How to Export Outlook Contacts to USB Drive? A Comprehensive Guide
Outlook is a ferocious email management application that many people and businesses use to communicate, schedule, and manage contacts. One of the most common tasks an Outlook user might perform is exporting contacts. Whether you’re changing computers, backing up your contacts, or moving them to another email service, knowing how to export Outlook contacts to USB drive is a must-have skill. In this blog, we’ll display you how.
Why Export Outlook Contacts to Thumb Drive?
Before diving into the how-to guide, let’s understand the reasons why exporting Outlook contacts to a thumb drive can be beneficial:
- Back up & Safety: Moving your Outlook contacts to another device such as a USB drive makes sure that you have a backup in case something happens to Outlook or your computer. If your PC crashes or your Outlook is compromised, you can still enter your contacts from the USB drive.
- Data Migration: If you are moving to a dissimilar email provider or want to migrate your contacts from Outlook to another platform, exporting them to a thumb drive allows for a smooth transition.
- Privacy: Saving contacts file on thumb drive ensures that your details remain local and isn’t exposed to third-party cloud services or possible online security breaches.
Read More: Convert Outlook Contacts to MSG
What You Need?
Previously the start exporting contacts, here’s what you’ll need:
- The Outlook and Outlook 365, Outlook 2019, or Outlook 2016.
- A thumb or USB drive with enough storage space (even 2GB should be enough for most contact lists).
Once you have anything ready, let’s continue with the steps.
Method Method to Export Outlook Contacts to USB Drive
Now, let’s go through the easy manual ways to export Outlook contacts to thumb drive.
Step 1: Export Contacts from Outlook
- Launch or Run Outlook on your computer.
- In MS Outlook, Press the File tab in the top left corner.
- From the File option, select Open & Export.
- Click on Import/Export.
- A wizard will pop up. Press the Export to a file and press Next.
- Choose Excel or Comma Separated Values (CSV). (For ease, CSV is usually the best option for sharing or saving on a thumb drive).
- Click Next.
- Select the Contacts folder and click Next.
- Browse to choose a location to save your exported file (like your Desktop) and give it a name (e.g., Outlook_Contacts.csv).
- Click Finish.
- After Next, save the file, navigate to the location where you saved it (like your desktop).
Step 2: Transfer Contacts to Thumb Drive
- Inject your thumb drive into a USB port on your System or Computer.
- Copy the CSV or Comma separated volume file you just saved and paste it directly into the folder on your thumb drive.
- Once the contact file is successfully copied, eject your USB or thumb drive securely by right-clicking on the drive icon and selecting Eject.
That’s all! You have now successfully exported your Outlook contacts to your thumb drive. You can access the file anytime, on any device that supports CSV files.
Automatic Solution to Export Outlook Contacts to USB Drive
Transfer Outlook contacts and all related information to a USB flash drive using the all-in-one, hassle-free FreeViewer Outlook Contacts Export Tool. The software offers a variety of sophisticated and advanced features, including the ability to convert Outlook contacts to PDF format simultaneously.
This application effectively also import Outlook contacts to HubSpot in bulk and other to various other device. This utility effectively migrates Outlook contact list by batch processing PST contacts to various other formats.
- Download and Run Outlook Contacts Export Software.
- If prompted, select the Outlook profile you want to work with.
- In the tool, choose the export CSV or VCF format for the contacts. like:
- CSV (Comma Separated Values) – which is compatible with most email services and applications.
- VCF (vCard) – used for importing contacts into other applications and devices like phones.
- Press the Contacts Folder that you want to export from your Outlook.
- Click on the Browse button to select a destination for your exported contacts.
- Select your thumb drive (e.g., “Removable Disk“) as the destination folder.
- Confirm that your thumb drive is connected to the computer and accessible.
- Once you have selected the contacts and the destination (thumb drive), click on the Export button.
- The tool will start exporting the selected Outlook contacts to the thumb drive.
Wait for the technique to export outlook contacts to thumb drive complete. You will view a progress bar, and once finished, you will receive a notification indicating that the export is complete.
Troubleshooting Usual Issues
While converting Outlook contacts to thumb or USB drive is typically an easy process, there can occasionally be few issues that arise. Here are some common error and solutions:
- Outlook is Not Responding: If Outlook account crashes or freezes through the export process, try restarting the application and your computer. If the problem persists, consider updating Outlook to the latest version or running the built-in repair tool.
- USB Drive Not Recognized: If your thumb drive isn’t shown on your computer, Go connect it to a different USB port. If it still doesn’t appear, the drive may need to be formatted or checked for errors.
- Contacts Not Converting Perfectly: If determined contact files are missing or appear corrupted, try exporting the contacts in another format CSV or Excel or examine duplicate entries that may cause error during the export.
Conclusion
In this article, we will explain how to export Outlook contacts to USB drive as an easy and effective way to ensure that your contact information is safely backed up and easily portable. By following the above blog, you can confidently store your contacts on USB or thumb drive and have them ready whenever you want them. Whether for backup purposes, moving contacts to a new device, or ensuring privacy, storing your contacts on a USB drive is a smart solution.