Importing Windows Live Mail Contacts

How to Restore Your Windows Live Mail Contacts

In here we'll guide you through restoring your Windows Live Mail data and then on how to import it into the Windows Live Mail program. There are a couple of things that need to be in place for the restore and import to work.

• Ensure Windows Live Mail is installed on your computer.
• Ensure Recover Mode is enabled. Recover mode stops the backup, preventing further changes until after you've restored your files.

Let's begin by opening the Carbonite Backup Drive through the File Explorer window (alternatively called Windows Explorer in older Windows operating systems). Do this by double-clicking the Carbonite Backup Drive icon.

You'll see the Carbonite Backup Drive displayed. This shows all of the files in your backupA set of copies of your files on our servers. organized the same way they are on your computer.

Double-click the Backed Up Files icon.

Depending on how you backed up your contacts with Carbonite, you will need to restore them to your computer using one of the processes below.

• Restore the Backed Up Contacts Folder
• Restore Backed Up CSV or VCF File

Restore the Backed Up Contacts Folder

If you backed up the contact files, you can restore them and move them to their new location in order to get your contacts back.

Before you can import your contacts, you will need to restore them to your computer. Open the Carbonite Backup Drive through the File Explorer window (alternatively called Windows Explorer in older Windows operating systems). Within this window, double-click the Carbonite Backup Drive icon.

The Carbonite Backup DriveCarbonite’s virtual drive, containing all the files within your backup. Located within Windows Explorer. window will be displayed. To view files and folders in your backup, double-click the Backed Up Files icon.

This window shows you all of the files in your backupA set of copies of your files on our servers. organized the same way they are on your computer. Navigate to C:/Users/{USERNAME}/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows Live/, right-click the Contacts folder and select Restore To...

In the Browse For Folder window, select Desktop and click OK to begin restoring your exported Windows Live Mail contacts.

Your Windows Live Mail contacts will be restored to the Desktop.

Restore CSV or VCF File

Before you can import your contacts, you will need to restore them to your computer. Open the Carbonite Backup Drive through the File Explorer window (alternatively called Windows Explorer in older Windows operating systems). Within this window, double-click the Carbonite Backup Drive icon.

The Carbonite Backup DriveCarbonite’s virtual drive, containing all the files within your backup. Located within Windows Explorer. window will be displayed. To view files and folders in your backup, double-click the Backed Up Files icon.

This window shows you all of the files in your backupA set of copies of your files on our servers. organized the same way they are on your computer. Navigate to where your backed up exported Windows Live Mail contacts are located (this location is dependent on where you selected to export them) and click Restore To... on the .CSV file or folder containing the business card (.VCF) files.

In the Browse For Folder window, select Desktop and click OK to begin restoring your exported Windows Live Mail contacts.

Your exported Windows Live Mail contacts will be restored to the Desktop. Expand the section below for instructions on how to import your email data.

Notes

• [User Name] will vary. If you do not see your own name, your files are most likely in a generically-named folder, such as Owner or User.

How to Import Your Windows Live Mail Contacts

Depending on how you backed up your contacts with Carbonite, you will need to restore them to your computer and import them into Windows Live Mail using one of the processes below.

• Import the Backed Up Contacts Folder
• Import the Backed Up CSV or VCF File

Import the Backed Up Contacts Folder

After the restore completes successfully, perform the following steps in order to get your Contacts into Windows Live Mail.

1. Ensure Windows Live Mail is not currently running.
2. Go to the restored folder on your Desktop, right-click it and select Copy or Cut.
3. Within your Windows or File Explorer navigate to C:\Users\{USERNAME}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live\
4. In the Windows Live folder, right-click on an area and select Paste to move the restored Contacts folder to this location.
5. You may be prompted with a dialog box asking if you wish to overwrite any of the files, click Yes after reading each dialog box in order to continue.
6. Open Windows Live Mail and ensure that your contacts have are all back.
7. After the files are moved and you've checked Windows Live Mail, you can go back to your Desktop and delete the restored Contacts folder.

Notes

• [User Name] will vary. If you do not see your own name, your files are most likely in a generically-named folder, such as Owner or User.

Import the Backed Up CSV or VCF File

You can begin the process of importing your contacts to Windows Live Mail. Open Windows Live mail and click Contacts.

In the Contacts tab, click Import and either Comma separated values (.CSV) or Business card (.VCF) depending on how you exported your Windows Live Mail contacts.

The process for importing your exported contacts is slightly different depending on how you selected to export the contacts:

• Import comma separated values (.CSV) file
• Import business card (.VCF) files

Import Comma Separated Values (.CSV) File

You will see the CSV Import window displayed. Click the Browse button to continue.

In the Open window, navigate to your restored exported contacts file. Select the .CSV file and click Open.

You will be returned to the CSV Import window with the file path and name listed within the Choose a file to import: field. Click Next to continue.

In the final step of importing your contacts from a .CSV file, you can select which fields you wish to import from the .CSV file. Once you have selected the fields to import, click Finish to import your contacts into Windows Live Mail.

Your exported Windows Live Mail contacts will then be imported into Windows Live Mail.

Import Business Card (.VCF) Files

You will see the Select a vCard file for import window displayed. Navigate to where your business card files were restored. Once located select all the business card files within that folder and click Open.

Your exported Windows Live Mail contacts will then be imported into Windows Live Mail.

Once you have completed restoring your data and have it successfully imported into the program, please exit Recover Mode to resume normal backup operations.