Part 1 - Import into Contact Folder:
- Save Excel file as tab delimited text file (make sure row 1 has the column header names!)
- Right click on your contacts and select "New Folder" and type in a folder name
- Select your new folder then click on "File" -> "Import" -> "Open"
- Select "Import from another program or file", click "Next"
- Select "Tab Separated Values (windows), click "Next"
- Click Browse and select the text file you saved, click "Next"
- Make sure the Outlook folder name you just created is selected, click "Next"
- Click the "Map Custom Fields" button and go through and let Outlook know which headers in Excel go with the headers in Outlook (see how-to video for examples), Click Ok when done
- Click "Finish", and all your contacts from Excel will now be in your Outlook folder
--> Click the link to watch me do this: http://screencast.com/t/aMHpwVyYO6uP
Part 2 (optional) - Move contacts from Folder to Contact Group:
- Select your main contacts folder (ex. "Contacts - netid@cornell.edu") under My Contacts
- Click on "New Contact Group" and give it a name
- Click on "Add Members" -> "From Address Book"
- Select your contact folder under Address Book
- To select all contacts in the folder: Select the first contact in the list, scroll down, hold down the CTrl key and click on the last contact
- Click on Members button to add them all, click "OK"
- Click "Save and Close"
- You can now select that group and click on the "E-mail" button to e-mail everyone in that group
--> Click the link to watch me do this: http://screencast.com/t/SbW4lyjDcf
Alternative: Copy E-mails Directly Into An E-mail
Now that I’ve explained how to import those contacts into your Outlook address book, please keep in mind that if it’s just a one-time e-mail to those contacts, then I suggest not cluttering your address book if you don’t need to.
Follow these steps to copy the e-mails you need into your e-mail: http://screencast.com/t/Qh7Q0zkm5kPg
- Select and copy all e-mails in the column from your excel file.
- Open new e-mail message
- Click on the “To…” button
- Paste the e-mails into the bcc textbox and click ok
(I use the bcc option for privacy, it sends the e-mail out in a way that each person cannot see the other e-mail addresses that you are sending out to)