Syncing Selected Outlook/Exchange Contacts w/iPhone

Syncing Selected Outlook Contacts w/iPhone

Note: The method described below does not work with an Exchange Server but does if syncing from Outlook to iPhone without Exchange. I have now discovered another method that will allow you to sync only selected contacts from your Exchange Server to your iPhone.

See my post #18 below: "Syncing Selected Contacts from Exchange to iPhone".

- John

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I am using my iPhone 3G (2.1) with Outlook Microsoft Outlook and was frustrated by the inability to sync only selected contacts to the iPhone, i.e. my Outlook contacts list is very large, but I only want a subset of them on my iPhone.

With a Windows Mobile phone, Microsoft ActiveSync will sync only the main Contacts folder, excluding any subfolders - this allows you to place contacts you don't want on your phone in a Contacts subfolder. Some other sync programs for WM (e.g PocketMirror) will allow you to use the Category field to select the contacts to be synced.

By comparison iPhone 2.1 will sync all Outlook contacts in your Contacts folder and in any subfolders to Contacts.

I have found a way to sync only selected contacts to the iPhone.

The trick is to use a separate folder for contacts that you do not want on your iPhone, but not a subfolder of Contacts in Outlook. For example, if the contacts you want to sync are in the "Contacts" folder and the ones you do not want to sync are in folder "Other Contacts", both of these must be primary folders in your "Personal Folders". Both folders can be set in Properties as an Outlook Address Book (i.e. check "Show this folder as an email address book") so that both are used for name resolution in Outlook. When iPhone syncs with Outlook it will take only the contacts in the "Contacts" folder, not the ones in the "Other Contacts" folder.

I hope you find this helpful.

John

Thanks John

I just bought my G3 last week and unfortunately synced all my contacts onto my iPhone. I spent over an hour removing those I didn't want and was trying to figure out how to avoid the problem in the future. Your post will now allow me to sync my contacts.

How to set upa separate folder and not a subfolder?

John,

How do you set up a separate folder. I keep setting up a subfolder of contacts.

Jerry

In Outlook, click on File->New->Folder. In the pop-up window that appears, type in the name of your desired contact folder, then click Folder Contains and highlight Contact Items, then in the folder tree window, highlight Personal Folders, and click OK. This will place the new folder you are creating in the top of the folder tree, thereby creating a new master contact list with whatever name you chose.

You can then move any contacts that you don't want to sync to your iPhone into this folder, and you're all set.

Jared

Thank you, Jerry

Jared,

Than you for the guidance. I will give it a try.

Jerry

Jared:

Followed your instructions but both Contacts and Other Contacts are syncing to the iPhone. Any ideas?

Hmmm... Let me look into it, and get back to you.

Jared

Mine is syncing both contacts and other contacts also.

I was able to successfully set up the additional folder but when I sync both folders appear to be copying. I think it may have to do with the options I select under syncing contacts. Is there a clear explanation of just what the parameters are when syncing?

Jerry

Worked without an issue. I created a new contacts folder called Test Contacts as described in the steps above. Then created a contact in that folder, and synced my iPhone. The folder and contact did not sync across, as was the plan. Make sure that when you create the folder for contacts that you do not want to sync to your phone, that it is NOT a subfolder of the standard contacts folder. It has to be at the top of the folder tree, right under your Personal Folders heading. If I had any idea how to take a screenshot of this and then post it, I would. Any suggestions?

Cheers!
Jared

Also of note, if you have multiple contact folders set up in Outlook, you can select which folders to sync to your iPhone via iTunes. With your phone connected, click on your iPhone in the source list in iTunes, select the Info tab, and under Contacts select Sync Contacts with Outlook, and then select which folders you'd like to sync.

I'm a big fan of multiple contact folders. They translate across to the iPhone as Groups, and allows me to organize my contacts by personal, work, friends & family, etc.

Jared

I think my problem is that I am connected to an exchange server and am syncing wirelessly. Does this make sense to you

it very may well be the case. I don't know a thing about Exchange. Do you have the ability to try without using Exchange?

I don't, but I have our IT people working on it. I will post a solution if they find one. Thank's for your help.

Jared, Thank you

I was able to get it to work.

Jerry

Woohoo!!!!

One last step...

So, HOW do I create an additional Outlook Contacts folder that iPhone will recognize as a "Group"? I've been able to create the additional folders and place whichever contacts I DON'T want to sync in there. But, I can't seem to get the option to sync Groups in iTunes. It still will only allow me to sync "All Contacts." Any idea what I might be doing wrong?

Thanks!

Jack

sync with selected email folders

hi,
a related question...i have a bunch of folders in my Outlook email.
is there a way to sync only selected folders with the iphone?

Syncing Selected Contacts from Exchange to iPhone

If your iPhone is set up for wireless syncing with your Exchange Server, you can sync only selected contacts from your Exchange Server "Mailbox" to your iPhone as follows:

(1) In Outlook, create a new Outlook Data File (File-New-Outlook Data File) call 'Personal Folders" (unless you already have one).

(2) Create a new contacts folder in Personal Folders called "Other Contacts" (Right-click "Personal Folders", select New, enter Name: "Other Contacts", Folder contains: Contact Items). Set the properties of this new folder to include "Show as an email address book" (Right-click "Other Contacts" folder, Properties-Outlook Address Book)

(3) Move any contacts that you do not want on your iPhone to this "Other Contacts" folder and remove them from the "Contacts" folder in your Exchange "Mailbox".

(4) Once your Exchange "Mailbox-Contacts" folder contains only the contacts you want on your iPhone, proceed with the next steps on the iPhone.

(5) Go to Settings-Mail,Contacts,Calendars and select the Exchange account listed. Turn Exchange ActiveSync - Contacts OFF. Press "Stop Syncing" to confirm. This will delete all Exchange contacts from your iPhone.

(6) Go to Contacts to verify that all contacts have been deleted.

(7) Go to Settings-Mail,Contacts,Calendars and select the Exchange account listed. Turn Exchange ActiveSync - Contacts ON. This will resync your (new, smaller) Exchange contacts list to the iPhone.

(8) You now have only selected contacts on your iPhone but still have all contacts in Outlook for email, etc.

- John

For clarification, will this result in a server-side Exchange data file with these other contacts, such that they are visible from other Exchange clients (e.g. webmail, or Outlook on another machine)? Or will this be an Outlook file stored on that one particular PC and thus not visible from anywhere else (whether iPhone, Outlook or other)?

Thanks,

Ramon

This method will remove the contacts from the exchange server. They will not be available on Outlook Web Access, or any other computers with Outlook synced to your Exchange account.

If you use this method, you are creating a PST file on your local computer, and moving your contacts into that file. It will only be accesible on that computer.
(Unless you do something to access it from another computer, such as put it on a network share, open over a vpn. or maybe you could sync it onto a dropbox account or something. Any of these things are very much against Microsoft's reccomendations and could result in a corrupted PST file)

Probably the best thing to do, is make a subfolder in your contacts for your personal contacts. And then have all contacts on your iPhone/iPad.

I still can't believe that no one figured out how to make a program (especially jailbroken) to have completely separate contacts.