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Outlook / Microsoft 365Freshsales

How to import Outlook / Microsoft 365 into Freshsales

14 of the 22 columns in an Outlook / Microsoft 365 export, mapped into 13 Freshsales fields under Freshsales' own names.

Download the Excel templateUse this template free

Free · 18 KB · Excel 365 or Google Sheets

Check your Outlook / Microsoft 365 export first

Built on Outlook / Microsoft 365’s export columnsChecked against Freshsales’ import rulesUpdated October 3, 2026

One Outlook / Microsoft 365 row, through the templatecopied as it ischanged on the way1explained below
  • First Name to First NameKaren
  • Last Name to Last NameWilson
  • E-mail Address to Emaillowercasedkaren.wilson@meridian.example.com
  • Business Phone to Work Number+44 161 496 0175
  • Mobile Phone to Mobile Number+44 7700 900175
  • Company to Company NameMeridian
  • Job Title to Job TitleSales Operations Lead
  • Business Street to Address9 Harbourside
  • Business City to CityBristol
  • Business State to StateCity of Bristol
  • Business Postal Code to Zip CodeBS1 4DJ
  • Business Country/Region to CountryUnited Kingdom
  • Notes, Categories to Description1joined, with labelsNotes: Prefers calls before 10am. | Categories: Suppliers;Key accounts
Not imported: Home Phone, Home Street, Home City, Home State, Home Postal Code, Home Country/Region, Web Page and Birthday. The template leaves these out; map any to a custom field in Operelio.

Where Outlook / Microsoft 365 and Freshsales don’t line up

1

Two columns kept in Description

This template gives Notes and Categories no Freshsales field of their own.

The template writes them into Description, each with its label, and leaves empty ones out.

ExportNotes Prefers calls before 10am.
Categories Suppliers;Key accounts
FreshsalesNotes: Prefers calls before 10am. | Categories: Suppliers;Key accounts

Check your Outlook / Microsoft 365 export before you import it

Looks for the 14 columns this template reads, and what Freshsales would skip.

Drop your Outlook / Microsoft 365 CSV here

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, and results are counts only.

Outlook / Microsoft 365 to Freshsales in three steps

Step 1Export from Outlook

In the new Outlook for Windows, select People, then Export contacts from the ribbon. Classic Outlook uses File, then Open & Export, then Import/Export.

  1. Select the People icon.
  2. Choose Manage contacts, then Export contacts.
  3. Pick All contacts or a folder, then select Export.
  4. The .csv file saves to your Downloads folder.
Microsoft: Export contacts from Outlook on the webMicrosoft: Import or export contacts in Outlook
Step 2Paste into the template
  1. Paste the export at A1 of Paste your export here.
  2. Start here checks all 14 columns were found.
  3. Save Freshsales Contacts import as a CSV.

Works in Excel for Microsoft 365 and Google Sheets. Excel 2019 and older, Apple Numbers and LibreOffice can't run the formulas this file uses.

Just the 13 headers as a CSV

Step 3Import into Freshsales
  1. Go to Contacts in the left navigation bar and choose Import from CSV/XLSX.
  2. Choose contacts only, or accounts along with contacts, and upload the file.
  3. Check the field mapping and set the date format.
  4. Choose whether to create new records, update existing ones or both, and who owns them.
  5. Click Import Now.
Freshsales' importer, screen by screen

Operelio, with the same template

Fixes the capitals in names, formats phone numbers, removes duplicate and blank rows, which the Excel file leaves to you. On every plan. Email verification from Starter.

Use this template in Operelio

Questions

Where does Outlook / Microsoft 365's E-mail Address column go in Freshsales?

To Email on the contact.

Where do Notes and Categories go?

Into Description on each contact, labeled like "Notes: Prefers calls before 10am. | Categories: Suppliers;Key accounts".

What about Outlook Categories?

Categories don't have a default Freshsales field, so the template writes them into the Description field with the label Categories. If you want to filter on them, add a custom multi-select field on the contact and map the column to it by hand.

Duplicates and undoing an import: Freshsales import questions.

Try this template free

Upload your Outlook / Microsoft 365 export and download a file Freshsales can import. No credit card needed.

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