Export Contacts to MSG

The utility saves Outlook contacts to individual MSG files on your hard drive or network share. When exporting, you can replicate the source Outlook folder structure or automatically create a new one.

Main features

• Exports selected individual or multiple contacts in a single operation.
• Supports exporting from multiple folders at once.
• Can create the same folder structure as in Outlook for resulting MSG files.
• Can arrange final MSG files in new folders created according to the selected contact fields.
• Provides different modes for overwriting existing MSG files in the destination folder.
• Adds summary information for Windows Explorer to use in standard Windows search.
• Moves the successfully exported contacts to another Outlook folder or deletes them permanently.
• Filters contacts for export by the date they were created.
• Saves contacts from different users' mailboxes using the command-line application provided with Professional Edition.
• Can schedule export at specific intervals using the command line and Windows Task Scheduler (Professional Edition only).

What is MSG format?

MSG is a file format used by Microsoft Outlook to store mailbox items in separate files. This format contains all the information about an item, including its contents, attachments, metadata, and internal properties. MSG files can only be created and opened in Microsoft Outlook.

Why export Outlook contacts to MSG?

Exporting Outlook contacts to the MSG format has several advantages for backup, archiving, and migration purposes. You can store them in separate files, which increases reliability and ease of searching compared to PST archives. If a PST file is corrupted, the entire archive may be lost, whereas, with MSG, only the corrupted item is affected. It is easier to search for and locate specific contacts using standard Windows search. You can control access to the information using passwords and file system permissions.

MSG files allow you to store all related contact details, including images. This format enables you to easily move contacts between computers and keep your information on external drives and cloud storage.

How to manually save Outlook contacts to MSG

Open an Outlook folder containing the contacts to export and use one of the following methods:

1. Select the contacts you want to export, then copy and paste them into a folder on your computer.
2. Open the source Outlook folder and the destination folder in two windows and drag and drop the required items to the destination.
3. Use the Save As feature to save the contacts one at a time.

Repeat the process for each source Outlook folder.

Disadvantages of manual export:

Manual export takes too long if you have many contacts. The built-in Outlook options do not offer any additional functionality or bulk export capabilities.

How to automatically export Outlook contacts to MSG

This utility automatically exports Outlook contacts to MSG files, preserving all the source data and providing several advanced features, including bulk export from multiple Outlook profiles.

Benefits of automatic export

This automatic tool eliminates the risk of manual error, saves time when dealing with large volumes of data, and accurately exports the original information to MSG files. It is a customizable instrument with extra settings:

• Data selection filters allow you to export contacts for fixed or optional time periods.
• Moving or deleting exported contacts helps to avoid duplicate files if you run the utility periodically for the same Outlook folders.
• By selecting an overwrite mode, you can rename, overwrite, or skip existing MSGs in the destination folder.

These and other settings can be saved for future use.

Steps to automatically export Outlook contacts to MSG

1. Open the utility from the Outlook ribbon and select the source folders of your address book. Or select the required individual contacts and launch the utility from the context menu.
2. In the Advanced tab, select "Contacts" as the type of item to be exported.
3. Specify the target folder where MSG files will be saved.
4. To reorganize contacts into new subfolders, select a macro from a drop-down list, and the utility will arrange final MSG files into folders according to the chosen contact field.

   You can also use macros in the names of the resulting files. To do this, add the .msg extension after a selected macro.

5. Tick the "Create subfolders" option to recreate the Outlook folder structure at the destination.
6. Choose an overwrite mode for existing MSG files.
7. Add additional fields to the resulting MSG files for viewing in Windows Explorer by enabling the "Append summary information for Windows Explorer" setting.
8. Optionally move exported items to another Outlook folder or permanently delete them.
9. Use the filter by period to export only contacts created within a required date range.
10. Save the utility configuration if necessary and click Run to perform the export.

Bulk export of contacts to MSG format

Bulk export allows exporting contacts from/to multiple mailboxes simultaneously using the command line. A special application included in the Professional Edition of the utility lets you create scripts and scenarios for your different needs.

Using the Windows Task Scheduler, you can schedule the automatic export to run at a specific time and frequency, such as daily or weekly. This ensures that your archives are always up to date.

FAQ

Can I export only certain contacts?

Yes, you can use a date filter to select contacts for the required days.

Can I export Outlook contacts with images to MSG?

Yes, the utility saves all source information, including images.

Can I export Outlook contacts to MSG files without opening Outlook?

Yes, the utility can be launched from a separate application, eliminating the need to open Outlook first.

How to avoid duplicates when exporting contacts from the same Outlook folder repeatedly?

The utility provides options to move or delete exported items to prevent the appearance of duplicates during the repetitive export.