Quickly delete or move duplicate contacts in Outlook

When importing contacts into Outlook from an excel spreadsheet or other applications, duplicate contacts may create in your contacts folder. Duplicate contacts crowded in Contacts folders will take up Outlook space. Here recommend the Duplicate Contacts utility of Kutools for Outlook. With this feature, you can easily delete, move even categorize duplicate contacts in selected Contacts folder(s) across different email accounts.

Quickly delete, move or categorize duplicate contacts in Outlook

Quickly delete, move or categorize duplicate contacts in Outlook

Let’s see how to apply the Duplicate Contacts feature to delete, move or categorize duplicate contacts in Outlook.

1. Click Kutools > Delete Duplicate > Duplicate Contacts in Delete group (you can also click Kutools Plus > Duplicate Contacts to enable the feature).

2. In the Duplicate Contacts - Step 1 (of 5): Specify the data file(s) wizard, check the data files that you want to remove, delete or add categories for duplicate contacts, and then click the Next step: Specify contact folder button.

Note: If there are multiple email accounts with large contacts folders in your Outlook, a loading contacts folder(s) window will pop up as the below screenshot shown. You can skip the current loading email account to increase the loading speed based on your needs, or just wait until all contacts folders are finish loading.

3. After finishing loading contacts folders, the Duplicate Contacts – Step 2(of 5) wizard pops up, you can see all Contacts folders are listed in the left box, please check the Contacts folder(s) containing duplicate contacts you will handle, and then click the Next: Select contacts fields for duplicate comparison button.

Tips:

• 1. When selecting folders, you can right click the folder list for more quick options.
• 2. All selected folders are listed in the right box, you can delete, sort them as you need. And the contacts listing in the above folder will be priority to be retained when handling duplicates.

4. In the Duplicate Contacts – Step 3(of 5) wizard, please select contacts fields to filter duplicate contacts in the Please select Contacts fields for duplicate comparison box, and then click the Next: Select the fields to be listed in results button.

Note: If you check the Search all duplicates in selected Contacts folders option, the duplicate contacts within all selected folders will be searched. Otherwise, the duplicates will be searched in their own contacts folder separately.

5. In the Duplicate Contacts – Step 4(of 5) wizard, specify the fields to be listed in the results box, and then click the Start filtering button.

6. Then all duplicate contacts are listed in the Result list of the Duplicate Contacts – step 5(of 5) wizard. In this wizard, you can:

• 5.1) All duplicate contacts are listed into the Result list box;
• 5.2) Expand a group, you can click a duplicate contact to preview its information in the Contact information preview box;
• 5.3) Choose a way to handle all listed duplicates in the How to deal with the duplicate contacts? drop-down list;
• 5.4) Click the Apply now button based on the way you select to handle duplicates. See screenshot:

Ways to handle duplicate contacts:

1. Delete (Move to the “Deleted Items” folder)

If you want to delete all duplicate contacts but not permanently delete them, please select this Delete (Move to the “Deleted Items” folder) option from the How to deal with the duplicate contacts? drop-down list. Then click Apply now button to start deleting duplicate contacts.

2. Permanent Delete

If you want to permanently delete all duplicate contacts from Outlook, please select this Permanent Delete option from the How to deal with the duplicate contacts? drop-down list, and then click the Apply now button to start deleting duplicate contacts.

3. Move all duplicate contacts (except the first one) / Move all duplicate contacts (include the first one)

If you want to move all duplicate contacts except the first one or move all duplicate contacts include the first one to a specific folder, please choose this Move all duplicate contacts (except the first one) or Move all duplicate contacts (include the first one) option from the How to deal with the duplicate contacts? drop-down list, and then click the Apply now button.

Then a Please select folders dialog box pops up, please select an existing folder or create a new folder to save the duplicates, and then click the OK button.

4. Add category

You can choose to add the same category to all duplicate contacts in selected contacts folders for easily distinguish them at a glance in the future. Please select Add category option from the How to deal with the duplicate contacts? drop-down list, and then click the Apply now button.

In the Color Categories dialog box, please specify a category to all duplicate contacts, and then click the OK button.

7. In the following popping up Kutools for Outlook dialog, click OK to close it.

Then all handled duplicate contacts are marked with a strikethrough in the Result list. Please close the Duplicate Contacts wizard to end the process. See screenshot:

Tips: