

In Outlook 2010, click File > Open > Import. To export contacts from Outlook 20, click File > Import and Export. It took only a few minutes to export the contacts on the workhorse as an Outlook PST file and import the file to the backup and test PCs. The workhorse PC runs Outlook 2003 and has 414 contacts, the backup system uses Outlook 2007 and has only 42 entries in its contact list, and the test PC has a default installation of Outlook 2010 with zero contacts. The three PCs in my home office have three different versions of Outlook installed. The export/import approach to sharing Outlook contacts The company also offers the $25 ShareContacts program that syncs only Outlook contacts. The program works with all versions of Outlook from 2000 through 2010 but runs only on Windows PCs. ShareO lets you share and sync any Outlook folder without using an Exchange server. Automatically synching a single contact list among multiple Outlook users (without an Exchange server, of course) requires a program such as 4Team's $35 ShareO, which is available in a limited-function 14-day free trial version. Of course, the changes each person makes to his contact list won't be apparent to the other users until the PST file has been re-exported with the updated information and then re-imported by each of the other users. Each user still has his own separate contact list that other users can access from their Outlook profile, so there's no real syncing going on. If you don't mind the manual approach, Outlook lets you export your contacts as a PST file that your co-workers can import to their Outlook accounts. Is there a process/software you can recommend to accomplish this?

We would like to merge our databases into one that all three of us can access, modify, and update as necessary. Right now we maintain three separate contact databases. Recently, a reader named Alan posed this question: I and my two associates use Microsoft Outlook for our sales contacts.

Unfortunately, contacts are also among the most difficult assets to maintain. Few resources on your computer are more valuable to your worklife than your list of contacts.
