The fastest way to add a contact in Outlook

To add a single contact quickly, open Outlook and click the People icon in the left sidebar (it looks like a person's head and shoulders). Click the New Contact button near the top of the window. Type the person's name, email address, and phone number into the fields that appear, then click Save. The contact is now stored and will appear in your address book whenever you start typing their name in an email.

If you are already composing an email and want to save the recipient as a contact, right-click their name or email address in the message and select Add to Contacts. Outlook will create a new contact card with their email pre-filled.

On the web version of Outlook (Outlook.com or Outlook on the web), the process is nearly identical: click the People icon, select New Contact, fill in the details, and save. The contact syncs across all your devices.

Key Takeaways

  • New contacts are created through the People section, and you can add them while composing an email or from the contacts list itself.
  • Outlook stores contacts in folders — your default folder is called Contacts, but you can create additional folders to organize by group or project.
  • You can import contacts from a CSV file, another email account, or a phone by using the Import function in the People menu.
  • Contact information syncs automatically across Outlook on your computer, phone, and web browser if you are signed into the same Microsoft account.

Adding multiple contacts at once with import

If you have a list of contacts from another email account or a spreadsheet, you do not need to type each one manually. Open Outlook and go to People, then click the three-dot menu and select Import Contacts. Choose the file format — most commonly a CSV (comma-separated values) file — and browse to the file on your computer.

Outlook will preview the contacts and ask you which folder to import them into. If you want them in your main Contacts folder, leave the default selected. Click Import and Outlook will add all the contacts from the file in seconds. This method works whether you are using Outlook on Windows, Mac, or the web.

If your contacts are stored in another email service like Gmail or Yahoo Mail, you can export them as a CSV file from that service first, then import them into Outlook using the same process.

Organizing contacts into folders and groups

By default, all contacts go into a folder called Contacts. To create a new folder for a specific group — such as "Work," "Family," or "Clients" — right-click on the Contacts folder in the left sidebar and select New Folder. Name the folder and click OK. You can now drag existing contacts into this folder or specify the folder when creating a new contact.

Outlook also lets you create contact groups, which are lists of people you email together regularly. Click New Contact Group in the People section, give it a name like "Project Team" or "Book Club," then click Add Members and select the contacts you want to include. When you address an email to the group name, it sends to everyone in the list at once.

Contact groups are different from folders: a folder is just a storage location, while a group is a mailing list. A single contact can belong to a folder and also be part of multiple groups.

Editing and updating contact information

To change a contact's details, open the People section and click on the contact's name. Click the Edit button (or pencil icon) and update any field — phone number, address, job title, birthday, or notes. You can add multiple phone numbers and email addresses by clicking the plus sign next to each field. When you are done, click Save.

If a contact's information changes frequently — such as a colleague's office location or phone extension — you can add notes in the Notes field to keep track of updates. These notes are visible only to you and do not sync to the contact's own Outlook account.

Syncing contacts across devices

Contacts stored in Outlook sync automatically if you are signed into the same Microsoft account on multiple devices. This means a contact you add on your phone appears in Outlook on your computer within minutes, and vice versa. The sync works across Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, and the web version of Outlook.

If a contact is not syncing, check that you are signed into the same Microsoft account on both devices. On a phone, open Outlook settings and confirm that Sync Contacts is turned on. On a computer, go to File > Options > Advanced and look for sync settings under the Outlook Data File section.

Removing or hiding contacts

To delete a contact, right-click on their name in the People section and select Delete. The contact is removed from all folders and cannot be recovered unless you restore from a backup. If you want to keep the contact but stop seeing them in your main list, you can create a separate folder and move them there instead of deleting.

Outlook does not have a built-in "hide" or "archive" feature for individual contacts, so moving them to a separate folder is the best way to declutter your main Contacts list while keeping the information available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a contact without an email address?

Yes. When creating a new contact, only the name field is required. You can add a phone number, address, or other details without including an email address. This is useful for storing phone numbers for people you do not email regularly.

What happens if I add the same person twice?

Outlook will create two separate contact cards. You can merge them by selecting both contacts (hold Ctrl and click each one), right-clicking, and choosing Merge. Outlook will combine the information into a single card.

Can I share my contacts with someone else?

Outlook does not have a direct contact-sharing feature. However, you can export a contact or group as a VCF file and email it to someone, or you can export your entire Contacts folder as a CSV file and share that. The recipient can then import the file into their own Outlook.

Do contacts from my phone automatically appear in Outlook?

Only if your phone is synced to the same Microsoft account. If you use an iPhone or Android phone with Outlook installed and sign in with your Microsoft account, your phone contacts will sync to Outlook on your computer. Contacts stored only in your phone's native contacts app will not appear in Outlook unless you manually import them.

Can I add a photo to a contact?

Yes. Open the contact, click Edit, and look for a photo icon or placeholder. Click it to upload an image from your computer. The photo will appear next to the contact's name in your address book and in emails when they write to you.