LinkedIn is a great platform for building your professional network and connecting with colleagues, clients, and potential business partners. With over 800 million users worldwide, chances are most of your professional contacts are on LinkedIn.
If you use Microsoft Outlook for email, calendar, and contacts, you likely want to sync your LinkedIn connections with your Outlook contacts. This makes it easy to quickly find contact details, send emails, schedule meetings, and more.
The good news is it’s easy to import your LinkedIn connections to Outlook in just a few steps. In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of syncing contacts from LinkedIn to Outlook.
Prerequisites
Before importing your LinkedIn contacts to Outlook, make sure you have:
- A LinkedIn account
- Microsoft Outlook desktop application (Outlook 2007 or newer)
- LinkedIn’s free Outlook connector app installed
If you don’t already have the LinkedIn Outlook connector app, you can download it for free from the Microsoft Store or LinkedIn.
How to Import LinkedIn Contacts to Outlook
Here is a step-by-step guide to importing your LinkedIn connections as Outlook contacts:
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Install the LinkedIn Outlook connector
Go to the Microsoft Store or LinkedIn and search for “LinkedIn Outlook connector”. Install the app on your computer.
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Log into LinkedIn
In Outlook, go to the LinkedIn tab. Click on “Sign In” and log into your LinkedIn account when prompted.
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Select connections to sync
In the LinkedIn tab, click on “Preferences”. Here you can choose to sync “All LinkedIn connections” or “Selected LinkedIn groups”. Choose your preference.
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Sync LinkedIn contacts
Go back to the LinkedIn tab and click “Sync Contacts”. This will import your selected LinkedIn connections as contacts in Outlook.
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Check synced contacts
Go to Outlook Contacts to see your imported LinkedIn connections. You can view their full profile by clicking “View LinkedIn profile”.
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Update info
When you make changes on LinkedIn, click “Sync Contacts” again to update the Outlook contacts.
And that’s it! All your LinkedIn connections are now easily accessible as Outlook contacts. You can start sending emails, creating meetings, and connecting with your network right from Outlook.
syncing LinkedIn Contacts to Outlook: FAQ
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about importing LinkedIn contacts to Outlook:
Which Outlook versions support importing LinkedIn contacts?
The LinkedIn Outlook connector supports Outlook 2007 and newer versions. This includes Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and Microsoft 365.
Does syncing overwrite my existing Outlook contacts?
No, importing LinkedIn connections does not overwrite your existing Outlook contacts. It simply adds the LinkedIn connections as new contacts in Outlook.
How often do the contacts sync?
The contacts sync whenever you click the “Sync Contacts” button in the LinkedIn tab. Anytime you or your connections update info on LinkedIn, you’ll need to sync again to update the Outlook contacts.
Can I select which LinkedIn connections to sync?
Yes, in the LinkedIn tab you can choose to sync “All LinkedIn connections” or “Selected LinkedIn groups” only. For example, you may only want to sync your 1st degree connections.
Will syncing slow down my Outlook?
There may be a minor slow down in Outlook when first syncing a large number of LinkedIn contacts. But once the initial sync is complete, Outlook should perform normally.
Is the LinkedIn Outlook connector app free?
Yes, the LinkedIn Outlook connector is a free app you can download from Microsoft or LinkedIn.
Tips for Managing LinkedIn Contacts in Outlook
Here are some tips to help manage your LinkedIn contacts in Outlook:
- Create a LinkedIn contacts folder – This separates them from your other contacts.
- Add LinkedIn to the email address field – Helps identify where the contact is from.
- Tag LinkedIn contacts – Easily segment them from regular contacts.
- Review connections periodically – Remove outdated contacts.
- Customize sync settings – Choose to only sync selective groups.
- Sync regularly – Don’t forget to sync whenever you or connections update info.
Benefits of Syncing LinkedIn with Outlook
Here are some of the advantages of importing your LinkedIn network to Outlook:
- Easily access contact details – Phone, email, address, etc.
- Quickly connect via email or meeting invites
- Stay up-to-date with connection’s role changes
- Discover new connections through shared contacts
- Saves time switching between apps to find contacts
- Create targeted Outlook contact groups
- Daily workflow is simplified
Having your professional network available directly in your email and contacts app makes staying in touch efficient and productive.
Summary
Importing LinkedIn contacts into Outlook makes it simple to manage your professional network from one place.
With just the LinkedIn Outlook connector installed, you can bring all your LinkedIn connections directly into your Outlook in a few clicks.
Syncing the contacts saves time switching between apps, ensures you have up-to-date details, and enables you to easily connect with your network right from Outlook.
Hopefully this guide has helped explain how to easily import contacts from LinkedIn to Outlook using the LinkedIn connector. Now you can maximize your professional network!
