Gmail Contacts Not Showing in Outlook? Try This

Overview: Despite Gmail’s free availability, many professionals have shifted to Outlook. The shift occurs even when the Outlook desktop app is a premium product. This is because Outlook offers a much more professional setup than the casual inclination of Gmail. However, after this transfer, there are cases where users complain that Gmail contacts not showing in Outlook at all. This lack of contact data means that one cannot start with the regular business workflow. Don’t you believe us? OK, read a real-time user query that we’ve picked from a forum site:

“Bonjour! I’ve been using Gmail for the past few years but now I’ve decided to switch myself to MS Outlook. I tried importing Gmail Contacts to my new email client but, after performing this task I can’t see any of my Gmail contacts in Outlook. I don’t know what’s causing this issue. I surfed the Internet and found no easy solution. Is anyone out there who can help me to resolve Gmail Contacts not importing to Outlook issue? Thanks in advance!”

So, even if you import your entire Gmail account, you can encounter issues like out-of-sync contacts without warning. Therefore, in this article, we will show you a simple solution so that your Gmail contacts will start appearing in Outlook!

Reasons Why Gmail Contacts Not Showing

There would be various reasons why Gmail contacts not showing in outlook. Let’s find out those through the below given steps:

1. It might not show Gmail contacts due to sync issues.
2. Inaccurate configurations of IMAP/POP or Google Workspace account settings can inhibit seamless contacts synchronization.
3. The synchronization algorithm might not have access to or may not be connected to the address book.
4. Due to compatibility issues by using an outdated version of outlook.
5. Disorganization in Outlook data files such as PST/OST can lead to a failure of synchronization.

Related: Transfer Contacts from Android to iPhone

How to Fix Gmail Contacts Not Showing in Outlook? Manual Methods

In order to resolve the out-of-sync contacts problem, we will be using 4 manual methods to sync gmail contacts with outlook. Follow the steps below sequentially:

#1. Sync Gmail Contacts to Outlook – Export & Import Contacts

• First of all, log in to your Gmail account and click on the Google Apps icon. Select Contacts.

• All your Google Contacts will be listed on your screen. Select all the contacts you want to sync or import to MS Outlook.
• Hit the Export button and choose the CSV file format as the export option.

• Browse a destination location to save the resultant file and click Export
• Right after this moment, all your Gmail Contacts turn into a Google CSV file.

#2. Gmail Contacts Not Showing in Outlook – Configure IMAP/POP Settings

1. Use your Gmail account to log in.
2. While at it, open the “Settings” option and select “View all settings”.
3. In this interface, access “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab.
4. Ensure you have enabled IMAP services.
5. Now open Outlook and click on the “File” menu followed by the subsequent menu “Account Settings” and then “Account Settings”.
6. Your Gmail account enables you to click on the “Change” button.
7. Here you will be prompted with two options. Scroll down to see “More Settings” and click on it. Afterward, select “Advanced” to verify if the application is configured correctly.

#3. Sync Gmail Contacts to Outlook – Repair Outlook Data File

1. Close MS Outlook.
2. Open the Control panel and go to Mail > Data Files.
3. Select your Data File (PST/OST) and click on open file location.
4. Use the Scanpst.exe tool located in the outlook installation directory to repair the file.

#4. Gmail Contacts Not Showing in Outlook – Update Gmail & Outlook Application

1. Open Outlook and go to File > Office account > Update Options > Update Now.
2. Ensure that you are using the latest version of outlook.
3. Like, if you are using the Gmail app on your device, make sure you have updated to the latest version via the app store.
4. By taking care of these points can sync contacts from Gmail to outlook efficiently.

Also Read: Steps to Export AOL Contacts to Gmail Profile Easily

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1) Can this tool also allow me to resolve the Gmail contacts not showing in Outlook version?

Ans. Unfortunately, Microsoft took away the ability to add vCard files in the New Outlook version. As a result, this tool can not assist you in such a scenario. However, if you have access to an Outlook desktop version 2019 or earlier, you may as well use it to populate your contacts. They will sync automatically with your Outlook account via the Microsoft 365 portal.

Q2) What may cause my Outlook contacts to be out of sync with the ones that are on Gmail?

Ans. Once you add your Gmail account to Outlook, the contact list that comes along is no longer connected to Gmail. This means any new addition or subtraction at the original source does not reflect back to Outlook. In other words, Microsoft and Google don’t maintain a real-time update. This is the core issue that creates out-of-sync problems. Other than that, slow internet and faulty sync might be what’s causing your Outlook contacts to appear different from those on Gmail.

Q3) Why should I choose this tool over the default vCard option available during export from Gmail?

Ans. The option that is on Gmail is designed for iOS and not Outlook. Moreover, the version that you get is 3.0 which is not even the latest one. The tool, on the other hand, provides you with multiple options, which include the ability to keep each contact in a separate VCF. And to top that, the latest vCard version 4.0 is also available.