Outlook keeps your address book inside the PST file, and phones don't read PST. iPhone, Android, iCloud and Google Contacts all import vCard (.vcf) files, so the job is to get the contacts out of the PST as VCF.
Outlook can't export every contact to one vCard file. Below are two free workarounds that need Outlook, and a converter that doesn't.
For a handful of contacts this works fine:
.vcf attachment per contact. Send it to yourself and open the attachments on your phone.Past 30 or 40 contacts this gets messy, because you end up with dozens of separate files.
This route handles a whole address book and costs nothing, but you need Outlook installed and a Google account.
The downside: your contacts pass through a Google account, and if the PST isn't connected to an Outlook profile you have to open it in Outlook first.
Magic Soft PST Converter reads the contacts folder inside the PST and writes vCard files directly. It doesn't need Outlook, so it also works on orphaned PSTs from an old PC or a former employee.
Browse to the PST and click Load & Analyze.
Open the Contacts folder in the preview and check that names, numbers and addresses are there.
Click Export and pick VCF as the format. Pick CSV instead if you want to edit the list in Excel first.
Choose a destination and click Start Export.
While you're in there, select the Calendar folder and export it to ICS. Google Calendar, iCloud and Outlook all import ICS files, so your appointments can move along with the contacts.
The trial exports 10 items per folder, so you can test a few contacts on your phone before buying.
Our contact import troubleshooting guide covers these in more depth.
For a few contacts, forward them as business cards. For a full address book with Outlook installed, go through Google Contacts. If you only have the PST file, or you want contacts and calendars out in one pass, a converter is the most direct route.
Not directly. Classic Outlook saves or forwards one vCard per contact. To get one file, export to CSV and convert it, or use a PST converter that writes VCF.
Methods 1 and 2 need Outlook. PST Converter reads the PST without Outlook installed.
Names, phone numbers, email addresses and postal addresses carry over in all methods. Notes and extra fields depend on the method, so check a few contacts after import.
vCard 3.0 is the safe choice for iPhone and iCloud. Android and Google Contacts accept 3.0 and 4.0.
Yes. PST Converter exports the Calendar folder to ICS, which Google Calendar, iCloud and Outlook can import.
