Share via

Import a contact list - do not want to lose the original contact list

Carolyn Frank 20 Reputation points
2026-03-30T19:10:34.29+00:00

I need to import a contact list from our retiring CEO to our new CEO....I want to do this soon, before our CEO retires. I am worried that if I import the contacts from the retiring CEO, he will lose all his contacts, and I don't want that to happen. Please let me know if I import the contact list will this remove the retiring CEO's contacts.

Outlook | Web | Outlook on the web for business | Contacts
0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-03-30T19:10:49.0233333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    Importing a contact list into the new CEO’s mailbox will not remove or delete contacts from the retiring CEO’s mailbox.

    Exporting or copying contacts (for example, to a .csv file) and then importing them into another account is a read/copy operation on the source account. The retiring CEO’s contacts remain in place; the new CEO simply gets a copy of those contacts in the new mailbox.

    To preserve the original list safely:

    • Export the retiring CEO’s contacts to a .csv file.
    • Import that .csv file into the new CEO’s account.
    • Keep the .csv file as a temporary backup until the new CEO’s contacts are verified.

    This process does not modify or remove the contacts in the source account.

    References:

0 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.