lost contacts in outlook

Hi @John Cowperthwaite,

Thank you for reaching out. I’m really sorry to hear that your contacts are missing in the new Outlook - especially since this can be very disruptive when you rely on them every day.

Here are suggestion steps you can try to troubleshoot:

1/ First, check if your contacts are still stored in the cloud

This is the quickest way to confirm whether the data is actually lost.

• Go to Outlook on the web > open People

If your contacts appear there, they aren’t lost - it’s likely a sync or display issue in the new Outlook app.

If your contacts do appear online:

• Remove and re-add your account in the new Outlook app to force a full resync.
• Also review your People > Filters, as hidden filters can make contacts appear missing.
• If adding or editing contacts in the app doesn’t appear to work correctly, you can add them in Outlook on the web instead - they should then sync back into the new Outlook.

2/ If contacts are also missing on the web: try restoring deleted contacts

New Outlook follows modern recovery steps similar to deleted emails.

In Outlook on the web or new Outlook:

• Go to People > Deleted and restore any contacts you find.
• If not there, choose Recover deleted items at the top of the Deleted folder.

Recovered contacts typically return to your default Contacts folder.

Reference: Restore or recover a deleted contact in Outlook.

3/ Contacts stored as “This computer only” in classic Outlook

If your previous Outlook was storing contacts locally (not in the cloud), they won’t automatically appear in the new Outlook. You’ll need to import them manually.

To import local contacts properly (CSV method):

A. Export from classic Outlook

• File > Open & Export > Import/Export
• Export to a file > CSV
• Choose the Contacts (This computer only) folder and save the file.

B. Import into new Outlook or Outlook Web

• New Outlook > People > Import contacts or
• Outlook on the web > People > Manage contacts > Import contacts.

 4/ “I can’t import them back” - fix common CSV import failures

If your CSV import finishes but no contacts appear or if you encounter import errors, please try the following steps:

A. Confirm the CSV actually contains contact data

Open the CSV file in Excel and verify that the rows include contact information. If the file is empty, the export did not succeed, and you will need to export it again from the original source.

B. Ensure the header row is intact

Outlook requires the first row to contain the standard column headings. Avoid removing, modifying, or renaming these headers, as doing so may prevent the file from importing correctly.

C. When Excel prompts you about saving in CSV format, select “Yes”

Excel may display a warning when saving the file. Microsoft recommends choosing Yes, as declining can alter the CSV formatting and lead to import failures.

D. If only some contacts import successfully

If the import stops partway through (e.g., only a portion of the contacts appear), there may be a problematic row in the CSV. Removing the row where the import fails and then re‑importing the file can help resolve the issue.

For reference, Microsoft provides additional guidance here: Fix problems importing contacts to Outlook.

I hope this information helps. Please try the steps and let me know whether they resolve the issue. If the problem persists, we can work together to find a solution.  

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Follow these steps in new Outlook to try to get the contacts back or re-import them.

1. Check if contacts were deleted and can be recovered
   1. In new Outlook, open the navigation pane and select People.
   2. Select the Deleted folder.
   3. If the contacts are listed there, either:
      • Hover over each contact and select the Restore icon (New Outlook Insiders), or
      • Select the contact(s) and choose Restore.
   4. If the contacts are not in Deleted, at the top of the list select Recover deleted (or Recover items deleted from this folder in New Outlook Insiders).
   5. Select the contacts to recover and choose Restore.
   6. Recovered contacts go back to their original folder when possible; otherwise they go to the default Contacts folder.
2. If contacts came from a CSV import and are incomplete or missing
   1. Open the original .csv file in Excel.
   2. Confirm that all contact information is present in the file.
   3. Ensure the first row still contains the original column headings; do not change or remove them.
   4. Save the file again as .csv. When Excel asks whether to keep using this format, always choose Yes.
   5. Re-import the CSV into Outlook and, when prompted how to handle duplicates, choose Replace duplicates with items imported.
3. If contacts disappeared after a Hotmail → Outlook.com move
   1. Sign in to Outlook.com with the account used in new Outlook.
   2. In the upper-right corner, select ? and then Feedback.
   3. Select Give Feedback.
   4. Describe that contacts are missing after the move to Outlook.com and cannot be imported.
   5. Select Next, then Skip and send message.
   6. The issue will be assigned to a Microsoft engineer to investigate and move any remaining contacts.

If none of the above applies and there is no CSV/PST backup or deleted items to recover from, the contacts may not be recoverable.

References:

• Fix problems importing contacts to Outlook
• After Microsoft moved me from Hotmail to Outlook.com, some of my contacts are missing
• Restore or recover a deleted contact in Outlook