The easiest way to sync Outlook contacts with an iPhone is to add your Outlook account to the iPhone and turn on Contacts. Go to Settings > Apps > Contacts > Contacts Accounts > Add Account (on older iOS, Settings > Contacts > Accounts), choose Outlook.com for a personal account or Microsoft Exchange for a work or school account, sign in, and make sure Contacts is turned on. Your Outlook contacts appear in the iPhone’s Contacts and Phone apps and stay in sync both ways.
That works for Outlook.com, Hotmail and Microsoft 365 accounts. If your contacts are stored only in the Outlook desktop app on a Windows PC, you’ll need one of the other methods below.
Method 1: Add your Outlook account in iPhone Settings
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Apps > Contacts > Contacts Accounts. On iOS 17 and earlier, tap Contacts > Accounts.
- Tap Add Account.
- Choose Outlook.com for an @outlook.com, @hotmail.com or @live.com address. Choose Microsoft Exchange for a work or school Microsoft 365 account.
- Sign in with your Microsoft account and approve the permissions.
- On the next screen, turn on Contacts and tap Save. You can turn on Mail and Calendars too.
If the account is already on your iPhone for email, just tap it in the Accounts list and turn on Contacts.
Contacts you add or edit on your iPhone in this account also sync back to Outlook. To make new contacts save to Outlook by default, go to Settings > Apps > Contacts > Default Account and choose the Outlook account.
Method 2: Use the Outlook app’s Save Contacts option
If you use the Microsoft Outlook app for email, it can copy your contacts into the iPhone’s Contacts app.
- Open the Outlook app and tap your profile picture.
- Tap the Settings gear and choose your account.
- Turn on Save Contacts (sometimes called Sync Contacts), then tap Save to My iPhone if asked.
This sends contacts from Outlook to your iPhone so callers’ names show up. Edits you make in the iPhone Contacts app don’t go back to Outlook, so make changes in Outlook instead. Your organization may block this option on work accounts.
Method 3: Sync Outlook desktop contacts with iCloud for Windows
If you use Outlook on a Windows PC with a POP account or a local data file, your contacts may live only on that computer. iCloud for Windows can sync them with iCloud, which your iPhone uses.
- Install iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store and sign in with your Apple Account.
- Turn on Contacts and Calendars (it may be listed as syncing with Outlook) and click Apply.
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > your name > iCloud and make sure Contacts is on.
Outlook then shows an iCloud contacts folder. Contacts you put in that folder sync to your iPhone. Move or copy your existing contacts into it to sync them.
Method 4: Export from Outlook and import to iCloud
For a one-time copy, export your contacts and import them into iCloud.
- In Outlook on the web, go to People, click Manage contacts > Export contacts, and download the file. In classic Outlook for Windows, use File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
- If iCloud needs it, convert the file to vCard (.vcf) format. Outlook on the web exports CSV, which iCloud doesn’t import directly.
- On a computer, go to icloud.com/contacts, click the + button, choose Import Contact, and select the vCard file.
- The contacts appear on your iPhone if iCloud Contacts is turned on.
This doesn’t keep the two in sync. New contacts added in Outlook later won’t appear on your iPhone.
Which method should you use?
| Your setup | Best method | Two-way sync? |
|---|---|---|
| Outlook.com, Hotmail or Live account | Add the account in iPhone Settings | Yes |
| Work or school Microsoft 365 | Add as Microsoft Exchange | Yes |
| You use the Outlook app for email | Outlook app Save Contacts | No, Outlook to iPhone only |
| Contacts only in Outlook on a Windows PC | iCloud for Windows | Yes, for the iCloud folder |
| A one-time move | Export and import to iCloud | No |
If Outlook contacts don’t show up on your iPhone
- Check Groups: In the Contacts app, tap Lists (or Groups) and make sure the Outlook or Exchange list is selected.
- Turn Contacts off and on: In the account’s settings, switch Contacts off, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on.
- Sign in again: If you changed your Microsoft password, the account may need you to re-enter it.
- Look for duplicates: Syncing the same contacts through iCloud and Outlook can create duplicates. Keep each contact in one account.
Related: sync a Hotmail account on an iPhone.
Frequently asked questions
Will syncing Outlook contacts delete my iPhone contacts?
No. Outlook contacts are added alongside your existing iCloud or Gmail contacts. Each account keeps its own contacts.
Can I sync Outlook contacts to iPhone without iCloud?
Yes. Adding your Outlook or Exchange account in Settings syncs directly with Microsoft’s servers and doesn’t use iCloud.
Why are my work contacts missing after I added my Exchange account?
Your organization may limit contact syncing, or only your personal contacts sync while the company directory doesn’t. You can still search the directory from the Mail app or Outlook app.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.