Outlook / Microsoft 365
Zoho Contacts13 fieldsHow to import Outlook / Microsoft 365 data into Zoho Contacts
Outlook and Microsoft 365 contact exports include business phone, mobile phone, and the full business address. This template maps every column to Zoho's underscored API names (First_Name, Last_Name, Mailing_Street, etc.) and lands the per-contact Notes column in Zoho's Description. Outlook also exports Home Phone, Home Address, Categories, and Birthday columns that Zoho doesn't have a default home for. The section below explains what to do with each one if you need it.
Field-by-field mapping
This is the complete column mapping from Outlook / Microsoft 365 to Zoho Contacts. The left column is the header in your CSV export. The right column is the Zoho Contacts field it should map to.
| Outlook / Microsoft 365 column | Zoho Contacts field | |
|---|---|---|
| First Name | First NameFirst_Name | |
| Last Name | Last Name*Last_Name | |
| E-mail Address | Email TransformLowercased and trimmed | |
| Business Phone | Phone TransformStandardized to international format (+1, +44, etc.) | |
| Mobile Phone | Mobile TransformStandardized to international format (+1, +44, etc.) | |
| Company | Account NameAccount_Name | |
| Job Title | Title | |
| Business Street | Mailing StreetMailing_Street | |
| Business City | Mailing CityMailing_City | |
| Business State | Mailing StateMailing_State | |
| Business Postal Code | Mailing ZipMailing_Zip | |
| Business Country/Region | Mailing CountryMailing_Country | |
| Notes | Description Outlook's per-contact notes land in Zoho's native Description field on the contact. The free text is preserved verbatim. |
Required by Zoho Contacts.
Columns we don't use
Your Outlook / Microsoft 365 export includes 9 columns this template doesn't map. Each one below explains why, plus the workaround if you want the data in Zoho Contacts.
- Home Phone
Zoho contacts have Phone and Mobile fields. Business Phone maps to Phone and Mobile Phone to Mobile. Home Phone doesn't have a default home.
If you need it. Add a custom phone field on the Zoho Contact called Home Phone, then re-run this template to map it.
- Home Street, Home City, Home State, Home Postal Code, Home Country/Region
Zoho's Mailing_* fields hold one address per contact. Business address maps to them; the Home address block doesn't have a default home.
If you need it. Add custom address fields on the Zoho Contact (Other_Street, Other_City, etc.) for the Home address block, or pick whichever address is more useful and remap.
- Web Page
Zoho Contacts doesn't have a Website field on the standard layout. The Website field lives on Accounts in Zoho's data model.
If you need it. Add a custom URL field on the Zoho Contact called Website, or move the website to the Account record after import.
- Categories, Birthday
Zoho Contacts doesn't have default Categories or Birthday fields on the standard layout.
If you need it. For Categories, use Zoho tags after import. For Birthday, add a custom date field on the Contact and re-run this template.
Formatting and cleanup
Outlook / Microsoft 365 exports rarely match the format Zoho Contacts expects. Fix these before you import.
- 1.Lowercases and trims email addresses
- 2.Standardizes phone numbers to international format (+1, +44, etc.)
- 3.Renames Outlook columns to Zoho's underscored API names (First_Name, Last_Name, Account_Name, Mailing_*)
- 4.Maps Business Phone to Phone and Mobile Phone to Mobile
- 5.Maps Outlook's Business address block to Zoho's Mailing address fields
Or skip the manual work
Operelio runs this cleanup and mapping for you. Upload your Outlook / Microsoft 365 export and download a clean, import-ready file for Zoho Contacts.
Outlook / Microsoft 365 to Zoho Contacts FAQ
How do I export contacts from Outlook?
In classic Outlook for Windows, go to File, Open & Export, Import/Export, then choose Export to a file as Comma Separated Values. In the new Outlook or Microsoft 365 web, go to People, click Manage contacts, then choose Export contacts.
Why don't you import the Home address?
Zoho's Mailing_* fields hold one address per contact on the standard layout. Business address is more reliable for CRM purposes since it's typically required. See 'Columns we don't use' below for the custom-field workaround.
What about Outlook Categories?
Zoho uses tags instead of Outlook's Categories concept. After import, apply Zoho tags matching your Outlook Categories using a bulk-edit on the imported contacts.
Why does Company map to Account_Name?
Zoho uses Account_Name on the contact to link the contact to a company record (Account). If the account doesn't exist yet, Zoho creates one during import.
Will this create duplicates in Zoho?
Zoho uses email as the duplicate-check field on contacts by default. Contacts with matching emails update the existing record instead of creating a duplicate. You can change this in Setup, Data Administration, Deduplication.
