Use Contacts and People in New Outlook After Switching From Classic Outlook

When you switch from Classic Outlook to the new Outlook for Windows, your contacts and People view look different. Many familiar buttons and menu options have moved, renamed, or changed how they work. This article explains where all your contact features are now located. You will learn how to find, add, edit, and organize contacts in the new Outlook interface.

The new Outlook uses a simplified ribbon and a modern layout. The People icon is now on the left navigation bar instead of the bottom. Contact groups, also called contact lists, work differently and sync through Microsoft 365. The steps below cover every change you need to know to manage your address book.

This guide covers the exact location of every contact feature, how to import contacts from Classic Outlook, and how to avoid common mistakes when working with People in the new app.

Where Contacts and People Are in the New Outlook Interface

Classic Outlook had the People button at the bottom of the folder pane. The new Outlook moves it to the left navigation bar, which is the vertical bar on the left side of the window. You will see icons for Mail, Calendar, People, and Tasks. Click the People icon to open your contact list.

The People view in new Outlook shows your contacts in a list format. Each contact displays the name, email address, phone number, and company. You can sort by any column by clicking the column header. The search bar at the top lets you find contacts by name, email, or phone number.

The ribbon at the top of the People view contains the Home tab. This tab has buttons for New Contact, New Group, Delete, Share, and Categories. The Home tab replaces the File menu and the Contact tab from Classic Outlook.

How to Switch Between Mail and People Views

To go back to your inbox, click the Mail icon on the left navigation bar. To return to contacts, click the People icon again. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+3 to open People and Ctrl+1 to open Mail. This shortcut works the same as in Classic Outlook.

Steps to Add and Edit Contacts in New Outlook

Adding a new contact follows a similar process but the layout has changed. The contact form now uses a single scrollable page instead of multiple tabs. Follow these steps to add a contact.

1. Open the People view
   Click the People icon on the left navigation bar. The contact list appears.
2. Click New Contact
   On the Home tab of the ribbon, click New Contact. A blank contact form opens.
3. Fill in the contact details
   Enter the first name, last name, email address, phone number, and company. The form includes fields for job title, department, and physical address.
4. Add a photo
   Click the camera icon next to the profile picture area. Select a photo from your computer or take a new one with your webcam.
5. Save the contact
   Click Save in the upper-left corner of the form. The contact appears in your list.

Editing an Existing Contact

1. Open the People view
   Click the People icon on the left navigation bar.
2. Select the contact
   Click the contact you want to edit. The contact details appear in the reading pane on the right.
3. Click Edit
   In the reading pane, click the Edit button. This button looks like a pencil icon.
4. Make changes and save
   Update the fields you need to change. Click Save to apply the changes.

How to Import Contacts From Classic Outlook to New Outlook

When you switch to new Outlook, your contacts should transfer automatically if you use a Microsoft 365, Exchange, or Outlook.com account. If your contacts are stored in a PST file from Classic Outlook, you must import them manually.

1. Export contacts from Classic Outlook
   In Classic Outlook, go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export. Choose Export to a file. Select Comma Separated Values (CSV). Choose the Contacts folder. Save the CSV file to your desktop.
2. Open new Outlook
   Close Classic Outlook and open the new Outlook app.
3. Go to Settings
   Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the window. Select General from the left menu, then choose Import.
4. Select the CSV file
   Click Import from CSV or PST. Browse to the CSV file you exported. Click Open.
5. Complete the import
   New Outlook imports the contacts. A confirmation message appears when the import finishes. Your contacts now appear in the People view.

Working With Contact Groups (Formerly Contact Lists) in New Outlook

Classic Outlook had a feature called Contact Groups. In new Outlook, this feature is called Contact Lists. Contact lists let you send an email to multiple people at once without typing each address. Contact lists sync with Microsoft 365 Groups if your organization uses them.

Creating a Contact List

1. Open the People view
   Click the People icon on the left navigation bar.
2. Click New Group
   On the Home tab, click New Group. A new contact list form opens.
3. Name the group
   Enter a name for the group, such as Marketing Team or Family.
4. Add members
   Start typing a name or email address in the Add members field. Select the contact from the drop-down list. Repeat for each person.
5. Save the group
   Click Save. The group appears in your contact list with a group icon next to its name.

Sending an Email to a Contact List

1. Open Mail
   Click the Mail icon on the left navigation bar.
2. Start a new email
   Click New Mail on the Home tab.
3. Type the group name
   In the To field, start typing the name of your contact list. Select it from the auto-complete list. The group expands to show all members in the To field.
4. Send the email
   Compose your message and click Send. Each member receives the email.

Common Issues When Using Contacts in New Outlook

Contacts From Classic Outlook Are Missing

If your contacts do not appear after switching, check which account you are viewing. New Outlook shows contacts only for the selected account. Click the account name at the top of the People view and switch to the correct account. If contacts are in a PST file, you must import them using the steps above.

Contact Groups Do Not Work in New Outlook

Classic Outlook Contact Groups created in older versions may not convert automatically. Recreate these groups as Contact Lists in new Outlook. To avoid losing group membership, export the group as a CSV file from Classic Outlook and then create a new Contact List in new Outlook using the same members.

Cannot Edit a Contact That Was Imported

Imported contacts might be read-only if they came from a PST file that is still open in Classic Outlook. Close Classic Outlook completely before importing. If the problem persists, delete the imported contact and reimport the CSV file after closing all Outlook instances.

Item	Classic Outlook	New Outlook
Location of People view	Bottom of the folder pane	Left navigation bar as an icon
Contact group name	Contact Group	Contact List
Contact form layout	Multiple tabs (General, Details, etc)	Single scrollable page
Import from PST	File > Open & Export > Import/Export	Settings > General > Import > Import from CSV or PST
Keyboard shortcut to People	Ctrl+3	Ctrl+3 (same)

You can now find, add, edit, and organize contacts in the new Outlook using the People icon on the left navigation bar. Import contacts from Classic Outlook using the CSV export method. Create Contact Lists to send emails to groups quickly. For advanced contact management, try using the People view alongside the Search bar with the syntax from: followed by a contact name to find all emails from that person.