How to Add New Contacts to Gmail

Google Contacts is a tool that allows you to sync all your Gmail contacts in one place. The feature makes browsing through your list of contacts easier and can save you a lot of time when sending emails.

Because they’re created by the same company, Google Contacts and Gmail easily work hand in hand. Adding contacts in Gmail means you’re adding them to Google Contacts, as well.

In this article, you’ll learn how to add new contacts to Gmail and make the most of this incredibly useful tool.

How to Add New Contacts to Gmail from a Windows, Mac, or Chromebook PC

Both Gmail and Google Contacts are accessed via your desktop or laptop browser. Additionally, there are two main ways of adding contacts to Gmail on a desktop and laptop device: from the Gmail page or using the Google Contacts online feature. So, no matter which device you’re using, adding contacts to your Gmail works in pretty much the same way.

Adding Contacts Using Gmail

Say you’ve received an email from a business associate or friend and you don’t want to have to look for the original email message and copy the address every time you want to send them an email. If you’re accessing your Gmail account via desktop, adding them to an easily accessible contact list has been made very easy to do:

1. Go to your Gmail inbox.
   
   
   
2. Open the email from the contact that you want to add to your contacts list.
   
   
   
3. Hover over the contact’s name or photo with your mouse pointer.
   
   
   
4. Click “Add to Contacts.”
   
   

That’s it, you’ve successfully added the contact to your list.

Adding Contacts Using Google Contacts

You may not have ever used the Google Contacts web tool or, if you do, you use it infrequently. In fact, you probably use it much less often than Gmail. But it might help to know that adding contacts to Google Contacts on both desktop and laptop devices has been made straightforward and simple. First, it might help to know you have two options when creating contacts using Google Contacts: creating an individual contact and creating a group contact.

The former option is pretty self-explanatory. The latter option makes sending recurring group emails a breeze. Here’s how to create both.

1. Go to Google Contacts in your preferred browser.
   
   
   
2. Navigate to the bottom-right corner of the page.
   
   
   
3. Click the plus (+) icon.
   
   
   
4. Select “Create a contact” or “Create multiple contacts.”
   
   
   
5. Enter the required/optional information or email addresses for future group members.
   
   
   
6. Click “Save” or “Create.”
   
   

How to Add New Contacts to Gmail Using Mobile/Tablet Devices

When you’re using the Gmail app on an Android or iOS device, you won’t be able to add contacts via the app itself. The option just isn’t there. Perhaps Google will add this option somewhere down the line, but as of now, it isn’t possible.

Second, the Google Contacts app exists only for Android devices. However, iOS users should know that the mobile web version of the app looks and works pretty identically to the Android app version. So, if you want to access Google Contacts via your iOS device, navigate to Google Contacts inside a browser. If you’re already logged in to your Google account, you won’t have to worry about entering any credentials, either. Here’s how to access this.

1. Open the Google Contacts app (on Android) or navigate to its mobile web browser version (on iOS).
   
   
   
2. Follow the same instructions as explained for the desktop version above.

How to Add Contacts from Gmail to Outlook

Although Gmail is by far the most popular email app in the world, some people prefer using Outlook as their go-to email app. They both have their advantages. On the one hand, Gmail has a clean, simple, user-friendly interface that’s easy to understand and navigate. On the other hand, while Outlook isn’t complicated, it is somewhat more complex than Gmail. This is because Outlook has advanced features that can aid email “power users.”

So, if you’ve decided to switch from Gmail to Outlook, or want to use both but also want to import contacts from Gmail, here’s how to do it. Keep in mind that exporting contacts from Google Contacts works the same across all devices.

Exporting Contacts

Before the stand-alone Google Contacts feature was created, you had to export contacts through Gmail. Now, you don’t even have to use the Gmail website. Here’s how to do it.

1. If you don’t want to export all contacts in your list, select the ones that you want to export.
   
2. Navigate to the panel to the left.
   
   
3. Select “Export.”
   
   
   
4. Choose “Selected contacts” or “Contacts.”
   
   
   
5. Under “Export as”, check “Outlook CS.”
   
   
   
   
6. Click “Export.”
   
   
   

Import Gmail Contacts to Outlook

You’ll need to have Outlook 2013 or 2016 to successfully import contacts from Gmail.

1. In Outlook, go to the “File” tab.
   
   
   
2. Select “Open & Export.”
   
   
   
3. Go to “Import from another program or file” and select “Next.”
   
4. Select “Comma Separated Values” and click “Next.”
   
   
   
5. Choose how you want the duplicate contacts to be handled and go to “Next.”
   
   
   
6. Now, select the folder where you’ve saved the exported Gmail contacts and click “Next.”
   
   
   
7. Click “Finish.”

That’s it. You’ve successfully imported Gmail Contacts to Outlook.

Google Contacts and Gmail

Adding contacts to Google Contacts will make them readily available in Gmail on the same account. So, when you’re sending messages using Gmail, start typing the name of the contact you want to send an email to, and their full email address will begin to fill out automatically.

Google Contacts exist outside of Gmail for a good reason. The feature is more than a storage solution for your email contacts. Google Contacts can synchronize and arrange key information that pertains to your individual contacts. In addition to finding an email address, you can input information such as their phone number, a link to the company the contact works for, even specific notes about the contact (their birthday, job title, etc.).

Adding New Contacts to Gmail and Working with Google Contacts

Google has made adding new contacts to Gmail very easy and straightforward. In fact, they’ve gone out of their way to create an entire feature, Google Contacts, for consolidating your contact info in one place.

We hope that this entry has helped you effectively add new contacts to your Gmail account via Gmail itself or using Google Contacts. We also hope that you’re going to be using the Google Contacts feature more extensively now. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us in the comments section below.