How to Share Contact List in Outlook with Another User?

  

Rollins Duke   
Published: August 6th, 2025 • 6 Min Read

Hello Readers, As Share Outlook Contact List with Another User is a common query but not simple as it looks. So, in this guide, we will share you step-by-step instructions to share a contact list in Outlook with another User whether you are using Outlook for Microsoft 365 or desktop version. This write-up is specially drafted to share all crucial information such as prepare your contact list, choose the right approach, and verify your recipients can easily access and import shared contacts. Whether you’re sharing with coworkers, external clients, or syncing across devices, this device helps you to do it efficiently and securely.

Motives to Share Outlook Contact List with Another User

• Sharing Outlook contact list to update all team members about access to same updated contacts for continuous communication.
• To share a contact list from Outlook that helps new employees to quickly connect with all members and reduce time to setup.
• It allows cross-functional teams to coordinate efficiently without repeating efforts.
• Contact lists can be shared with vendors or partners to facilitate smoother communication with right internal contacts.
• Sharing prevents the loss of important contacts by ensuring they are inaccessible even if a team member leaves.
• Shared contacts makes it easier to schedule meetings by providing quick access to availability and contact details.
• Managing a shared list avoids confusion and duplication by aligning communication across departments or regions.

Preparing Your Contact List for Sharing

• Organize contacts as per category such as clients, teams or vendors.
• Use a naming convention so recipients immediately filter any specific Outlook contacts.
• Enter proper contact details like names, phone numbers and email address to offer clarity and consistency.
• Remove duplicate contacts from Outlook to avoid confusion or sending wrong contact details.
• Update Outlook contact details like job details, email address or contacts details to make effective contact list/
• Delete outdated or unwanted contact details or associated with your teams, project or organization.

Methods to Share a Contact List in Outlook

There are multiple ways to share a contact list in Outlook, especially when using classic Outlook. These approaches are simple and work well for sending contacts to clients, your boss, or team members.

Method 1. Share as an Email Group or Contact List (Classic Outlook)

1. Open Classic Outlook and Navigate to Contacts.
   
2. Select Contact Group as you want to share.
3. Click the Forward icon on the ribbon toolbar.
   
4. Choose As Outlook Contact to send it in MSG format which is easiest for other Outlook users to open and use.

Method 2. Drag‑and‑Drop Contact Group into a New Email

1. Open Outlook and click on New Email.
   
2. Drag the desired Contact Group from your contacts pane and drop in the body of the email or attachment field.
   
3. Outlook will automatically contact a list in MSG file which recipients can open and save.
   
4. This approach is ideal for quick sharing with Outlook users and also useful for team updates.

Method 3. Share Contact Folder via Exchange or Microsoft 365

1. Run Outlook and navigate to Contacts.
   
2. Right-click on Contact Folder as you want to share and select Properties.
3. Navigate to the permissions tab and click on Add to choose who to share with.
4. See what they can do View Only, Edit contacts or Totally up to you.

Method 4. Share with Everyone in your Organization

1. In Permissions, select default and set them as Reviewer or Editor.
2. Now, anyone can view or edit as needed.

Method 5. Saving Contact Group from Email Attachment

1. Open Email and double-click on Attachment.
   
2. Click on Save and Close or Add to Contacts in their Address book.

Method 6. Adding Shared Group from Email Attachment

1. Navigate to People View in Outlook.
2. Right-click on Shared Contact Group or folder then click on Add to My Contacts.

Method 7. Accessing Shared Contacts Folder

1. Navigate to file and click on Account Settings.
   
2. Press on Account Settings and hit on Change.
   
3. Press on More Settings and tap on Advanced.
4. Add the mailbox of the person who shared their contacts.

Constraints of Manual Techniques

• Microsoft 365 admins may restrict sharing folders due to security issues.
• External users can’t access shared folders with proper permissions or applications.
• Contact List appears as text if it’s not sent correctly.
• Recipients might be unable to save or edit contacts without permissions.

Alternative Method to Share Outlook Contact List with Another User

If you want to share Outlook contacts with another user outside of Outlook then you need to opt BitRecover PST Contacts Converter to easily export in CSV file to easily access in Desktop, or Mobile devices without facing any compatibility issues. This software allows you to convert individual or batch Outlook files at once without passing from any limitations. To use this utility, you just need to click on download button to freely download and enjoy its functionality.

Process to Share Outlook Contacts List to Another User

1. Download and open Software on your system.
   
2. Click on Configure Outlook mailbox data and tap the Next button.
   
3. Preview to select Outlook contacts as you want to share.
   
4. Choose the CSV file in the list of Saving options.
   
5. Browse destination path and press Next to successfully share Outlook contacts with another user.
   

Top-Notch Elements of Recommended Software

• It offers users the ability to convert Outlook contacts to VCF, CSV, PDF, and more as needed.
• This software provides a simple, intuitive interface that makes it reliable and easy to use for both professional and beginner users.
• With this wizard, you can easily convert any number of Outlook PST files without facing any restrictions.
• The wizard also includes an Auto Detect feature to locate Outlook files from the default location, and a “Let Me Select” option to browse from any specific storage path.
• It also supports PST Recovery Mode to extract data from damaged PST files without losing any bit of information.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we’ve outlined all the proven methods to share your Outlook contact list with another user—both manual and alternative solutions. If you want to share contacts with other Outlook users, the manual approach works well. However, if you need to share your Outlook contact list with someone who needs to access it outside of Outlook, we recommend using the alternative method. It supports any number of Outlook files and ensures no risk of data loss.