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Best Fixes for Outlook Contacts Not Syncing with iPhone

Published by John on Last Updated On :Nov 02, 2022

If there’s anything that seamlessly manages your data, such as contacts, notes, and emails, it is Microsoft Outlook. The app is commonly used on iPhones through which users access their Outlook data. When Outlook syncs with your iPhone, you can access all your Outlook contacts easily. However, sometimes users find their Outlook contacts not syncing with iPhone. In such a case, you may be unable to reach out to a specific contact on your iPhone. It is difficult to store all the contacts manually somewhere in order to access them. So in this article, we’ll disclose the things to do when the contacts in Outlook stop syncing with your iPhone.

Why Are Outlook Contacts Not Syncing with iPhone?

Synchronization allows you to access Outlook data from any device. When you find your iPhone not showing Outlook contacts, it may be because of the following reasons.

• Incorrect configuration settings.
• Poor internet connectivity.
• The outlook server may be down.
• Damaged Outlook .ost file.
• Excessive cache on the Outlook app.

Ways to Resolve Outlook Not Syncing to iPhone Problem

Don’t worry if you are not able to synchronize Outlook contact lists and iPhone. Follow these methods and get it done. You can sync by enabling contacts if you use Microsoft Exchange. Apart from this, those who run iTunes on their Windows PC can sync their iPhone and Outlook contacts while syncing their phone. All these methods are explained below.

If Outlook app not syncing with android you can read this post.

Sync contacts with iPhone through its settings

If you use MS Exchange as the mail server, you can easily use your iPhone’s settings to sync contacts. It’s obvious that you will have the Outlook email setup on the mail app on your iPhone. Use these steps when you find iPhone contacts not syncing with Outlook Exchange.

1. Head to the ‘Settings‘ app located on your iPhone.
2. Next, tap ‘Accounts & Passwords.’
3. You will view the registered email accounts.
4. From all of them, select Outlook email.
5. Now, you will find a screen. There will be a switch near ‘Contacts.’
6. You must turn it on. It will sync Outlook contacts with iPhone.
7. After that, hit the ‘Save’ button.
8. That’s it; now Outlook’s mail and your contact list will commence syncing with your iPhone.

Use iTunes to sync Outlook contacts.

iTunes was the preferred way to sync contacts some years ago. But recently, Apple has modified it so that it no longer equally supports syncing. However, it is not that you simply cannot use iTunes to sync contacts. It’s just that syncing with it is not as future-proof as syncing with another medium, such as iCloud. Use the following procedure to sync your Outlook contacts on iPhone.

1. The first part is ensuring that contacts aren’t synced already with iCloud. To check that, go to your iPhone’s ‘Settings.’
2. From here, choose ‘Contacts‘ followed by ‘Accounts.’
3. Now choose ‘iCloud‘ followed by choosing ‘iCloud‘ again.
4. If you see the contacts enabled, click on the button beside it to disable iCloud contacts.

To sync contacts via iTunes, use these steps.

1. On your computer, open iTunes.
2. Employ a USB cable to connect your iPhone.
3. Now, tap on the icon of iPhone in iTunes.
4. Choose ‘Info‘ from the navigation bar.
5. Now tap the box beside ‘Sync contacts with…‘
6. Now you will see advice that says, ‘Syncing calendars and contacts will be removed in the later version of iTunes.’
7. Tap ‘Okay.’
8. Select ‘Outlook‘ via the dropdown beside ‘Sync contacts with.’
9. Tap ‘Switch‘ in the message asking if you want to switch syncing with Outlook.
10. Lastly, tap ‘Apply‘ followed by ‘Done‘ to begin syncing.

How to sync Outlook contacts to iPhone via iCloud

This method is a wise choice because you won’t be able to sync contacts with iTunes in the future. Apple thus recommends you use iCloud for synchronizing contacts and calendars with your iPhone. Follow these points to start syncing contacts over iCloud.

1. Start by turning on iCloud contacts on your Apple device.
2. Do this by going to ‘Settings.’
3. Now, choose ‘Contacts‘ and then the ‘Accounts’ option.
4. After that, choose ‘iCloud‘ followed by the same option again.
5. Now, just tap once to turn on the ‘Contacts.’
6. Now, you must download iCloud for Windows.
7. Use this link to install iCloud on your system.
8. After that, open the iCloud application on your system.
9. Employ your Apple ID and password to sign in to the app.
10. Now, look at the option ‘Mail, Contacts, and Calendars.’
11. Ensure that it has a tick mark beside it.
12. Check it if you don’t notice the checkmarks, and click ‘Apply.’
13. It will begin to sync Outlook contacts with iPhone.
14. After the process completes, you will find your Outlook contacts there on the ‘Contacts’ application on your iPhone.
15. Apart from that, you will also find your calendars and emails synchronized.

If you face Gmail Not Syncing on iPhone you can read this post and resolve the issue.

Import Outlook contact list to iPhone

If you still find Outlook not syncing to iPhone, you can try importing the contacts to your device. To import the Outlook contact list to iPhone, you must first export contacts as iOS-ready vCards. Here is the process you need to know.

1. Choose ‘All Contacts‘ in Outlook.
2. Now, forward all of them as vCards to yourself.
3. Save every attachment as a vCard in a temporary folder.
4. Now launch the command prompt and input this command:
   1. cd c:\temp
   2. copy /a *.vcf c:\allcards.vcf
5. Now all your Outlook contacts are joined in one vCard file.
6. You can start the process of importing the contact list to your iPhone.
7. Go to Outlook and start composing a new email.
8. Here, attach the allcards.vcf file you’ve made.
9. Now, send this file to the email address that’s configured on your iPhone.
10. On your iPhone, open the email address, and go to the attachments list.
11. Here, click ‘allcards.vcf‘ file.
12. Now, select ‘Add all ## contacts.’
13. Go back to the iPhone’s home screen and click on the phone icon.
14. Now, tap ‘Contacts.’
15. Here you will find Outlook contacts showing in the iOS address book.

Examine the signal strength

Often, the issue of the iPhone not syncing with Outlook is a result of poor internet connectivity. You must have good signal strength to not face any sync issues. If you find the signal strength weak, contact your internet service provider. They will help you overcome the problem at the earliest.

Apart from that, it is also wise to examine the cable connections if you use Wi-Fi. Check that the connections are accurate.

After checking cable connections, restart your iPhone. It’s possible that you need to relaunch the app from the beginning. In order to do so, you need to restart the device.

Check the Outlook server status.

Another good thing is to check the server status of Outlook.com. You can find the service status activity for it by heading to websites such as isitdownrightnow.com.

Here you will find the service status history. If there’s an outage, you will have to wait till Outlook fixes it. Meanwhile, you can clear the temporary cache and cookies on your web browser. You can also ensure that you are using the current version of the web page.

The Bottom Line

If you find Outlook contacts not syncing with iPhone, it becomes problematic to access necessary data. Moreover, you cannot communicate with your contacts on the go. Use these measures one by one so you can see your Outlook contacts on your iPhone. If the need arises, you can also avail the help of a professional email technical support service.

Written By

John

John is a Technical Writer at Email Support, has 10 years of experience, and is an expert in Email and Cloud Computing. His specialty is writing about the Email clients such as Outlook, Yahoo, Verizon, SBCGlobal, Gmail, Apple Mail, AOL, WildBlue, and others.