Tips & Tricks

Export and Print Your Address Book

Did you know that you can export your Address Book so it can be used by database programs, label making software, and more? Of course you do, I mentioned it a few seconds ago.

OK, first let me tell you about .csv files. These are simple text files that show data as "comma-seperated values". If you bring a .csv file up in Notepad you'll see data separated by commas. So, what does that have to do with our current discussion?

Well, if you export your Address Book as a .csv file, it can be used in any program that imports .csv files.

With Outlook Express , open your Address Book and go to File / Export / Other Address Book then select "Text File (Comma Separated Values)" and click the "Export" button. In the next window, give the file a name (if you don't want it in "My Documents", click "Browse" and select another folder). You are then given a window where you can check off what fields in the address book get exported-allowing you to get as basic or detailed as you want.

In Netscape Mail, go to Tools / Export, give the file a name then change "Save as type" to "Comma Separated (.csv)". Click Save and there you go.

If you keep an address book online in Yahoo Mail find the "Mail Options" button in the upper right-hand corner. Select "Address Book" from the left-hand column, then Import / Export under "Management". On the next screen under Export, click the button next to "Microsoft Outlook" to save it on your hard drive as a .csv file.

AOL users can print labels from their address book, but I don't think there is a way to export.

Anyway, now that you have a .csv file, it can be imported into other programs. MS Word has a Mail Merge feature that allows you to use that file for form letters, mailing labels, and envelopes. With a database program, you can use the .csv file data in all kind of ways.

~ David

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