VCF file from Outlook contacts and sync them to your Android phone using the Contacts app. We’ll use Outlook for the web to generalize a .CSV file and convert it to .VCF format.
Step 1: Visit Outlook on the desktop and switch to the People tab.
2nd step: Enable the check mark next to “All Contacts” and open “Manage Contacts” at the top.
Step 3: Select “Export Contacts” and Outlook will save a file in .CSV format.
Step 4: Use online tools like any conv to convert your .CSV file to .VCF format (since the default Contacts app on Android cannot read and import numbers from a .CSV file).
When you have an Outlook contacts file in .VCF format, move it to your phone and use the default Contacts app to import it.
Step 1: Launch the Contacts app on your phone.
2nd step: Go to the “Repair and manage” menu.
Step 3: Select Import from file.
Step 4: Select an email account or device to save the imported contacts.
Step 5: This will open the default file manager menu. Find your .vcf file to import to Android.
Set Outlook as default
After importing Outlook contacts to Android, it’s time to set it as default account to save new contacts. Otherwise, your phone will continue to use Gmail as the default account.
Step 1: Open the Contacts app.
2nd step: Tap your account photo in the top right corner.
Step 3: Open the Contacts app settings.
Step 4: Tap “Default account for new contacts”.
Step 5: Select Outlook from the context menu.
Add your favorite people to quick access
Dealing with hundreds of Outlook contacts can sometimes be troublesome. The default Contacts app lets you add people to Favorites so you can find and contact them easily. Here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Open the Contacts app.
2nd step: Switch to the Highlights tab.
Step 3: Select Add favorites at the top.
Step 4: It will open your contacts in alphabetical order. Select the star icon next to your frequently used contacts.
Step 5: You will see your selected contacts appear as a shortcut in the favorites menu.
Access your Outlook contacts on Android
Adding contacts from the Outlook mail app is the easiest way to add specific contacts to Microsoft accounts on Android. After adding Outlook contacts, use Android widgets to add contact shortcuts on the home screen.