Dedupe Outlook Contacts Easily from Any Version: Solved

Are you wondering about how to dedupe Outlook contacts? Users face challenges of duplicate contacts when importing PST files, exporting Outlook contacts to other device or platforms. This can lead to a syncing issue, sending the wrong messages due to duplicate contacts. Whether you are working with Outlook version 2021 or any version lower. The good news is that today, within this technical blog, we are going to explain both free and expert solutions to overcome your problem. The solution tested in this technical post is well tested to remove duplicate contacts in Outlook. However, before moving towards the actual solutions, let us initially discuss the major causes of duplicate contacts in Outlook.

What Causes Duplicate Contacts in Outlook?

Importing the same PST file multiple times: When users migrate or restore Outlook PST files from backup to Outlook. They often import the same Outlook data file more than once. Each time the import occurs the Outlook will create multiple copies of contacts for each import. This leads to duplicate contacts in Outlook.

Syncing Outlook with Phone, iCloud, or Gmail: If you are syncing your Outlook with other third-party platforms like iPhone, iCloud, or Gmail. If the contacts are stored in some other format on the third-party platform. Each time you sync, a copy of the contacts will be created. This led to the problematic issue of duplicated contacts in MS Outlook.

Manual Addition of Contacts: Many times, users manually add the contacts to their Outlook. Since the Outlook contacts stored are case sensitive concerning their naming. Suppose you have already added a contact named Outlook contacts, and the second time you add the same contacts as Outlook-contacts. This will create duplicate contacts in Outlook.

Misconfigured Outlook Rules and Settings: Sometimes, misconfigured Outlook rules and settings can be the cause of duplicate contacts in Outlook. Suppose your Outlook settings are configured to auto-save contacts from emails. This can create duplicate contacts in your Outlook client. This type of issue is commonly seen in professional and office environments.

DIY Approach to Remove Duplicate Contacts in Outlook for Free

If you need to delete duplicate contacts from Outlook, utilize the manual technique. Then, you may do so simply by opening Outlook and sorting it in alphabetical order. Now, you simply need to identify the contacts having multiple copies and delete such Outlook contacts manually.  Alternatively, you may export the Outlook contacts in CSV format and use Excel functions like Remove Duplicates to dedupe Outlook contacts. To discover the Woking techniques of the manual, remove duplicates approach, please go through the below guided, structured guide.

How to Delete Duplicate Contacts from Outlook? Structured Guide

1. Launch Outlook 2021, 2019, or any earlier version on your PC.
2. Next, click on Files > Open & Export > Import/Export.
3. After that, click on Export to a file > Comma Separated Values (CSV).
4. Thereafter, choose Outlook contacts folders and click Next to Export.
5. Now, open the exported file in Excel and go to the Data tab from the ribbon.
6. Thereafter, click on the remove duplicates option and check all columns.
7. Lastly, import the duplicates removed Outlook contacts back to Microsoft Outlook.

Challenges in Free Manual Technique

• If you are dealing with a large data set, then there is a chance that your exported Outlook contacts file for deduplication might get corrupted.
• The above-described technique is very time-consuming and very technical. Users from a non-technical background might face challenges.
• Manually identify and removing duplicate contacts in Outlook can be a very time-consuming process. Additionally, some duplicate contacts are still left due to human error.

Professional Solution to Dedupe Outlook Contacts

If you found the above-described techniques too technical, you are a complete and non-technical user. Then you may use the offline Outlook Duplicate Remover dedicated utility to overcome your conundrum. This solution specializes in removing any type of duplicates from Outlook based on in-folder and cross-folder duplicate detection ability. To discover how to install and run this solution to remove duplicate contacts in Outlook, please follow the below guided step-by-step guide.

How to Remove Duplicate Contacts from Outlook 2021,2019, etc.? Working Steps

1. At the start, install and run the Outlook duplicate contacts remover on your PC.
2. Next, click on Convert from the configured Outlook profile and click on Next.
3. Thereafter, enable the contacts folder from the utility dashboard and click Next.
4. Now, choose the mode of identification and remove duplicates from Outlook.
5. Lastly, choose the destination path and click remove to dedupe Outlook contacts.

Concluding Thought

To sum up the above blog on the topic of how to dedupe Outlook contacts. Firstly, we have discussed the major causes of having duplicate contacts in Outlook. Thereafter, we have discussed two free manual solutions to remove duplicates contacts in Outlook. However, these methods ae not that productive and have many challenges. Therefore, to overcome these problems, we have discussed the professional Outlook duplicate contacts remover along with its working.