How to Migrate Contacts into LS Addressbook — Step-by-Step

How to Migrate Contacts into LS Addressbook — Step-by-StepMoving your contacts into LS Addressbook can streamline communication, organization, and productivity. This step-by-step guide covers preparation, export from common sources, import into LS Addressbook, troubleshooting, and best practices to ensure a smooth migration.

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Why migrate to LS Addressbook?

LS Addressbook offers centralized contact management, easy grouping, integration with other tools, and improved search and tagging. Migrating ensures your contacts are consistent, up to date, and accessible across your workflows.

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Before you start: preparation checklist

• Back up your current contacts.
• Identify the source(s) of contacts (Gmail, Outlook, CSV, vCard, another CRM).
• Clean up duplicates and outdated entries where possible.
• Make a note of any custom fields you need (company, job title, notes, tags).
• Ensure LS Addressbook account access and sufficient permissions.

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Step 1 — Export contacts from common sources

Below are instructions for exporting contacts from popular platforms into a format LS Addressbook accepts (CSV or vCard).

From Google Contacts (CSV or vCard)

1. Open Google Contacts.
2. Select the contacts you want or choose “Export” from the left sidebar.
3. Choose “Google CSV” for importing back into Google or “Outlook CSV” for other apps; select “vCard (VCF)” for iOS.
4. Click “Export” to download the file.

From Microsoft Outlook (CSV)

1. Open Outlook desktop.
2. Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
3. Choose “Export to a file” > “Comma Separated Values (CSV)”.
4. Select the Contacts folder and follow the prompts to save the CSV file.

From Apple Contacts (vCard)

1. Open Contacts app on macOS.
2. Select contacts or choose All Contacts.
3. File > Export > Export vCard.
4. Save the VCF file.

From a CRM or other service

Most CRMs provide CSV or vCard export options in their contacts or reports area. Export using their recommended format (CSV is most universal).

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Step 2 — Clean and normalize your exported file

A clean import reduces errors. For CSV files, open them in Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice Calc.

• Ensure column headers are meaningful: First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Company, Job Title, Address, Notes, etc.
• Standardize phone number formats (E.164 if possible: +1234567890).
• Remove or merge duplicate rows.
• Fill important missing fields or move data from miscellaneous columns into appropriate headers.
• Save the cleaned file as CSV (UTF-8 encoded) to preserve special characters.

If you have a vCard file and you need CSV instead, use an online converter or import vCard into Contacts app and export as CSV.

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Step 3 — Map fields to LS Addressbook format

Open LS Addressbook’s import feature (usually under Settings > Import or Contacts > Import). Before importing, check the import field mapping screen.

• Match your CSV columns to LS Addressbook fields (e.g., “First Name” → First Name, “Work Email” → Email).
• For any custom fields in LS Addressbook, map corresponding CSV columns.
• If LS Addressbook supports tags/groups during import, map or assign groups here.

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Step 4 — Import the file into LS Addressbook

1. In LS Addressbook, navigate to Contacts > Import (or Settings > Import Contacts).
2. Upload your CSV or vCard file.
3. Review the field mapping and adjust if needed.
4. Choose options for duplicates: skip, update, or create new entries.
5. Start the import.
6. Wait for the process to complete; larger files may take several minutes.

After import, LS Addressbook should display a summary of imported, updated, and skipped records.

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Step 5 — Verify import and fix issues

• Spot-check a sample of contacts across different groups.
• Search for emails and phone numbers to ensure indexing works.
• Check for truncated fields or misaligned data (e.g., addresses in the notes field).
• If duplicates appear, use LS Addressbook’s dedupe/merge tool if available.
• Re-import corrected CSV for any remaining issues.

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Troubleshooting common problems

• Import fails or file rejected: ensure CSV uses UTF-8 and proper delimiter (comma).
• Missing characters: check encoding and special-character handling.
• Phone numbers not recognized: normalize to consistent format.
• Duplicates: choose the “update existing” option or run a dedupe after import.
• Large import times: split file into smaller batches.

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Post-migration best practices

• Set up automatic backups or export schedules.
• Create groups/tags for segmentation (Clients, Vendors, Team, Personal).
• Regularly deduplicate and clean contacts (quarterly).
• Train team members on correct contact entry to maintain consistency.
• Enable sync with email/calendar tools if LS Addressbook supports integrations.

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Sample import field mapping (example)

First Name → First Name
Last Name → Last Name
Email → Email
Phone → Phone
Company → Organization
Job Title → Title
Address → Address
Notes → Notes
Tag → Tag

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Conclusion

Migrating contacts into LS Addressbook is straightforward with careful preparation: export from source, clean and map fields, import, and verify. Following these steps reduces errors and keeps your contact data organized and useful.