The three ways to share contacts in Outlook
You can share your Outlook contact list in three different ways, depending on who needs access and what you want them to be able to do. The method you choose depends on whether you're sharing with someone in your organization, someone outside it, or whether you want them to see your contacts read-only or make changes.
The most common route is to share your Contacts folder directly through Outlook's permission settings. A second option is to export your contacts as a file and send it to someone. A third is to use a shared mailbox or contact group, which works differently depending on your setup.
Each method has a different outcome: direct folder sharing means the other person sees your live contact list and can update it; exporting creates a one-time snapshot they can import; shared mailboxes let multiple people manage contacts together from one account.
Key Takeaways
- Sharing a Contacts folder directly through Outlook permissions lets another person view and edit your contacts in real time, and you control whether they can make changes or only see them.
- Exporting contacts as a .csv or .pst file creates a copy you can email or transfer, which the other person then imports into their own Outlook — changes they make won't sync back to yours.
- Shared mailboxes and contact groups are different from folder sharing and work best when multiple people need to manage the same set of contacts together.
- The person you're sharing with needs the right Outlook version and, in some cases, to be on the same network or organization for direct folder sharing to work.
Sharing your Contacts folder directly in Outlook
Direct folder sharing is the fastest way if both people are using Outlook and you want changes to show up when ready. Right-click your Contacts folder, select Properties, then go to the Permissions tab. Click Add, type the person's name or email, and choose their permission level: Reviewer (read-only), Editor (can add and change contacts), or Owner (full control).
This method works best within an organization where both people are on the same email system. If you're sharing with someone outside your company, they may not appear in your directory, and the sharing may not work at all — in that case, exporting is usually simpler.
Once you've set permissions, the other person needs to add your Contacts folder to their own Outlook. They go to File, Open & Export, Open Other User's Folder, type your email address, select Contacts, and click Open. Your folder then appears in their sidebar, and they see whatever contacts you've given them permission to view.
Exporting contacts to send or transfer
Exporting creates a file you can email, save to a USB drive, or upload to cloud storage. Open Outlook, go to File, then Open & Export, then Import/Export. Choose Export to a File, select Comma Separated Values (.csv) or Outlook Data File (.pst), pick your Contacts folder, and choose where to save it.
A .csv file is smaller and opens in Excel or Google Sheets if the person needs to edit contact details before importing. A .pst file preserves more Outlook information like notes and custom fields, but it's larger. For most situations, .csv is the right choice.
The person receiving the file then opens their own Outlook, goes to File, Open & Export, Import/Export, chooses Import from a File, and selects the file you sent. Their Outlook adds those contacts to their Contacts folder. Any changes they make afterward stay in their copy only — the two lists don't stay in sync.
Using contact groups for team sharing
A contact group (sometimes called a distribution list) is a single contact that contains multiple email addresses. It's not the same as sharing your whole Contacts folder, but it's useful when you want a team to email the same set of people without sharing your entire contact list.
Create a contact group by going to Home, New Contact Group, typing a name, clicking Add Members, and selecting the people you want to include. Save it, then right-click the group and choose Share. You can send the group to colleagues, or if you're in an organization, your admin can publish it so everyone can see it.
Contact groups are read-only for people you share them with — they can use the group to send emails but can't edit who's in it. If you need to add or remove someone, you edit the group yourself and resend it.
Shared mailboxes as an alternative
If multiple people need to manage the same contacts together, a shared mailbox may work better than folder sharing. A shared mailbox is an account that multiple people can open and use at the same time. Everyone who has access sees the same Contacts folder and can make changes that everyone else sees when ready.
Shared mailboxes are usually set up by an organization's IT or email admin — you can't create one yourself in most cases. Once it's created, you add it to Outlook by going to File, Account Settings, Account Settings, then clicking the Data Files tab and adding the shared mailbox account.
Shared mailboxes work well for team contact lists, customer contact databases, or any situation where multiple people need to add, edit, or delete contacts together. The downside is that everyone sees everything — there's no way to give one person read-only access while another can edit.
What happens to shared contacts when you leave
If you share your Contacts folder with someone and then leave your job or close your email account, the sharing stops working. The other person can no longer access your folder, and any contacts they added to your shared folder are lost unless they exported them first.
If you want sharing to survive your departure, export the contacts to a file and give that file to the other person, or move the contacts to a shared mailbox that the organization will keep running. Direct folder sharing is temporary by nature — it only works as long as your account exists and the other person has permission.
Troubleshooting sharing that isn't working
If someone can't see your shared Contacts folder, check that you've actually given them permission. Go back to Properties, Permissions, and verify their name is listed with the right access level. If they're not there, add them again.
If they're listed but still can't see the folder, ask them to close Outlook completely and reopen it — sometimes Outlook needs to refresh to show new shared folders. If that doesn't work, they may need to manually add your folder by going to File, Open & Export, Open Other User's Folder and typing your email address.
If you're sharing with someone outside your organization and the sharing isn't working at all, your organization's email system may block it. In that case, exporting to a .csv or .pst file is the only option. Ask your IT department if external sharing is turned on — they can usually enable it if it's been disabled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share just some of my contacts, not all of them?
Direct folder sharing shares your entire Contacts folder — you can't pick individual contacts. If you want to share only certain contacts, create a new contact group with just those people, or export only the ones you need and send that file.
If someone edits a contact I shared with them, will I see the change?
Yes, if you're using direct folder sharing and gave them Editor permission. Changes show up in your Outlook within a few minutes. If you exported a file instead, changes they make stay in their copy only — you won't see them unless they send you an updated file.
What's the difference between sharing and forwarding a contact?
Forwarding sends a single contact card to someone's email inbox — they can open it and add it to their own Contacts if they want. Sharing gives them ongoing access to your whole Contacts folder (or a file of multiple contacts) and, depending on permissions, the ability to edit them.
Do I need the same version of Outlook as the person I'm sharing with?
For direct folder sharing, both people should be using Outlook on the same organization's email system. For exporting and importing, older and newer versions usually work together, though very old versions of Outlook may have trouble with newer file formats.
Can I share contacts with someone who uses Gmail instead of Outlook?
Direct folder sharing won't work because Gmail doesn't use Outlook's permission system. Export your contacts as a .csv file and email it to them — they can import it into Gmail by going to Contacts, More, Import, and selecting your file.