How to extract email addresses from mail folders in Outlook?

Author Kelly Last modified 2025-04-16

Extracting email addresses from a single email in Outlook is straightforward—you simply copy and paste. However, extracting addresses from an entire mail folder containing hundreds or thousands of messages can become tedious. Fortunately, Outlook’s built-in features and powerful add-ins like Kutools for Outlook simplify this task significantly. This article will guide you through practical methods using Outlook's native export options and Kutools’ user-friendly utilities to quickly extract email addresses into contacts, groups, or external files.

Method 1: Extract Email Addresses from a Mail Folder Using Outlook's Export Feature (Manual & Time-Consuming)

Method 2: Extract Email Addresses from a Mail Folder and Save as Contacts using Kutools for Outlook 👍 (Quick & Efficient)

Method 3: Extract Email Addresses from a Mail Folder and Save as Contact Group Members using Kutools for Outlook 👍 (Convenient & Organized)

Method 1: Extract Email Addresses from a Mail Folder Using Outlook's Export Feature

Follow these steps to extract email addresses from a mail folder in Outlook and export them to a CSV file:

1. Open Outlook, click "File" > "Open & Export" > "Import/Export".

2. In the "Import and Export Wizard", select "Export to a file" and click "Next".

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3. Select "Comma Separated Values", then click "Next".

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4. Select the mail folder from which you want to extract email addresses, then click "Next".

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5. Click "Browse" to choose the location to save the exported file.

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6. In the "Browse" dialog box:

1). Choose a folder where you will save the file.
2). Enter a file name in the "File name" box.
3). Click "OK".

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7. Click "Next".

8. In the "Export to a File" dialog box, click "Map Custom Fields".

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9. In the "Map Custom Fields" dialog:

1). Click "Clear Map" to remove default fields.
2). Drag fields "From: (Address)", "To: (Address)", "CC: (Address)", and "BCC: (Address)" from the left box to the right box ("To:").
3). Click "OK".

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10. Click "Finish".

📌 Result: Outlook will export email addresses from the specified mail folder into the CSV file. This process may take a few minutes if the folder contains many emails.

Pros and Cons of Method 1:

✅ Built-in Outlook feature; no additional tools required.
❌ Complicated and time-consuming process, especially for large folders.
❌ Does not automatically detect or remove duplicate email addresses.

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Method 2: Extract Email Addresses from a Mail Folder and Save as Contacts using Kutools for Outlook 👍

If you have Kutools for Outlook installed, you can instantly extract email addresses from a selected mail folder and directly save them as individual contacts in Outlook with the "Add the Senders and Multiple Recipients of the Selected Emails to Contacts" feature. This method helps you avoid manually exporting and importing email addresses, saving considerable time and effort.

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1. Open the mail folder from which you want to extract email addresses. Press "Ctrl" + "A" to select all emails within this folder.

2. Click "Kutools" > "Add Contacts" > "Add the Senders and Multiple Recipients of the Selected Emails to Contacts".

the screenshot of the Add the Senders and Multiple Recipients of the Selected Emails to Contacts button

3. In the "Add Contacts from Messages" dialog box:

1). Choose the destination contacts folder where new contacts will be stored.
2). In the "Select All Contacts from Multiple Emails" section, check the email addresses you wish to add.
Tips:
- ✅ Duplicate Prevention: Existing contacts in Outlook are automatically unchecked and labeled with "Already Exists".
- 🔄 Manage Duplicates Quickly: Use the "Check all existing contacts" or "Uncheck all existing contacts" options to quickly manage duplicate entries.
3). Click "OK" to proceed.

the screenshot of the Add Contacts from Messages dialog box

📌 Result: A confirmation dialog box will appear, indicating the total number of contacts successfully added. Click "OK" to finalize the operation.

the screenshot of a confirmation dialog box

Advantages of Method 2:

✅ Automatically detects and manages duplicate email addresses.
✅ Simple, user-friendly interface with minimal setup required.
✅ Saves extracted addresses directly as contacts for immediate use.

Note: To apply the "Add the Senders and Multiple Recipients of the Selected Emails to Contacts" feature in Kutools for Outlook, firstly, you should download and install Kutools for Outlook.

Method 3: Extract Email Addresses from a Mail Folder and Save as Contact Group Members using Kutools for Outlook 👍

With the Kutools for Outlook's "Add the Senders and Multiple Recipients of the Selected Emails to a Contact Group" feature, you can quickly extract email addresses from senders or recipients in a selected mail folder and efficiently save these addresses as members of an Outlook Contact Group ("distribution list"). This feature is especially useful for easily organizing contacts into targeted mailing groups.

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1. Open the desired mail folder, then press "Ctrl" + "A" to select all emails within this folder.

2. Click "Kutools" > "Add Contacts" > "Add the Senders and Multiple Recipients of the Selected Emails to a Contact Group".

the screenshot of the Add the Senders and Multiple Recipients of the Selected Emails to a Contact Group button

3. In the "Add People to Contact Group" dialog box:

1). In the "All contact information from the selected email" section, check the email addresses of senders or recipients you wish to include.
2). In the "Contact Group" section, choose one or more contact groups ("distribution lists") where the selected email addresses will be added as members.
3). Click "OK".

the screenshot of the Add People to Contact Group dialog box

📌 Result: A confirmation dialog box appears, showing the number of email addresses successfully added to your selected contact groups. Click "OK" to complete.

the screenshot of a confirmation dialog box

Advantages of Method 3:

✅ Quickly creates or updates contact groups from email addresses.
✅ Handles bulk operations efficiently, ideal for large contact lists.
✅ Provides immediate confirmation of added addresses.

Note: To apply the "Add the Senders and Multiple Recipients of the Selected Emails to a Contact Group" feature in Kutools for Outlook, firstly, you should download and install Kutools for Outlook.

Which Method Should You Use?

Use this table to quickly decide which email extraction method best fits your needs:

Method	Best For	Ease of Use	Handling Duplicates
Built-in Outlook Export	Basic, occasional extraction of email addresses into files	⭐⭐⭐	⭐
Save as Contacts with Kutools	Extracting and directly saving email addresses as Outlook contacts	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Save as Contact Group Members with Kutools	Quickly building or expanding Outlook contact groups from emails	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Final Recommendation: Outlook’s built-in method is suitable for basic, occasional tasks. However, for regular or extensive management of email addresses, Kutools for Outlook offers greater convenience, efficiency, and precision.

Demo: Extract email addresses from the mail folder in Outlook

Discover the Kutools / Kutools Plus tab in this video, added by Kutools for Outlook. Now, most features, including AI functionalities, are free! Pro features come with a 30-day trial without limitations!