How to: Copy Outlook 2007 “AutoComplete Contacts” to Outlook 2010

Okay, this might not be relevant to many of you, but there’s a lot of guides out there that just don’t explain this quite the right way. And some people searching for a solution might stumble upon this.

A lot of workplaces/offices uses Microsoft’s E-mail Client: Outlook …….

Obviously it’s easy to export/import all the contacts from one “e-mail client” to another. But Outlook has something called “AutoComplete” contacts. Those are the contacts that you haven’t really saved, but at some point you’ve sent an e-mail to them. Therefore they are stored in Outlook’s memory. After years of use, you will have quite a lot of contacts that you just rely on Outlook to remember for you, whenever you need them.

Here’s how to get them to your Outlook 2010 (This is aimed at people using Microsoft Operation Systems older than Windows 7):

1. Go to Local Disk -> Documents & Settings -> “username” -> ApplicationData (hidden folder[put ” show hidden files and folders” on) -> Microsoft -> Outlook

2. In this folder the “AutoComplete contacts” are stored in a .nk2 file (also known as Office Data File). As default it’s called Default Outlook Profile.nk2 or just Outlook.nk2. Copy this file.

3. On the client/maschine with your Outlook 2010 installed (could be the same, could be another, doesn’t matter) – Go to Local Disk -> Documents & Settings > “username” -> ApplicationData

4. Now create a new folder called Roaming. Inside that create another folder called Microsoft. Inside that create Outlook.
Example of full path: C:/Documents&Settings/”username”/ApplicationData/Roaming/
Microsoft/Outlook

5. This is the folder you copy the .nk2 file into. The file might need to have the name altered. It has to be changed to the name Outlook 2010 knows you by.

6. To find out the name do the following:
a. Click Start and go to Control Panel
b. Click Mail
c. Click Show Profiles

7. After the rename is done you can open up Outlook 2010 and your AutoComplete Contacts will be there.

(8. In some cases you may need to go to “run” and enter “outlook.exe /importnk2″ before it will work.)

Now this makes one wonder. Why  isn’t this a lot more simple? But you know… it’s Microsoft.

// Veto