Export Lotus Notes Contacts to MS Outlook

Read time 6 minutes

When transitioning between email clients, data export or email migration is often essential. One common and widely adopted migration path is the move from Lotus Notes to Outlook. Unlike Outlook, where contacts are stored in PST files, Lotus Notes clients house contact data in distinct ‘names.nsf’ files. In this blog, we explore practical solutions for exporting Lotus Notes contacts to Outlook, allowing you to choose the method that best suits your preferences and needs.

Do It Yourself – Manual Way to Export Lotus Notes Contacts to Outlook

The manual method for exporting Lotus Notes contacts to Outlook is a straightforward process, requiring only the presence of Lotus Notes and Microsoft Outlook applications on your system. This two-stage process can be easily accomplished with the right prerequisites in place.

• Export Notes Contacts to CSV File
• Import CSV File to Outlook

Export Notes Contacts to CSV File

To initiate the export of contacts from the Lotus Notes email client application to a CSV file, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Lotus Notes application and open the desired NSF file.
2. Go to and click My Contacts option so that the contacts from the Address book gets listed.
3. On the right side on the menu bar, click on More and select the Export Contacts option from the dropdown list.
4. The Export Contacts page will get opened. Here, choose contacts to export, specify the required options, add or modify saving location & file name, and select Comma Separated Value option against the Save as type option. Click Export.
5. Hence, the contacts are saved in the defined location in CSV file format.

With the successful completion of exporting Notes contacts to CSV file format, the next step is to import this CSV file into the Outlook PST file. For guidance on this process, please refer to the following section.

Import CSV File with Contacts to Outlook

This stage necessitates the utilization of Microsoft Outlook’s Import/Export feature. Let’s delve into the step-by-step process.

1. Open the Microsoft Outlook application on your system.
2. In the File menu of Outlook, click Open & Export > Import/Export.
3. Next, the Import and Export wizard will get opened. Here, choose the option Import from another program or file and click Next.
   
4. In the opened wizard Import a File, select the option Comma Separated Values and click Next.
   
5. Next, browse and add the CSV file created in the previous stage, choose the options for duplicate items and click Next.
   
6. For the destination folder, choose Contacts and click Next.
7. On the next wizard, select the added file and click Finish.
8. The contacts will get imported from the CSV file to the Outlook PST Contacts folder.

Thus, the export Lotus Notes contacts to Outlook is successfully done.

Is Everything Fine with Manual Solution?

Manual solutions, while useful, do come with certain limitations that sometimes necessitate the use of third-party utilities. In the context of exporting contacts from Lotus Notes to Outlook, these limitations include:

Regardless of whether these limitations are minor or major, they cannot be ignored. The demand for an automated solution that offers the capability to effortlessly export Lotus Notes contacts to MS Outlook is evident..

Best Solution – Kernel for Notes Contacts to Outlook

“To streamline the process of exporting Lotus Notes contacts to Outlook, we highly recommend the use of a professional and efficient exporter tool: Kernel for Notes Contacts to Outlook. This tool simplifies the export task, requiring only the Lotus Notes contacts file (‘names.nsf’) for a smooth transition.

Some important features of the advanced Kernel for Notes Contacts to Outlook here:

• Direct export
• Moves multiple Names.nsf files together
• Preview facility
• Sorting and filtering of contacts
• Automatic search and addition of Domino Server
• Saves contacts in PST File or Excel file
• Compatible with all versions of Notes/Outlook
• Searches individual contacts by initial alphabet or number.
• Adds Domino Server by its IP address.
• Contacts are instantly available after conversion to PST or Excel format.

Begin by exploring the trial version of the software, which is accessible through a free download. The trial version grants you the opportunity to preview your contacts and even export up to 5 contacts per folder to your chosen destination. If you find the trial version satisfactory, you can proceed to acquire the full version of the tool for a comprehensive export of your Notes contacts to Outlook.