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How to Combine and Delete Duplicate Entries in Outlook?

  author
Published By Mohit Jha
Nimisha Ramesh
Approved By Nimisha Ramesh
Published On August 2nd, 2023
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

Are you tired of several duplicate contacts in Outlook 2021, 2019, 2013, 2010? Do you want to combine and delete duplicate entries in Outlook contacts and delete duplicates? Do not panic, here is the solution. In this blog, you will learn about several ways to remove duplicate contacts in Outlook account.

As we all know that Outlook allows users to create multiple accounts for sending/receiving email messages and manage contacts & calendars data. Users are now frustrated with their multiple data and want to combine PST files from multiple accounts into a single one. The same as duplicate contacts in Outlook is the most crucial situation for users.

Moreover, users have to face various problems while using Microsoft Outlook. In some cases, you may see multiple duplicate contacts in Outlook. Well, the following section will show you an easy way to remove or merge duplicate contacts in Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and 2007. Here are the best techniques that are useful for the users to delete and merge duplicate Outlook contacts.

Methods to Combine and Delete Duplicate Entries in Outlook Contacts

Most users are always looking for manual solutions to perform this task. There are several steps to manually remove duplicates in Outlook contacts, including:

#1: Eliminate Duplicate Contacts in Outlook At a Time

  • Run Outlook application and go to People
  • In the Current View option, click Views and then click on Phone. Now you can find all the duplicates here.
  • In the contact list, hold down the Ctrl key and select the duplicates one at a time as per the need.
  • After selecting the duplicates, click the Delete button.

Next, we’ll explain how to remove duplicates in Outlook contacts in bulk. Then know the steps to eliminate and remove duplicate contacts in Outlook.

#2. Delete Duplicate Outlook Contacts in Bulk

  • In Outlook, select the “People” option
  • In your current Contacts folder, right-click and choose New Folder and Rename it.
  • Go back to the Contacts folder and select all contacts to press (Ctrl + A)
  • Now, you need to move all the contacts to the New Folder. You can simply Drag all and drop them to the new folder. Or, press Ctrl+Shift+V and go to the Move to Folder then choose your new folder.
  • Go to File >> Open & Export >> and select Import/Export
  • Select the option “Export to a file” after that choose Comma Separated Values (CSV)
  • Select the same new folder that was previously created.
  • Save the file to your desired location, and then click Finish.

#3. Import Contacts Back into Outlook

  • Click File >> Open >> Import
  • Select “Import from another program or file” option and choose CSV file
  • Browse to select the New Folder created earlier and check the “Do not import duplicate items
  • Select the primary Contact folder for the target that is empty and click the Finish button.

After completing this step, simply move all the contacts from the new folder to the main contacts folder to merge duplicate Outlook contacts. This is the last step to consolidated and eliminate duplicate entries in Outlook contacts.

#4. Get Back Contacts From New Folder to Main Contacts Folder

  • Go to the New Contact Folder.
  • Now just click on one of the contacts in the New folder and press “Ctrl + A” to select all contacts.
  • Here you must move the selected contacts to your Primary Contacts folder. Or drag and drop them or click Ctrl + Shift + V to use the Move to Folder dialog box.

If you ever get a duplicate again, you will see a pop-up with two options:

1. Select “Add new contact” if the contact is not a duplicate.

2. Select “Update information of the selected contact” if the contact is a duplicate.

  • Select the required option as per your need.
  • Click “Update” and if you want to repeat the exact choice for all the duplicate contacts, choose the “Update All” option.
  • If you copy back all contacts, delete the new folder that you created to store duplicates.

Automated Solution to Combine and Delete Duplicate Entries in Outlook

If the above manual steps do not work properly to delete duplicate Outlook contacts, you must use FreeViewer PST File Merge Software. This software is specially designed to merge and eliminate duplicate contacts in Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 and other versions.

Download Now Purchase Now

You can also use this application to merge multiple Outlook contacts without losing a single piece of information. The original formatting and structure of the contacts is retained when combining and removing duplicate contacts.

Combine and Remove Duplicate Entries in Outlook in Few Clicks

Step 1. Download and Run the software 

Download PST Merge Tool

Step 2. Select Add File(s) or Folder to upload PST files.

Add PST File

Step 3 . Select the option “Merge”.

Select Merge Option

Step 4. Select “Skip Duplicates Items” box.

Select Items

Step 5. Finally, Select the “Next” to complete the procedure successfully.

Complete the Process

Conclusion

Here are the steps discussed how to combine and delete duplicate entries in Outlook contacts using a manual and automated solution. The manual process is very tedious and complex. You need to follow multiple steps to eliminate duplicate contacts in Outlook via manually and you must have technical knowledge for this. For a quick and secure solution, it is advisable to use the professional software. This will help you to merge and delete duplicate contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions by PST File Merge

Q: Can a user preview all the data in a PST file for free before the merge process begins?

Ans: Yes, users can preview all data for free before the merging process begins.

Can I merge Unicode PST files with this software?

Ans: Yes, this program allows users to combine ANSI or UNICODE Outlook PST files.

Q: Is PST Merge Tool enough to remove PST duplicate files?

Ans: Yes, the tool will give you the option to remove duplicates from the merge process.

Q: Which Outlook versions does the software support?

Ans: The application is compatible with all versions of MS Outlook.

Q: Is installation of Microsoft Outlook required during the PST file merging process?

Ans: NO! You can easily merge PST files without installing Outlook on your machine.

Q: How much does the PST Merger Demo cost?

Ans: The demo version of PST file Merge is free, and users can use it without paying a penny.