How to organize Outlook contacts – Part 1 – Multiple Folders
There are several approaches that can be used to organize Outlook contacts for different purposes. While there is no single right or wrong answer, some approaches are better then others depending on individual requirements.
In this first of two segments, the focus is on organizing contacts by using multiple folders which is generally the least preferred method to use for most scenarios. (For segment 2 – see How to organize Outlook contacts – Part 2 – Categories – Contact Groups)
Before proceeding with the pros and cons of using multiple contact folders, the following overview of how Outlook “automatically” creates contact folders may be of value to those who are new to Outlook or don’t fully understand the process (and its significance) particularly as it applies to what is common referred to as the “default contact folder” for the profile. Should be noted that this also applies equally to calendar folders.
The default contact folder
The first email account configured in an Outlook profile will set the “default data file” for the profile which in turn contains the “default” contact/calendar folders. This occurs without exception and regardless of the account type (POP, Imap, Outlook.com/Exchange etc) configured and regardless of the version of Outlook involved.
- POP3 accounts store contact/calendar data in a PST file and cannot be automatically sync’d to multiple devices
- IMAP accounts in OL’2010 and earlier store contacts in a separate PST file from email data. In OL’2013+, contact data are stored in a single .ost file along side email folders but unlike email folders, contact data is local only to the computer on which the email account is configured and not sync’d with the server. Contact data cannot be automatically sync’d with multiple devices.
- Outlook.com/Exchange accounts store contacts/calendar data on the server which is sync’d to an .OST file on the computer. This makes it possible to access/sync contact info across multiple devices.
One item to keep in mind is that when multiple POP3/Imap accounts are configured, only the first account will have contact folders created which will be the “default” folders for the profile. Subsequent accounts will not have the contact folders in the respective folder trees. To be totally accurate, POP/IMAP accounts will not have contact folders when there is already a designated “default” data file for the profile.
Outlook.com/Exchange accounts will always contain contact folders for each account but that wouldn’t change the default contact folder designated for the profile if one already exists.
The significance of the “default contact folder” is that this is the location where any new contact is created by default (i.e. adding a contact from an email message). This is also the location where a new contact is saved if a specific contact folder is not selected first.
Existing contact folders
For the sake of this explanation, “existing contact folders” refers to those that are automatically created when configuring email accounts. When there is a mixture of multiple Outlook.com/Exchange accounts along side POP3/IMAP accounts, there would be multiple contact folders in the profile.
Having multiple contact folders automatically created by Outlook does not alter which folder is defined as the default for the profile. The default contact folder can be located in a data store that is local to specific computer OR it can be the underlying data store for an Outlook.com/Exchange account.
The significant difference between the two is that contacts created in any contact folder in an Outlook.com/Exchange account can be shared across multiple devices whereas a contact folder in a PST file or an OL’2013/’2016 OST file with the description of “This Computer Only” are local to that specific computer. Sharing contacts contained in the latter would require 3rd party software to sync these contacts with a another device on a “computer to device” basis, or in other words, the 2nd device must be connected to the computer from which the contacts are being shared.
In the cases where there multiple Outlook.com/Exchange folders exist, the key decision that needs to be made about where contacts are to be created, depends on things like
- are all accounts going to be shared with other devices and if so, with all or just some?
- are the contacts that are going to be created specific to a given Outlook.com/Exchange account?
- do different people share the same email account(s)
In a nutshell, if all the Outlook.com/Exchange accounts are specific to you alone AND you are going to configure all of the accounts on all of your devices, then it would be well advised that you restrict the creation of contacts to only one contact folder for ease of access and management. Using this approach centralizes the location of the contacts and makes it much easier to retrieve a contact via the Outlook Address Book.
If, on the other hand, contacts are applicable only to the specific email account which will be used/shared by other people, then using this approach may well be the right choice and if that is the case, then one thing that should always be remember when creating contacts is to ensure that the contact will be created in the correct folder. This is accomplished by opening the specific folder and the selecting new contact item otherwise contacts will be created in the default contact folder.
Creating multiple contact folders
Many people want to group or segregate their contacts by creating a new contact folder for each “category” of contact (operative word here is “category” – see How to organize Outlook contacts – Part 2 – Categories – Contact Groups). This scenario can be something as simple as creating multiple contact folders under the <Root> of the data store or some very contorted approach involving a myriad of “sub-folders” where new contact folders may be created under an email folder. The latter approach is seriously not recommended especially in cases that involve hundreds of primary folders.
A simple example of what something like that may look like:
While the above is a hypothetical scenario, it is based on some real-world scenarios that were far more complex then this example.
Con’s of multiple contact folders
- Contacts created in multiple folders will need to be individually updated risking out-dated information on one which means that you have to remember which of the contact itsm
- Only the default contact folder is automatically added to the Outlook AddressBook. Additional folders need to be added manually by right-clicking the contact folder –> properties –> Outlook Address Book –> check the box “Show this folder as an email address book”
- Retrieving an email from the Address Book requires knowing which contact folder a contact is stored in
- Sync’ing a with a mobile device usually only includes the primary default contact folder for the email account
Benefits of multiple contact folders
- Can be used for archival purposes or for containing contacts that you don’t want to sync across multiple devices especially if this involves a large number of contacts
Summation
There are better ways to organize contacts then using multiple contact folders for the vast majority of people. Personal preference would be maintain all contacts in a single contact folder applying one or more categories to the contact for organizational purposes (see How to organize Outlook contacts – Part 2 – Categories – Contact Groups). Where thousands of contacts are involved, using the default (primary) contact folder for important contacts and another folder for secondary contacts may well be worth considering if sync’ing across devices is involved.
Category: Outlook - How To
