You can select contacts in the GAL (using either Shift+ or Ctrl+ to select multiple entries at once) and use File, Add to Contacts to add the GAL entry to your Contacts folder. In newer versions of Outlook this creates a contact with the SMTP address. In older versions of Outlook the Exchange x.400 address is used and you’ll need to use the methods below to export the SMTP addresses.
Exchange administrators with POP3 or IMAP users who won’t or can’t use LDAP have asked whether it’s possible to extract the SMTP addresses from the Global Address List and distribute them in some portable format. (You may have noticed that GAL entries added to Outlook contacts resolve to the Exchange X.400 address, not the SMTP address.) We suggest several methods below.
PAB + Outlook Express Method | Tools | Other Methods
PAB + Outlook Express Method
MVP Hal Hostettler devised this method, which requires that you have Outlook Express and that the Personal Address Book (PAB) service be installed in your Outlook profile:
- In Outlook, click the Address Book button to display the Address Book dialog. Under Show Names from the, select Personal Address Book.
- To create a new PAB named GALTransfer.pab, right-click on Personal Address Book in the Show Names from the list, then choose Properties. Under Path, enter a new path, if desired, and the file name GALTransfer.pab. Click OK.
- Back in the Address Book dialog box, under Show Names from the, select Global Address List (or any Recipients container or address book view).
- Hold down the Ctrl key as you click on each name you want in your portable GAL PAB. If you want to select all names, click on the first name in the list, then use the scroll bar to see the last name. Hold down the Shift key as you click the last name.
- Right click on the selected names, and choose Add to Personal Address Book from the popup menu.
- Open Outlook Express. If you have names already in your OE address, you may want to export and delete them, so they don’t get mixed into your portable GAL.
- Choose File | Import | Address Book.
- In the Address Book Import Tool dialog, select Microsoft Exchange Personal Address Book, and then click Import. This puts all the SMTP addresses for the GAL entries that were in the PAB into your Windows Address Book in OE.
- Return to Outlook.
- Repeat Step 2, but this time create a new PAB file named GALSMTP.pab.
- Use Outlook’s File | Import and Export function to import addresses from Outlook Express into your Personal Address book.
When you finish, the GALSMTP.pab file will contain the names and SMTP addresses of everyone you selected from the GAL in Step 4. It will not, however, have any other GAL details, such as department or phone number. If you need that information and not just the SMTP addresses, you’ll need to try one of the other methods.
You can also skip steps 9-11 and instead use File | Export | Address Book in Outlook Express to export the GAL address to a comma-delimited .csv file that virtually any e-mail program should be able to import into its address book.
Tools in the Spotlight
Convert your Personal Address Book to or from Windows Address Book, Eudora, Netscape, Outlook Contacts, LDIF and other address book formats. | |
UnitySync (Previously SimpleSync) is a tool that synchronizes data between directories, providing organizations with a unified view of their disparate directories. UnitySync can scale from a small directories with hundreds of objects to enterprise directories consisting of hundreds of thousands of objects without requiring extensive training or installation/configuration time. All major directories and databases supported. |
Tools
Import or synchronize multiple directories from mail servers and databases to the Active Directory or Exchange 5.5 Global Address List. Can also synchronize between two Exchange organizations. Supports two-way synchronization with SQL Server or Excel. | |
Distribute your GAL to POP3 and IMAP users via e-mail or the Web. Updates are automatically sent to users running Outlook, Outlook Express, and other clients. | |
Synchronize objects between multiple domains and forests - Share information securely between Exchange organizations. GALsync allows you to share Exchange mail-enabled objects of your Active Directory forest with other forests. Transfer types are ftp, windows shares and email. Encryption possible. Sharing objects helps users in one or both messaging organizations to access information about users and groups of the partner organization. Easy to use - simple in pricing, no additional software or hardware required. Works fine with Windows 200x and Exchange 200x. Version 2.5 | |
GALSync automatically synchronizes your Outlook Global Address List (GAL) to the Contacts folder on your mobile device. Features include: Advanced Filtering for GALs with many entries, multiple filters by Company, City, Department, State, Office, Country and Manager. Specify conditions for each filter: 'contains', 'is (exactly)', 'doesn't contain', 'is empty' or 'is not empty'. Contact details include all standard Microsoft Exchange Server fields, including: Name, Job title, Department, Phone numbers, Email address, Notes and Contact details are stored in your mobile device Contacts database. Distribution Lists and Custom Recipients are also synchronized. GAL Contacts are added to a new 'GAL' Category, making them easier to manage. Version 1.10.10. For syncing to Pocket PC or Smartphone. | |
An NT/2000/XP Service that copies Global Address List information to a database, using Extended MAPI, not ADSI or CDO. GALtoDB supports Microsoft Access, Oracle, Microsoft SQL, and most other database systems. It includes the ability to create a new distribution list based on information from the Global Address List, while excluding email addresses that match criteria that you define, perfect for creating or recreating an up-to-date distribution list that does not contain unwanted accounts, such as Service Accounts, opt'ed out accounts, VIP accounts, etc. | |
IMI GAL Exporter (Also known as IMI Global Address List Extractor) for Microsoft Exchange Server is a small utility for Exchange Admin to export GAL to a few file formats. What is new in this version? • Native export to CSV, XML, HTML, SQL, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Access. • If you are working with Microsoft Office Outlook 2010 and there is more than one Exchange Server to your MAPI profile you can choose a specific Address list (Exchange Server) for export. | |
Insight AddressBook is an Outlook plug-in that has the same look and feel as Microsoft's Global Address List, from an LDAP server. This application is designed to provide customers, with even very large directory, instantaneous lookups when using the "check name" feature in a new mail message. It has caching capabilities, and queries take less than three seconds for the entire directory. The AddressBook integrates completely with Insight Connector and Outlook. The browsable GAL can lookup and display the name, email, phone numbers, fax, and more for each user. In addition, the schema can be changed to work with other mail servers. Free trial available. |
More Information
- Use Global Address List to Outlook Contacts Conversion Agent, a free sample Exchange Server script to maintain a public Contacts folder that mirrors the GAL, for use with PDA synchronization tools that support public folder sync. From CDOLive.
- Another sample script at Import Active Directory user data into Outlook address books helps generate a .csv file that POP or IMAP users can then import.
- If the users can connect to the Exchange Server, they can use LDAP. See XCLN How to Use the Outlook LDAP Service to View the Global Address List.
- XADM: Bulk Import/Export FAQ
- Super Export and Import Tools
- Export and Import Mission Possible
- Use one of these tools to display Exchange Server GAL information via a web interface:
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Last reviewed on Feb 21, 2012
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