The fastest way to add a contact in Outlook

Open Outlook and go to the People tab at the bottom of the left sidebar. Click the New Contact button (or press Ctrl+N on Windows, Cmd+N on Mac). A blank contact card opens. Fill in the name, email address, and phone number, then click Save. The contact now appears in your People list and you can search for it by name whenever you need it.

If you are adding someone from an email they sent you, right-click their name in the message and select Add to Contacts. Outlook pulls their email address in automatically and opens a contact card for you to add a phone number or other details.

Key Takeaways

  • The People tab in Outlook holds all your contacts, and you can add a new one in seconds by clicking New Contact and typing a name and email.
  • Right-clicking a sender's name in an email message lets you add them to your contacts without typing their email address manually.
  • You can add phone numbers, job titles, physical addresses, and notes to any contact after you create it.
  • Contacts sync across your devices if you are using Outlook.com or a Microsoft 365 account, so changes appear everywhere you use Outlook.

Adding details beyond name and email

When you create a contact, Outlook starts with just the name field. After you save, you can open the contact again and add more information. Click the contact's name in your People list, then click Edit (or double-click the contact card). You now see fields for phone number, job title, company, physical address, birthday, and notes.

Fill in whatever details matter for that person. If you add a phone number, Outlook lets you label it as mobile, work, home, or other. If you add a physical address, you can label it the same way. Save when you are done, and the contact updates immediately.

Where contacts live and how to find them

All your contacts live in the People tab. Click it and you see a list of everyone you have added. You can search by typing a name in the search box at the top. Outlook also shows you contacts you have emailed before, even if you never formally added them — these appear under Suggested Contacts until you move them to your main list.

If you use Outlook.com or Microsoft 365, your contacts sync to the cloud. That means if you add someone on your computer, they appear on your phone and tablet too. If you use Outlook through your workplace, your company's network settings control whether contacts sync across devices.

Importing contacts from another email or service

If you have contacts in Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or another email service, you can bring them into Outlook. Export your contacts from the other service as a CSV or VCF file (most email services have an export option in their settings). Then in Outlook, go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export. Choose Import from a file, select the file type (usually CSV), and pick the file you downloaded. Outlook reads the file and adds all the contacts to your People list.

The import process takes a few seconds to a few minutes depending on how many contacts you have. Once it finishes, all your imported contacts appear in your People tab and sync to your other devices if you are using a cloud-based account.

Organizing contacts into groups

Outlook lets you create contact groups so you can email multiple people at once. In the People tab, click New Group. Give the group a name (like "Project Team" or "Family"). Then click Add Members and search for the contacts you want to include. Click each one to add them, then click Save.

Once you have created a group, you can type the group name in the To field of a new email and Outlook sends the message to everyone in that group. You can edit the group later by clicking it and selecting Edit Group to add or remove members.

Syncing contacts across devices

If you use Outlook.com or Microsoft 365, your contacts sync automatically across your computer, phone, and tablet. Any contact you add on one device appears on all the others within a few minutes. If you use Outlook through your workplace, sync depends on your company's setup — ask your IT department whether contacts sync to your phone.

To check that sync is working, add a contact on one device and wait a few minutes, then check another device. If the contact appears, sync is on. If it does not, your account may not have sync turned on, or your workplace may have disabled it for security reasons.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a contact without an email address?

Yes. Open a new contact, type the person's name, and leave the email field blank. You can add a phone number, address, or other details instead. Save the contact and it appears in your People list. You can search for them by name and call them directly from Outlook if you added a phone number.

What happens if I add the same person twice?

Outlook does not automatically merge duplicate contacts. If you notice you have added someone twice, open one of the duplicate cards, click the three dots menu, and select Delete. Then open the other card and add any missing information. In the future, search your People list before adding a new contact to make sure they are not already there.

Can I add a contact from a phone call or text message?

Not directly from the call or text in Outlook itself. You would need to open Outlook, go to People, and create a new contact manually. However, if someone texts or calls you through your phone's native messaging or phone app, you can add them there, and if your phone syncs to your Microsoft account, they may appear in Outlook automatically.

How do I delete a contact?

Open the contact in your People list, click the three dots menu at the top right of the card, and select Delete. Confirm the deletion. The contact is removed from your People list. If you use a cloud-based account, the deletion syncs to your other devices.