Written by Jennifer Walsh. Reviewed for technical accuracy by Shubham Dixit, Independent Expert in Email Forensics and Data File Conversion.
Shubham is an independent external reviewer and not an employee of PCDOTS.
Quick answer. Hotmail, now Outlook.com, exports your contacts as a CSV file, but iCloud only imports vCard, so the whole trick is converting CSV to vCard in the middle. To import Hotmail contacts to iCloud, export the CSV, turn it into a .vcf with Google Contacts for free or a converter, then import that vCard into iCloud Contacts.
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Why there is a step in the middle?
There is one thing to understand and the rest is just clicking. Hotmail, which is now Outlook.com, lets you export your contacts, but it hands them to you as a CSV file, a spreadsheet of names and details. iCloud, on the other hand, will only import contacts as a vCard, the .vcf format Apple uses. The two do not speak the same format, so you cannot hand Hotmail’s CSV straight to iCloud. That is the whole reason this takes three phases instead of one, you export the CSV, convert it to a vCard, then import that vCard. The good news is the convert step is free.
The formats differ, so a quick CSV to vCard conversion sits between the two.
“This is a small format-translation job, not a hard migration. Outlook.com writes a CSV, Apple reads a vCard, and the only real work is turning one into the other. You do not have to pay for that, Google Contacts will import the CSV and export a vCard for nothing, and on a Mac the Contacts app does the same. A dedicated converter is worth it when you are on Windows, have a big list, or would rather not route personal contacts through another account, but I would never call it mandatory. Once you have the .vcf, iCloud’s own Import vCard finishes the job.” Shubham Dixit, Data File Conversion reviewer (draft, pending approval)
Phase one, export your Hotmail contacts
Start on the Hotmail side and get the contacts out as a CSV. Sign in at Outlook.com and open People, the contacts area. Choose Manage, then Export contacts, pick the folder or all contacts, and click Export. Your browser downloads a .csv file holding every name, email and phone number. Keep track of where it saves, you will feed it into the next step.
Open People, then Manage and Export contacts.
Phase two, turn the CSV into a vCard
This is the phase that actually matters, and despite what some guides say, you do not have to buy anything for it. The simplest free route uses Google Contacts. Go to contacts.google.com, choose Import, upload the Hotmail CSV, and Google reads it in. Then select those contacts, choose Export, and pick vCard as the format. You now have the .vcf that iCloud wants, for free. On a Mac you can skip even that, the built-in Contacts app can import the CSV and export a vCard directly.
A dedicated converter earns its place in a few cases, on Windows with no wish to open a browser tool, for a large contact list, or if you would rather not route personal contacts through a Google account. The PCDOTS CSV to vCard Converter reads the Hotmail CSV and writes a .vcf in a couple of clicks, with a free trial for the first ten so you can check it before you buy. It is a convenience here, not a requirement.
Three phases, and the middle one costs nothing with Google Contacts.
The converter route, a Hotmail CSV turned into the .vcf iCloud imports.
Here are the converter steps with the screens, if you take that route.
Step 1. Install and run the converter on Windows, then add the Hotmail CSV.
Step 2. Choose vCard as the save format, then pick a destination and save.
Phase three, import the vCard into iCloud
The last phase is the easy one, since you now have a file iCloud understands. In a browser, go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID, then open Contacts. Click the settings control, usually a gear or the sidebar menu, and choose Import vCard. Pick the .vcf you made and open it. iCloud reads the contacts in, and because iCloud syncs, they appear on your iPhone, iPad and Mac shortly after, as long as Contacts sync is on in your iCloud settings.
In iCloud Contacts, choose Import vCard.
Contacts, not email
One quick clarification, because it is a common mix-up. This guide moves your contacts, the address book, from Hotmail to iCloud. It does not move your email messages. Those are a separate job, handled by connecting the accounts or transferring the mailbox, and we cover that in our guide to import mail to iCloud. If you were after your messages rather than your address book, that is the page you want.
The conversion options compared
All three get you the same .vcf, so pick by what you have to hand.
| Way to convert | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Google Contacts | Anyone, no install | Free, uses a Google account |
| Mac Contacts app | Mac users | Free, built in, no browser tool |
| CSV to vCard Converter | Windows, big lists | No Google account needed |
Frequently asked questions
Why can’t I import the Hotmail CSV straight into iCloud?
Because iCloud only imports vCard, not CSV. Hotmail exports CSV, so you convert the CSV to a .vcf first, then import that.
Is there a free way to convert the CSV to vCard?
Yes. Import the CSV into Google Contacts and export it as vCard, or on a Mac use the Contacts app to import the CSV and export a .vcf. Both are free.
How do I import the vCard once I have it?
At iCloud.com, open Contacts, click the settings control, choose Import vCard, and select your .vcf. iCloud then syncs the contacts to your devices.
Will the contacts show up on my iPhone?
Yes, once they are in iCloud and Contacts sync is turned on. Check Settings, your Apple ID, iCloud, and make sure Contacts is enabled.
Does this move my Hotmail email too?
No, this covers contacts only. Moving your mail is a separate process, see our guide to importing mail into iCloud for that.
Nothing gets left behind
If the three phases felt like a lot, take some comfort in what is actually happening. Your contacts are just data in a plain file the whole way through, a CSV coming out of Hotmail and a vCard going into iCloud, so nothing is being risked or rewritten, only translated from one tidy format to another. Export the CSV, convert it for free with Google Contacts or a small tool, and import the vCard, and every name, number and email lands in iCloud exactly as it left Hotmail. Take it one phase at a time and it goes smoothly.
