How to Move Contacts from Exchange to iCloud?

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If you have lots of contacts stored in your Outlook or Exchange account and want to move them elsewhere, such a task may turn into quite a tedious process. There are several ways to move contacts from Exchange to iCloud, depending on whether you use Outlook Desktop, Outlook on the Web, or a mobile device. This article will help you to copy contacts from Exchange to iCloud relatively quickly and easily.

Because Exchange Online and Outlook do not provide a direct export path to iCloud Contacts, when you perform migration you will typically require exporting contacts from Outlook and converting them to vCard (VCF) format before importing them into iCloud. This guide applies to Exchange Online, Microsoft 365, Outlook Desktop, Outlook on the web, and Outlook for iOS.

Exporting Contacts from Outlook on the Web

There are two common ways to export contacts from Exchange:

• Outlook Desktop
• Outlook on the Web (Microsoft 365/Exchange Online)

In case your contacts are stored in Exchange Online/Microsoft 365 and are already synced with Outlook on the web, you can export them directly without using the Outlook desktop app. Follow the steps below:

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com or outlook.com) with your Microsoft 365/Exchange Online account.
2. Open the People section.
3. Select Manage contacts > Export contacts.
4. Choose the contacts you want to export and save the CSV file.

You can then continue with the next steps in this guide to convert the exported CSV file to the vCard (VCF) format required by iCloud. Note that contact photos, categories, and custom Outlook fields may not be preserved during CSV export.

How to copy Exchange contacts to iCloud?

You can move contacts from Exchange to iCloud using Outlook on Windows or Outlook on the web. The following export steps apply to classic Outlook for Windows only. Outlook for Mac uses a different interface and export workflow, so Mac users should use Outlook on the web if these menu options are unavailable. The new Outlook for Windows may not provide the same export options depending on the version and account type. At the time of writing, the new Outlook for Windows does not provide the same Import/Export wizard available in classic Outlook. If the Export option is unavailable, you should use Outlook on the web to export contacts/temporarily switch to classic Outlook.

1. Launch classic Outlook for Windows and wait until your Exchange mailbox finishes syncing. Wait for the app to sync all changes, such as mail, calendar events, and contacts.
2. Click the contacts button in the bottom-left corner of the app.
3. Now, click the File button in the upper-left corner of the screen.

   

4. Select Open & Export.
5. Click the Import/Export button.

   

6. Outlook will open a new Import and Export Wizard window, where you need to select Export to a file. That option lets you export contacts from Exchange and import them to your iCloud account.
7. Click Next.
   

   

8. Now select Comma Separated Values. Outlook for Windows exports contacts primarily as CSV files. While individual contacts can be saved as vCard files, note that bulk export typically requires CSV export followed by conversion to VCF. iOS and iCloud do not support importing contacts from CSV, so you will have to convert your CSV into VCF. We will describe this process in the following steps.
   

   

9. On the next step, select Contacts and click Next.

   

10. Specify where Outlook should save your contacts from Exchange you want to move to iCloud. You can pick any temporary location.

    

11. Now you need to figure out how to convert CSV contacts to VCF. You do not need to download or buy expensive third-party apps. Google Contacts can be used as an intermediary service to convert CSV contacts exported from Outlook into the vCard (VCF) format required by iCloud.
    Note. When you import contacts into Google Contacts, it temporarily stores your contact data in a Google account. If your organization has data handling/compliance requirements, you need to check if this workflow is permitted before proceeding.
    In case uploading contacts to Google is not permitted in your organization, you should consider using a trusted CSV-to-VCF conversion tool/contact migration utility approved by your organization.
    Tip for macOS users. If you are using a Mac, you can also convert Outlook CSV contacts without Google. You need to import the CSV file into the built-in Contacts app (Contacts.app), then export the contacts as vCard (.vcf) and import the resulting VCF file into iCloud Contacts. This keeps the entire migration workflow local without uploading your contacts to a third-party service.
12. Go to contacts.google.com and click Import.
    Tip. If you do not want to mix your Google account with Exchange accounts, you can create a temporary Google account just for moving contacts from Exchange to iCloud. Alternatively, you can filter imported contacts using labels.

    

13. Pick the CSV file from previous steps and wait for Google to import all your contacts.

    

14. Now select the contacts you want to move from Exchange to iCloud and click Export.

    

15. Select vCard (for iOS Contacts) and click Export. Note that contact groups, distribution lists, and some custom contact fields may not be preserved when converting contacts between CSV and vCard formats. Don’t forget to review the imported contacts in iCloud after migration.
    Note. When migrating very large contact lists (thousands of contacts), you should consider importing them in smaller batches if you encounter import errors or timeouts. Don’t forget to always verify the imported contacts after the migration.

    

16. Now you are on final stretch. Open icloud.com/contacts and sign in with your Apple ID.
17. Click the settings button in the bottom-left corner of the screen and select Import vCard.

    

18. Wait for iCloud to move all your contacts from Exchange. Note that you can place all Exchange contacts into a single VCF-file. There is no need to move hundreds of contacts using hundreds of VCF-files.

That is how you move Exchange contacts to iCloud.

Alternative migration options

Google Contacts is a convenient solution for small personal migrations, but it is not the only option. Depending on your environment, you may also consider:

• Apple Contacts (Contacts.app) on macOS for local CSV-to-vCard conversion;
• trusted CSV-to-vCard conversion utilities;
• enterprise migration tools approved by your organization for large-scale/managed migrations.

Sync Exchange Contacts to iCloud on iPhone

The first thing you need to do is download the official Microsoft Outlook app for your iPhone or iPad. Log in with your Exchange account.

1. Now, pull out a sidebar menu with a swipe from the app’s left side and press the settings icon with a little cog. You can find it in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
2. In the list of email accounts, find the one from which you need to copy your contacts. Tap on it and look for the Account Settings section.
3. Next, find the Save Contacts toggle and enable it. This feature copies contacts from Outlook into the iOS Contacts database. It is not a direct sync between Exchange Online and iCloud.
4. Outlook saves Exchange contacts to the iOS Contacts database. If iCloud Contacts sync is enabled on the device, those contacts are then synced to iCloud automatically.
5. Allow the app to access your contacts list.
   Note that enabling contact sync may create duplicate contacts if the same contacts already exist in iCloud. You should consider reviewing and merging duplicates after sync completes.

After you did this, all you need to do is sit back and wait for your iPhone to copy contacts from Exchange to iCloud. With the Save Contacts toggle enabled, all new contacts in Exchange will automatically appear in your iCloud account.

It is important to note that you should avoid enabling this setting on all devices. For example, if you have an iPhone and iPad, turn on contacts saving just on iPhone. This action will prevent contact duplication in your iCloud.

Exchange Online Considerations

In case your contacts are stored in Exchange Online, make sure Outlook has completed syncing before exporting contacts. Note that depending on mailbox size and cache settings, newly created contacts may not appear immediately in the local Outlook profile.

Enterprise automation

Note that this article focuses on interactive migration for individual users. If you need to migrate contacts for multiple mailboxes/automate the process, you should consider using the Microsoft Graph API or the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK to export contact data programmatically before converting it to a format supported by iCloud.

Microsoft Graph is better suited for large-scale migrations and automation than Outlook-based manual export.