A CSV file from an old Outlook installation is not yet a verified contact transfer. This guide starts with an existing Outlook 2007 export and checks it for the destination application. It does not describe setting up a modern account in old Outlook or replace a full backup of the original data.
Record the source and destination
- Keep the unchanged export and a separate backup of the original Outlook data. Work only on a copy.
- Record the exported contact folder, date, contact count and destination application and version. Multiple contact folders do not automatically form one combined list.
- Check the destination import requirements. Microsoft recommends UTF-8 for new Outlook. This does not mean every old export already uses UTF-8.
Inspect columns and values
First inspect the working copy without changing it in a text editor or through the text import feature of a current spreadsheet application. Check the delimiter, encoding and first row of column headings. If everything appears in one column, first check the import settings; do not replace all commas or quotation marks. A comma inside a correctly quoted field is not a new contact value.
Check first and last names, all required email addresses, telephone numbers, company and postal address in several examples. Telephone numbers and postal codes are text: numeric conversion must not remove an initial zero or plus sign. Check accented and other special characters. Saving as UTF-8 later does not automatically repair characters that are already damaged.
Match fields to the destination
Microsoft requires headings in the first row and matching language settings for its contact template. Use the actual destination application’s template or a sample export as your reference. Do not map by position alone: a second email address must not accidentally become a company name. Explicitly check field mapping if the importer offers it.
Retain the original headings in the unchanged file. Make adjustments only in a new import copy. Save it as an actual CSV, not an XLSX file with a different extension. Inspect the saved file again.
Validate a small test import
Import a few representative contacts into a separate test collection in the destination system first. Do not use the production contact list for repeated experiments. If characters are unreadable in the preview, cancel and resolve the encoding or source data. Reimporting may create duplicates; check the available duplicate handling beforehand.
Compare names, addresses and telephone numbers with the source. Also check multiline notes and multiple addresses where needed. A CSV’s existence does not prove that contact pictures, groups and special fields have transferred. Document missing information and an additional transfer method. Transfer the full collection only after a successful test and retain originals until acceptance.