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How to convert distribution list to individual contacts in Outlook?

When you receive a distribution list send from others, after saving the distribution list to the Contacts folder, how can you convert this contact group to individual contacts in Outlook? Actually, Outlook provides you with no feature for solving this problem. But there still are methods for it. Please look at the following tutorial.

Convert distribution list to individual contacts with expanding and saving one by one

Convert distribution list to individual contacts with importing

Step 1: Save the Distribution list as txt file

Step 2: Save the txt file as csv-file in Excel

Step 3: Make sure that the contacts and Email Addresses are separated by Commas

Step 4: Import the CSV file to Outlook contacts folder

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arrow blue right bubbleConvert distribution list to individual contacts with expanding and saving one by one

If there are not so much members existing in the distribution list, I recommend you to use this method for converting distribution list to individual contacts in Outlook.

1. First, you need to save the distribution list sent from others by dragging it to Contacts Folder, then create a new email message.

2. In the Message window, click the To button to select the distribution list which you want to convert to individual contacts.

3. When the distribution list showing in the To field, please click the button to expand the distribution list.

4. Then an Expand List prompt box pops up, please click the OK button. See screenshot:

5. After expanding the distribution list, please select and right click the first contact, and then click Add to Outlook Contacts in the right-clicking menu. See screenshot:

6. Now the Contact window pops up, please click the Save & Close button to save it after finishing filling all the information for this contact.

7. You need to repeat the above step 5 and 6 to create new contacts from the distribution list until all members are saved to your contacts folder.

8. After saving all contacts of the distribution list, close the Message window without sending.


arrow blue right bubbleConvert distribution list to individual contacts with importing

If there are amount of members included in the distribution list, the following import method will do you a good favor.

Step 1: Save the Distribution list as txt file

1. After saving the distribution list into your Contacts folder, shift to the Contacts or People view, select and open the distribution list you want to convert to individual contact.

2. Click File (Office button in Outlook 2007) > Save As.

3. In the Save As dialog box, you need to:

1). Select Text Only in the Save as type drop-down list;

2). Select a location to save the text file to;

3). Name the file in the File name box;

4). Click the Save button.

Step 2: Save the txt file as csv-file in Excel

Now you need to save the txt file as csv-file in Excel. Please do as follows.

1. Open an Excel workbook.

2. In the Excel worksheet, please type the word β€œName” in the cell A1, and in cell B1, type β€œE-mail Address”. See screenshot:

3. Open the txt file you have created in the Step 1, select the lines only with the names and email addresses. Then press Ctrl + C to copy the selected items.

4. Go back to the Worksheet, click the cell A2, then press Ctrl + V to paste the selected items to the worksheet.

5. Then click File (Office button in Outlook 2007) > Save as in Excel.

6. In the Save As dialog box, you need to:

1). Select a location to save the CSV file to;

2). Name the file in the File name box;

3). Select CSV (MS-DOS) from the Save as type drop-down list;

4). Click the Save button.

Step 3: Make sure that the contacts and Email Addresses are separated by Commas

1. Open the CSV file in Notepad with right-clicking it, then click Open with > Notepad. See screenshot:

2. Make sure that the Names and the E-mail Addresses are separated by commas.

Notes:

1. If they are separated by commas, please close the Notepad window;

2. If the separators are not commas, for example they are semi-colon, please click Edit > Replace in the Notepad window. In the Replace dialog box, type the semi-colon (;) in the Find what box, and type comma (,) in the Replace with box, then click Replace All to replace all semi-colons with commas. See screenshot:

Step 4: Import the CSV file to Outlook contacts folder

Now, you can import the csv file to Outlook contacts folder.

1. Open the Import and Export Wizard dialog box.

In Outlook 2007, please click File > Import and Export;

In Outlook 2010, please click File > Open > Import;

In Outlook 2013, please click File > Open & Export > Import/Export.

2. In the Import and Export Wizard dialog box, click Import from another program or file, then click the Next button.

3. In the Import a File dialog box, click Comma Separated Value (DOS), and then click the Next button.

4. In the next Import a File dialog box, please click the Browse button to find and open the CSV file you have created; then click the Next button.

Note: The three Options are optional for your own needs.

5. In the next dialog box, please select a Contacts folder which you want to save the contacts in the Select destination folder box. Then click the Next button.

6. In the last dialog box, click the Finish button to start importing.

7. Then an Import and Export Progress dialog box pops up, after finishing importing, it will be closes automatically.


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